HICKORY, N.C. (AP) – Cass Ballenger, a nine-term congressman who also served more than a decade in the North Carolina Legislature, died Wednesday. He was 88.
Ballenger, who authored a state law to protect scenic vistas in the North Carolina mountains, died at a local hospice in his hometown of Hickory after an extended illness, said Tommy Luckadoo, a long-time Ballenger aide.
Ballenger, a Republican, served in the North Carolina House from 1975-77 and in the state Senate from 1977-86. He also served on the Catawba County Board of Commissioners from 1966-74.
While in the General Assembly, Ballenger introduced the Government In the Sunshine Act of 1976, the first substantive open meetings law enacted in North Carolina.
“Cass was wholly dedicated to serving the people of North Carolina and I often look to the example he set in his sincere attention to his constituents,” Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., said in a statement.