Oral history interview with Terry Sanford, December 16 and 18, 1986
Subtitle: interview C-0038, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)
Contributors: Glass, Brent D., interviewer; Southern Oral History Program; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Documenting the American South (Project); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library
Edition: Electronic ed.
Publisher: University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill
Published: 2007
Place of publication: [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Interviews; Politicians; Presidents; Legislators; Politics and government; Political campaigns; Administration; Economic conditions; Duke University; Democratic Party (N.C.)
Other titles: Interview C-0038, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007); Interview with Terry Sanford, December 16 and 18, 1986; Oral histories of the American South.
Description: Terry Sanford, a Democratic politician who served as a state senator, governor, and US Senator in North Carolina and held the presidency at Duke University, reflects on his political career in this interview. He focuses on his goals for his upcoming Senate career, describing the positive campaign strategy that secured him a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1986. His emphasis on positivity complements his emphasis on unity, a trait he sought to restore to the Democratic Party with his incursions into national politics, including as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in 1972 and 1976. Sanford leaves unsaid what precisely Democratic politicians could do to restore unity, however--a thorny question complicated by the fact that the Democrats' disarray in Sanford's North Carolina was likely due to the Party's support for civil rights for African Americans. His focus on unity was complemented by what he describes as a positive television ad push that emphasized his record, and his determination not to court certain voting blocs for fear of antagonizing them. This interview offers an interesting look at the way a moderate southern Democrat gained political influence, and won over southern voters, in the increasingly conservative 1970s and 1980s.
Notes: Title from menu page (viewed on July 24, 2008).

Interview participants: Terry Sanford, interviewee; Brent Glass, interviewer.

Duration: 02:34:30.

This electronic edition is part of the UNC-CH digital library, Documenting the American South.  It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South.

Text encoded by Jennifer Joyner.  Sound recordings digitized by Aaron Smithers.

Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files: ca. 223.3 kilobytes, 282 megabytes.

Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series C, Notable North Carolinians, interview C-0038, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Transcribed by Jovita Flynn. Original transcript: 75 p.

Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this interview.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements:  Web browser with Javascript enabled and multimedia player.