Floyd McKissick Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theNorth Carolina Senate from the 20th district | |
| In office 2007 – Jan. 7, 2020[1] | |
| Preceded by | Jeanne Hopkins Lucas |
| Succeeded by | Mickey Michaux[2] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1952-11-21)November 21, 1952 (age 72) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Clark University UNC-Chapel Hill Harvard University Duke University |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Floyd Bixler McKissick Jr. (born November 21, 1952) is an American attorney who served as aDemocratic member of theNorth Carolina Senate.[3][4] He was appointed to the Senate by GovernorMike Easley on April 18, 2007 to replace the lateJeanne Hopkins Lucas and was later elected and re-elected in his own right. In 2011, he became DeputyMinority Leader in the Senate and chairman of theNorth Carolina Legislative Black Caucus.[5] He resigned in 2020 after having been appointed by Gov.Roy Cooper to the state Utilities Commission.
McKissick is the son of the late civil rights activistFloyd McKissick.
McKissick works incivil litigation.[6] He practicesbusiness law,criminal defense,family law, andadministrative law.[7]
McKissick received anA.B. Degree in Geography, fromClark University inWorcester, Massachusetts.[8] He received a master's degree in Regional Planning fromUNC-Chapel Hill, and a master's degree in Public Administration, fromHarvard University.[8] McKissick received aJuris Doctor Degree from theDuke University School of Law in Durham, North Carolina.[8] McKissick has practiced law since 1983 with a number of law firms, includingDickstein Shapiro in Washington, D.C., and Faison, Brown & Brough in Durham, N.C.[8] McKissick has practiced with McKissick & McKissick since 1990.[citation needed]
For a time McKissick owned a convenience store inWarren County, North Carolina. On December 27, 1985 two armed men robbed the store. After taking cash from the register, they shot McKissick in the left arm with a shotgun, nearly detaching it from his body. The two men were later arrested and incarcerated. McKissick's arm healed, though it lost some of its mobility.[9]
He co-authored a guide book for theInternational Trade Administration in theU.S. Department of Commerce on Attracting Foreign Direct Investment to the United States (1981).[8]
He authored an article for the Construction Law Advisor onWhen An Owner Can Terminate a Construction Contract Due to Delay (1984).[citation needed]
McKissick was disciplined by the N.C. State Bar for professional misconduct involving aconflict of interest. The bar found that McKissick improperly represented both sides in a 2000 dispute involving the estate decisions of an elderly Durham man.[10]
In 1995, McKissick's former wife said he physically abused her, and in 2001 a former employee of his law firm said he hit her with a telephone. He was acquitted in both cases.[10]
In 1999, McKissick unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Durham.
At the time of his selection by the Durham Democratic Party to fill the vacancy (due to the death ofJeanne Lucas frombreast cancer) in District 20 in the state senate, McKissick was the chairman of theDurham CountyDemocratic Party, which raised questions of a conflict of interest in the selection process.[11]