Residents in central North Carolina were left saddened this week after a former long-time Republican lawmaker passed away.
According to The Dispatch, former state Sen. Stan Bingham died unexpectedly on Thursday morning at the age of 76. The cause of his death has yet to be released.
Bingham was involved in politics for over three decades
The paper noted that Bingham was first elected to represent Davidson and Guilford counties after having previously served for a single term on the Davidson County Board of Commissioners from 1990 to 1994.
Bingham’s passing affected those who he once served alongside, including fellow North Carolina GOP state Sen. Steve Jarvis.
Jarvis told The Dispatch that he had spoken with Bingham the night before he died and called the former colleague’s demise a “huge shock.”
“I attended an event where he was last night and he seemed to be in good health. It is a huge loss because he loved Davidson County and he loved North Carolina,” Jarvis recalled.
“As a legislator, he was well respected by all of his colleagues on both sides of the isle. He was a true servant to this community, and he will be missed,” Jarvis went on to add.
The local mayor calls Bingham “a friend to everyone”
Jarvis was not alone in speaking well of Bingham as North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper put out a tweet praising him as well.
Senator Bingham was a hard working and thoughtful public servant who diligently represented the people of his district in addition to all of his other community efforts to improve the lives of others. – RChttps://t.co/ji3JUs1isB
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) October 27, 2022
The Dispatched noted that Bingham had longstanding ties to the town of Denton, North Carolina where for decades he owned a lumber company and also published a newspaper.
Denton Mayor Larry Ward remembered Bingham fondly, saying that the former legislator “was a friend to everyone, and would talk to anyone about just about everything.”
Ward characterized Bingham’s death as being “a huge loss for Southern Davidson County” while calling him “a good mentor to me and helped me out on a lot of things.”