Political warrior Hensley dies
Democrat spoke up for his causes
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1653001.html
BY ROB CHRISTENSEN AND LYNN BONNER, Staff writers
RALEIGH - Former state Rep. Bob Hensley, a wise-cracking Democratic maverick who for more than a decade represented much of central Raleigh in the legislature, died Tuesday at Rex Hospital from complications of leukemia.
Hensley, 62, who served in the state House from 1990 until 2002, was a gregarious, guitar-playing liberal lawyer who was a political adversary of both Democratic House Speaker Jim Black and Republican House Speaker Harold Brubaker.
He once introduced himself to a gathering of local politicians and business people as "Bob Hensley, rogue."
But he was also a happy political warrior who loved legislative intrigue, cross-examining his colleagues on the House floor and twitting those in power.
"Bob Hensley was a public servant who had the best interests of North Carolina at heart and was never afraid to speak up for what he believed," Gov. Beverly Perdue said. "His passion, determination and sense of humor left a lasting mark on his constituents and on North Carolina. He will be missed."
State Rep. Deborah Ross, who succeeded Hensley in Wake County's 38th House district, said, "Bob Hensley was a spirited and a dedicated public servant who fought for what he thought was right and always cared about the average citizens."
Hensley, a native of Wilmington who grew up in Cherryville, was a Goldwater Republican who became a McGovern Democrat. He was a law school classmate at N.C. Central University of future Gov. Mike Easley. His first exposure to the legislature was as a student lobbying -- not very successfully -- for more money for law books for the NCCU library.
His first foray into legislative politics was when he worked for Dan Blue's 1980 state House campaign.
A decade later, he rose in the legislature as Blue became the first African-American House speaker in the South since Reconstruction. Blue made Hensley a House Judiciary Committee chairman, which would turn out to be the peak of his power.
The career of Hensley, who was white, was symbolic of the New South politics. Not only was he a key ally of a black politician, but he represented a biracial district that included white neighborhoods such as Boylan Heights, Cameron Park and Oakwood, and many black neighborhoods such as Method, Biltmore Hills and areas around Shaw University and St. Augustine's College.
"Bob was the consummate political guy who believed in the causes of the Democratic Party and was totally boundless in his energy in the causes of the party," Blue said.
When the Republicans took control of the House after the 1994 election, Hensley became both a back bencher and a thorn in the Republican side.
He accused Republicans of dragging out the session to collect the per diem.
And he described a slow-moving session on children's health insurance as "Forrest Gump on two bottles of NyQuil." Such comments made him a favorite with reporters looking for a pithy comment to enliven their often routine legislative reports.
Hensley was still an outsider when the Democrats took power under Jim Black. He never got along with Black and joined forces with Blue to unsuccessfully try to oust him.
Blue said Hensley had an unusual profile as a lawmaker -- he was both a champion of law enforcement officers, working for higher pay and better conditions, and of making sure the judicial system was fair to defendants.
In 2002, Hensley announced he was not seeking re-election, saying he had not had a vacation in a decade and he had promised his wife he would not run again.
Hensley is survived by his wife, Pat Granger Hensley, and sons Preston, Chris and Robert Hensley III. Funeral arrangements are pending.
rob.christensen@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4532
