James D. McGinnis

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix =
name = James D. McGinnis
honorific-suffix =


imagesize =
small

office = Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
term_start = January 18 1977
term_end = January 20 1981
predecessor = Eugene D. Bookhammer
successor = Michael N. Castle
birth_date = birth date and age|1932|01|11
birth_place = Chicago, Illinois
death_date =
death_place =
spouse =
party = Democratic
residence = Dover, Delaware
alma_mater =
occupation = realtor
profession =
religion =

James D. McGinnis (born January 11 1932) is an American real estate agent and politician from Dover in Kent County, Delaware. He is a member of the Democratic Party who served as Lieutenant Governor of Delaware from 1977 to 1981.

Professional career

McGinnis was born January 11 1932 in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to Dover, Delaware in 1954. In 1964 he entered the real estate business by selling and leasing commercial property. He worked in the industry for eleven years before earning his Broker’s license from the Delaware Real Estate Commission in 1975. McGinnis earned a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation from the National Association of Realtors and is a member of the Kent County Association of Realtors, Delaware Association of Realtors, and National Association of Realtors. From 1990 to 1992, he served on the Landlord-Tenant Committee for the Kent County Realtors Association.

Political career

McGinnis first won elected office in 1962, when he was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives. In 1964, after only one term in the House, McGinnis won election to the State Senate, holding his seat until 1966.

Upon the retirement of Democratic State Representative Ralph R. Smith in 1972, McGinnis returned to the State House by winning Smith’s seat in Delaware’s 32nd Representative district. He was reelected in 1974 and served as Majority Leader from 1975 to 1976.

McGinnis’s legislative prowess led Delaware Democrats to nominate him for Lieutenant Governor. The Democratic candidate for Governor was Incumbent Sherman W. Tribbitt, running for reelection amid a financial crisis. Then U.S. Congressman and du Pont family heir Pierre S. du Pont, IV defeated Tribbitt for Governor by a 15 point margin. Despite this overwhelming defeat by the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, McGinnis won his race for Lieutenant Governor, defeating Republican Andrew Foltz by a slim one and a half point margin.

In 1980 McGinnis declined to run for reelection as Lieutenant Governor, instead opting to run for Governor. However, he and most of the other Democratic contenders dropped out of the primary in favor of eventual nominee William J. Gordy. Gordy lost to incumbent Governor du Pont. The Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor was State Senate Majority Leader and future President Pro Tempore Thomas B. Sharp, who lost the election to future Governor Michael N. Castle by 19%.

In March 1997, Democratic Governor Thomas R. Carper recognized McGinnis’s combined experience in the areas of politics and real estate by appointing him to a three-tear term on the Delaware Real Estate Commission. He has been reappointed since then by Carper and his successor, Ruth Ann Minner. Minner and McGinnis had served together in the State House from 1975 to 1977, when McGinnis was the floor leader for their caucus and Minner was in her first term.

Almanac

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1st. Members of the Delaware General Assembly take office the second Tuesday of January. The Lt. Governor takes office the third Tuesday of January.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" | Public Offices
-! Office! Type! Location! Elected! Term began! Term ended! notes
- Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
State Representative
Legislature
Dover
1962
January 8 1963
January 12 1965|
- Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
State Senator
Legislature
Dover
1964
January 12 1965
January 10 1967|
- Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
State Representative
Legislature
Dover
1972
January 9 1973
January 14 1975|
- Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
State Representative
Legislature
Dover
1974
January 14 1975
January 11 1977
Majority Leader
-Party shading/Anti-Masonic
Lt. Governor
Executive
Dover
1976
January 18 1977
January 20 1981|
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly "service"
-! Dates! Assembly! Chamber! Majority! Governor! Committees! District
-Party shading/Democratic
1963-1964
122nd
State House
Democratic
Elbert N. Carvel|
"2nd Kent"
-Party shading/Democratic
1965-1966
123rd
State Senate
Democratic
Charles L. Terry, Jr.|
"14th"
-Party shading/Republican
1973-1974
127th
State House
Republican
Sherman W. Tribbitt|
"32nd"
-Party shading/Democratic
1975-1976
128th
State House
Democratic
Sherman W. Tribbitt|
"32nd"
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
-!Year!Office!!Subject!Party!Votes!%!!Opponent!Party!Votes!%
-
1962
State Representative|
Party shading/Democratic |James D. McGinnis
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic
Party shading/Democratic
|
Party shading/Republican
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican
Party shading/Republican
-
-
1964
State Representative|
Party shading/Democratic |James D. McGinnis
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic
Party shading/Democratic
|
Party shading/Republican
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican
Party shading/Republican
-
1972
State Representative|
Party shading/Democratic |James D. McGinnis
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |2,884
Party shading/Democratic |55.3%|
Party shading/Republican |J. Ronald Fidler
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |2,330
Party shading/Republican |44.7%
-
1974
State Representative|
Party shading/Democratic |James D. McGinnis
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |2,562
Party shading/Democratic |61.6%|
Party shading/Republican |Andrea L. Barros
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |1,599
Party shading/Republican |38.4%
-
1976
Lt. Governor|
Party shading/Democratic |James D. McGinnis
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |110,328
Party shading/Democratic |50.4%|
Party shading/Republican |Andrew Foltz
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |107,075
Party shading/Republican |48.9%
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

References

*cite book |title = Only in Delaware, Politics and Politicians in the First State |last= Cohen |first= Celia |coauthors= |work= |publisher= Grapevine Publishing |location= Newark, Delaware |pages= |year= 2002 |id=

External links

* [http://elections.delaware.gov/information/electionresults/election_archive.shtml Delaware Election Results ]
* [http://www.state.de.us/research/register/march2004/govappoint.htm Gubernatorial Appointments ]
* [http://www.mcginnisrealty.com/ McGinnis Realty ]