Luther H. Hodges

Luther Hodges
15th United States Secretary of Commerce
In office January 21, 1961 – January 15, 1965
President	John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Frederick H. Mueller
Succeeded by	John T. Connor
64th Governor of North Carolina
In office November 7, 1954 – January 5, 1961
Lieutenant	Luther E. Barnhardt
Preceded by	William B. Umstead
Succeeded by	Terry Sanford
22nd Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
In office January 8, 1953 – November 7, 1954
Governor	William B. Umstead
Preceded by	Hoyt Patrick Taylor
Succeeded by	Luther E. Barnhardt
Personal details
Born	Luther Hartwell Hodges (1898-03-09)March 9, 1898 Cascade, Virginia, U.S.
Died	October 6, 1974(1974-10-06) (aged 76) Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Martha Elizabeth Blakeney ​ ​ (m. 1922; died 1969)​ Louise Finlayson ​ (m. 1970)​
Children	3 (including Luther H. Hodges Jr.)
Education	University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (BA)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Battles/wars	World War I

Luther Hartwell Hodges (March 9, 1898 – October 6, 1974) was a businessman and American politician. After a career in textile manufacturing, he entered public service, gaining some state appointments. Elected as lieutenant governor of North Carolina in 1952, he succeeded to the Governor's office in 1954 after the death of the incumbent. He was elected in 1956 to a full four-year term, serving in total as the 64th governor of the state of North Carolina from 1954 to 1961.

In 1961 he was appointed as United States Secretary of Commerce under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, serving until 1965.^[1] He returned to North Carolina and served as chairman of Research Triangle Park, a major facility established during his tenure as governor.