Terry Sanford - Legacy

Legacy

Sanford was a major public figure of the post-World War II South. He played a key role in the transformation of Southern politics into the New South, primarily in the areas of race relations and education. In recognition of his efforts in education and in countless other areas, a 1981 Harvard University survey named him one of the 10 best governors of the 20th century.

The Terry Sanford Federal Building and Courthouse in Raleigh, the state capital, is named after Sanford. President Bill Clinton said in a statement issued from the Summit of the Americas in Santiago, Chile: "His work and his influence literally changed the face and future of the South, making him one of the most influential Americans of the last 50 years." John Edwards said in Terry Sanford and the New South that Sanford was his political hero.

Duke University has since established an undergraduate and graduate school (formerly institute) in public policy called the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy. Fayetteville High School, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, was renamed Terry Sanford High School in his honor in 1968.