Nick Galifianakis (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nick Galifianakis
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina |
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| In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1973 |
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| Preceded by | Ralph J. Scott |
| Succeeded by | Ike F. Andrews |
| Constituency | 5th district (1967–69) 4th district (1969–73) |
| Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from Durham County |
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| In office February 8, 1961 – February 8, 1967 |
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| Preceded by | multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | multi-member district |
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| Born | July 22, 1928 Durham, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | March 27, 2023 (aged 94) Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Louise Galifianakis |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Zach Galifianakis (nephew) Nick Galifianakis (nephew) |
| Education | Duke University (BA, LLB) |
| Occupation | Attorney, college professor |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service | United States Marine Corps Reserve |
| Years of service | 1953–1956 |
| Rank | Major |
Nick Galifianakis (July 22, 1928 – March 27, 2023) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a Democratic U.S. Congressman from North Carolina from 1967 to 1973.
Early life
Galifianakis was born in Durham, North Carolina, the son of Greek immigrants Sophia (née Kastrinakis) and Mike Galifianakis. Galifianakis attended local public schools and then Duke University, earning a bachelor's degree in 1951 and a law degree in 1953. After serving in the United States Marine Corps Reserve from October 1953 to April 1956, he was admitted to the bar and practiced law in Durham. In 1960, he became an assistant professor of business law at Duke and was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1960.
U.S. Congress
In 1966, Galifianakis was elected to represent North Carolina's 5th congressional district in the United States Congress. After the state was forced to conduct a mid-decade redistricting for the 1968 elections, he was placed in North Carolina's 4th congressional district, a much more compact district stretching from Durham through Chatham County to Raleigh. He was reelected to the House in 1968 and 1970.
Galifianakis sought the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by B. Everett Jordan in the 1972 election, and defeated him in the primary. While Galifianakis led his Republican challenger, former television commentator Jesse Helms, by a substantial margin for most of the campaign, Helms closed the gap by tying Galifianakis to his party's presidential nominee, George McGovern, and with the late-campaign slogan, "Jesse Helms: He's One of Us," an implicit play suggesting his opponent's Greek heritage made him somehow less "American." Galifianakis knew that McGovern was unpopular in his state and tried to distance himself from him. He also was not helped by several conservative Democrats defecting to Helms. Ultimately, Helms pulled away and defeated Galifianakis by eight points.
Galifianakis sought the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1974. He lost in the primary election, 50%–32%, to Robert Morgan, the state's attorney general.
Personal life
Galifianakis and his wife, Louise, had two children.
After leaving politics, Galifianakis returned to his law practice in Durham, only retiring in his mid 80s. Since 1997, a nephew of his, also named Nick Galifianakis, has been drawing the satirical cartoons that accompany the advice column "Tell Me About It" in The Washington Post tri-weekly. The column is written by the younger Nick's ex-wife, Carolyn Hax. He was also the uncle of actor and comedian Zach Galifianakis.
Galifianakis died in Raleigh on March 27, 2023, at the age of 94, after several years of Parkinson's disease.
