Editor's note: This story is the third entry in a series called Flashback, which The Chronicle will be running online weekly through the end of the summer. We welcome readers' input about old stories they would like to see featured.
This week's story focuses on former Duke President Terry Sanford, who threw his hat in the ring to become the Democratic nominee for president in June 1975.
Did you know that Terry Sanford made not one but two runs for the Oval Office while he was Duke's president?
Sanford served as governor of North Carolina from 1961 to 1965 before becoming president of Duke in 1969. On March 8, 1972, Sanford announced his first bid for the White House and finished with the fifth most votes at the Democratic convention. Three years later, he ran in the next Democratic presidential primary. His tenure as Duke's president would come to an end in 1985.
On June 1, 1975, the announcement for his second presidential campaign was broadcasted across the nation, making the front pages of major newspapers the next morning, according to Anne Newman, who covered the event for The Chronicle.
“With a bright look in his eye reflecting either glaring television lights or firm confidence, Terry Sanford stepped into the national spotlight Thursday morning and entered the Democratic race for President,” Newman wrote in the article. “He was addressed more often than not as 'Governor' Sanford by members of the press corps […] However, Sanford’s announcement represented a peak of the national prominence he has sought for Duke University since assuming the presidency here in 1969.”
Newman described Sanford's approach to the 1976 election as the “Wallace battle strategy” because Sanford “singled out” George Wallace—governor of Alabama and pro-segregationist—as his primary opponent during the press conference.
“Too many people have been cozying up to him. Some people are afraid if they say anything bad about him they’ll upset a lot of supporters,” Sanford said. “I’m the one to take him on. I’m the nearest thing to him. I came up at the same time in similar climate, region and crucial times and it is my responsibility because of that to challenge him."
Later, when asked how he would manage running a university and a presidential campaign, Sanford said that he would take a sabbatical, starting January 1, 1976, Newman wrote.
She also noted that Sanford “flatly denied any desire to become Vice-President.”
Despite his best efforts, Sanford did not make it past the Democratic primary, losing the nomination to Jimmy Carter, who would eventually win the presidential election in November 1976.
However, this loss did not mark the end of Sanford’s political aspirations. After leaving Duke, he was elected to be a U.S. Senator from North Carolina, serving from 1986 to 1993.
An exhibit titled “Terry Sanford: A Change Leader for Duke” is currently on display in the Mary Duke Biddle Room, which is located in Perkins Library. It will be open until July 28.
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