{{short description|American politician from North Carolina}} {{distinguish|Cheri Barry}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Cherie Berry |image = Cherie Berry (cropped).jpg |office = 17th [[North Carolina Commissioner of Labor|Labor Commissioner of North Carolina]] |governor = [[Mike Easley]] <br/> [[Bev Perdue]] <br/> [[Pat McCrory]] <br/> [[Roy Cooper]] |term_start = January 6, 2001 |term_end = January 2, 2021 |predecessor = [[Harry E. Payne Jr.|Harry Payne]] |successor = [[Josh Dobson]] |state_house1 = North Carolina |district1 = [[North Carolina's 45th House district|45th]] |alongside1 = Charles Preston, [[Joe L. Kiser|Joe Kiser]] |term_start1 = January 1, 1993 |term_end1 = January 1, 2001 |predecessor1 = Doris Rogers Huffman <br/> [[W. Stine Isenhower|Walter Stine Isenhower]] |successor1 = [[Mark K. Hilton|Mark Hilton]] |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1946|12|21}} |birth_place = [[Newton, North Carolina]], U.S. |party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] |education = [[Lenoir–Rhyne University|Lenoir-Rhyne University]] <br/> [[Gaston College]] <br/> [[Oakland Community College]] }}
'''Nora Cherie Killian Berry''' (born December 21, 1946) is an American politician who served as the [[North Carolina Commissioner of Labor]] from 2001 to 2021.<ref name="NCDOL">{{cite web |title=Commissioner's Office |url=http://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms/search/hitlist.cfm?docketID=48456&CFID=201774&CFTOKEN=13621945 |access-date=16 February 2014 |publisher=North Carolina Department of Labor}}</ref> A member of the [[United States Republican Party|Republican Party]], she was the first woman to hold the office.
==Early life== Nora Cherie Killian was born in [[Newton, North Carolina]], on December 21, 1946, to Earl and Lena Carrigan Killian.{{sfn|North Carolina Manual|2001|p=277}} Her father gave her the name Cherie after the French phrase "mon chérie" (English: my darling) which he had heard in France on his way home following his release as a prisoner-of-war of [[World War II]].<ref name= queram>{{cite news| last = Queram| first = Kate Elizabeth| title = The improbable rise of the 'Elevator Queen'| newspaper = Winston-Salem Journal| location = Greensboro| date = September 10, 2017| url = http://www.journalnow.com/news/state_region/the-improbable-rise-of-the-elevator-queen/article_ed4c5626-eef1-558b-a7af-77cb72a65a0f.html| access-date = February 5, 2018}}</ref> Killian graduated from [[Maiden High School]] in [[Maiden, North Carolina]], in 1965{{sfn|North Carolina Manual|2001|p=277}} and then moved to [[Boone, North Carolina]], where she worked wrapping Christmas presents at a department store and selling advertisements for, writing for, and delivering newspapers.<ref name="warren">{{cite news |last=Warren-Hicks |first=Colin |date=September 5, 2017 |title=The woman in the elevator, Cherie Berry, is "a bit of an icon" for Millennials |newspaper=[[The Herald-Sun|The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina)]] |location=Durham, North Carolina |url=http://www.heraldsun.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article171222777.html |access-date=February 5, 2018}}</ref> She attended [[Lenoir Rhyne College]], ending her studies there in 1967. She also studied at [[Gaston College]] in 1969 and [[Oakland Community College]] in 1977.{{sfn|North Carolina Manual|2001|p=277}} She married Norman H. Berry Jr. and took his last name.<ref name= warren/>
In 1985 Berry and her husband founded LGM Ltd., a company based in a former billiard hall that manufactured spark-plug wires for cars. After initial financial uncertainty, the venture became very profitable.<ref name= warren/> Norman H. Berry Jr. died in 2006.<ref>{{cite news| title = Norman H. Berry Jr. Obituary| newspaper = [[The News & Observer]]| date = February 5, 2006| url = http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/newsobserver/obituary-preview.aspx?n=norman-h-berry&pid=85843439&referrer=1878| access-date = February 5, 2018}}</ref>
==Political career== ===State House=== [[File:Representative Cherie K. Berry.gif|thumb|right|Berry as a State Representative]] Berry served in the [[North Carolina House of Representatives]] from 1993 to 2000, where she chaired the welfare reform committee and co-chaired the commerce committee.
===State Labor Commissioner=== In November 2000, she was elected state labor commissioner, the first woman to hold the post and the first Republican elected to the post.<ref name=NCDOL /><ref>{{Cite web |title=T. Avery Nye, Jr. - Commissioner of Labor |url=https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/ncpi/view/11484 |access-date=2022-10-09 |website=North Carolina Periodicals Index |publisher=[[East Carolina University]]}}</ref> Berry was sworn in as North Carolina Commissioner of Labor on January 6, 2001. She was the only Republican on the [[North Carolina Council of State|Council of State]] between 2001 and 2005, and defeated [[United States Democratic Party|Democrat]] [[Wayne Goodwin]] to win a second term in the [[2004 North Carolina Council of State election|2004 statewide elections]].<ref name=NCDOL /> Berry narrowly defeated Mary Fant Donnan to keep her seat in the [[2008 North Carolina Council of State election|2008 election]]. Berry won a fourth four-year term in [[2012 North Carolina Council of State election|November 2012]], defeating former Labor Commissioner John C. Brooks by more than 280,000 votes.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NC/42923/114645/Web01/en/summary.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-04-17 |archive-date=2013-05-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505090556/http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NC/42923/114645/Web01/en/summary.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Berry won a fifth four-year term in [[2016 North Carolina Council of State election|November 2016]], defeating former Raleigh mayor [[Charles Meeker]] by more than 476,000 votes, her largest percentage margin of victory.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=11/08/2016&county_id=0&office=COS&contest=0 | title=NC SBE Contest Results|website=Er.ncsbe.gov}}</ref> On April 2, 2019, she announced at a Council of State meeting that she would not seek reelection.<ref name="abc11">{{cite web |date=April 2, 2019 |title=North Carolina Commissioner of Labor Cherie Berry says she won't run in 2020 |url=https://abc11.com/politics/cherie-berry-says-she-wont-run-for-6th-term-in-2020/5230360/ |access-date=April 2, 2019 |website=ABC11.com |publisher=[[WTVD]]}}</ref> She endorsed Pearl Burris Floyd to succeed her.<ref>{{cite news| last = Campbell| first = Colin| title = Cherie Berry's legacy looms large in race to replace her. So does the elevator photo| newspaper = The News & Observer| date = February 13, 2020| url = https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article240223491.html| access-date = July 21, 2020}}</ref>
Berry was criticized in a newspaper report on poultry plant oversight.<ref>{{cite news |last=Alexander |first=Ames |date=9 March 2008 |title=Berry plans no changes after stories on poultry |newspaper=[[The Charlotte Observer]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110973719/ncdol-2008/}}</ref> In 2008, ''[[The Charlotte Observer]]'' found that at least half of contributors to Berry's reelection campaign were the executives and managers of business inspected by the department she leads.<ref name=Alexander>{{cite news|title=For donors to Berry, breaks on fines are larger|url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/article9014573.html|access-date=19 October 2011|newspaper=[[The Charlotte Observer]]|date=5 October 2008|author=Alexander, Ames|author2=Ingram, David}}</ref> The same report also found that while Berry's department reduced fines for [[Occupational safety and health|workplace safety]] violations as a matter of routine, "Berry's contributors have usually gotten bigger-than-average breaks."<ref name=Alexander/>
==In popular culture== During Berry's first term as North Carolina Commissioner of Labor, her spokesman suggested that she include a portrait of herself on inspection forms displayed in elevators in the state "to put a face on government". Berry initially rejected the idea, but decided to implement it after winning reelection.<ref name= warren/>
Berry has received a small following among younger North Carolinians due to her catchy name and her picture inside elevators in North Carolina. Her picture and signature appeared inside all elevators in North Carolina on the Certification of Operation leading to her receiving the unofficial title of "The Elevator Queen." A paper published in a political science journal attributes her success above that of other Republican politicians to the presence of her name and picture in elevators across the state.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1177/1532673X15602755|title = The Elevator Effect|journal = American Politics Research|volume = 44|issue = 3|pages = 496–522|year = 2016|last1 = Smith|first1 = Jacob F. H.|last2 = Weinberg|first2 = Neil|s2cid = 156042718}}</ref> In 2018 [[Elon University]] conducted a poll on photographic recognition of North Carolina politicians. Most of the respondents who correctly identified Berry referred to her as the "Elevator Lady" or the "Elevator Queen" instead of using her name.<ref>{{cite news| last = Chemtob| first = Danielle| title = Elevator Queen aside, most state leaders are a mystery to voters| newspaper = The News & Observer| date = February 23, 2018| url = https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article201887344.html| access-date = April 4, 2019}}</ref>
In 2007 musician [[Dan Bryk]] recorded a song, ''Cherry Berry'', about the "gal in the elevator" after seeing Berry's photograph in an elevator. He released it under a pseudonym, Tha<!--not a typo--> Commissioners, on a [[MySpace]] page and supplied a copy to a disc jockey at [[WKNC-FM]], [[North Carolina State University]]'s student radio station. The music director at the station played it frequently, and Berry said of it, "I just think it rocks."<ref>{{cite news |last=Beckwith |first=Ryan Teague |date=July 7, 2007 |title=Ode to Cherie Berry redefines elevator music |page=1 |newspaper=[[The News & Observer]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110973796/berry-2007/}}</ref> The band Alternative Champs also released a song about her, entitled, ''Cherie Berry''.<ref>{{cite news| last = McCorkle| first = Raven| title = An Ode To Elevator Queen Cherie Berry| newspaper = Old Gold & Black| publisher = Wake Forest University Media Board| date = January 25, 2018| url = http://wfuogb.com/2018/01/an-ode-to-elevator-queen-cherie-berry/| access-date = February 7, 2018}}</ref> A Raleigh shirt company released a shirt with the words "Cherie Berry lifts me up" printed on the front. A Durham restaurant also listed a "Cherie Berry's Elevated Tea" on its menu.<ref name= abc11/> In 2019 two North Carolina breweries released cherry-flavored beers in homage to Berry.<ref>{{cite news| last = Jasper| first = Simone| title = Cherry Berry? Brewers give nod to North Carolina 'elevator lady' with themed beers| newspaper = The News & Observer| date = April 17, 2019| url = https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article229363914.html| access-date = April 17, 2019}}</ref>
== Later life == Following her departure from the labor commissionership, Berry moved to [[Toledo, Ohio]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.wral.com/story/going-down-elevator-pictures-of-nc-labor-commissioners/21123239/| title = Going down: Elevator pictures of NC labor commissioners| last = Fain| first = Travis| date = October 30, 2023| website = WRAL-TV| publisher = Capitol Broadcasting Company| access-date = October 31, 2023}}</ref>
== Electoral history == {| class="wikitable" ! colspan="4" |North Carolina House of Representatives 45th District Election, 1996 |- |'''Party''' |'''Candidate''' |'''Votes''' |'''%''' |- |Republican |'''Joe Kiser (inc.)''' |29,173 |50.64 |- |Republican |'''Cherie Killian Berry (inc.)''' |28,436 |49.36 |} {| class="wikitable" ! colspan="4" |North Carolina House of Representatives 45th District Election, 1998 |- |'''Party''' |'''Candidate''' |'''Votes''' |'''%''' |- |Republican |'''Joe Kiser (inc.)''' |20,275 |39.02 |- |Republican |'''Cherie Killian Berry (inc.)''' |20,122 |38.72 |- |Democratic |Columbus Turner |11,567 |22.26 |} {| class="wikitable" ! colspan="4" |North Carolina Commissioner of Labor Republican Primary Election, 2000 |- |'''Party''' |'''Candidate''' |'''Votes''' |'''%''' |- |Republican |'''Cherie Killian Berry''' |92,695 |38.39 |- |Republican |John Miller |74,127 |30.70 |- |Republican |Mac Wetherman |49,468 |20.49 |- |Republican |Carl Southard |25,135 |10.41 |} {| class="wikitable" ! colspan="4" |North Carolina Commissioner of Labor Election, 2000 |- |'''Party''' |'''Candidate''' |'''Votes''' |'''%''' |- |Republican |'''Cherie Killian Berry''' |1,379,417 |50.13 |- |Democratic |[[Doug Berger]] |1,372,165 |49.87 |} {| class="wikitable" ! colspan="4" |North Carolina Commissioner of Labor Republican Primary Election, 2004 |- |'''Party''' |'''Candidate''' |'''Votes''' |'''%''' |- |Republican |'''Cherie Berry (inc.)''' |194,723 |64.57 |- |Republican |Lloyd Funderburk |106,841 |35.43 |} {| class="wikitable" ! colspan="4" |North Carolina Commissioner of Labor Election, 2004 |- |'''Party''' |'''Candidate''' |'''Votes''' |'''%''' |- |Republican |'''Cherie Berry (inc.)''' |1,723,004 |52.09 |- |Democratic |[[Wayne Goodwin]] |1,584,488 |47.91 |} {| class="wikitable" ! colspan="4" |North Carolina Commissioner of Labor Election, 2008 |- |'''Party''' |'''Candidate''' |'''Votes''' |'''%''' |- |Republican |'''Cherie Berry (inc.)''' |2,065,095 |50.61 |- |Democratic |Mary Fant Donnan |2,015,442 |49.39 |} {| class="wikitable" ! colspan="4" |North Carolina Commissioner of Labor Election, 2012 |- |'''Party''' |'''Candidate''' |'''Votes''' |'''%''' |- |Republican |'''Cherie Berry (inc.)''' |2,300,500 |53.26 |- |Democratic |[[John C. Brooks]] |2,019,266 |46.74 |} {| class="wikitable" ! colspan="4" |North Carolina Commissioner of Labor Election, 2016 |- |'''Party''' |'''Candidate''' |'''Votes''' |'''%''' |- |Republican |'''Cherie Berry (inc.)''' |2,487,829 |55.21 |- |Democratic |[[Charles Meeker]] |2,013,300 |44.68 |- |none |Write-ins (total) |5,006 |0.11 |}
==Citations== {{Reflist}}
==References== {{refbegin}} * {{cite book| title = North Carolina Manual| publisher = State Department of Archives and History, North Carolina| date = 2001| location = Raleigh| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=aqpLAQAAMAAJ| oclc = 898149266| ref = {{harvid|North Carolina Manual|2001}}}} {{refend}}
==External links== * [https://files.nc.gov/ncdol/documents/files/labor-ledger-november-december-20.pdf From Linthead to Queen : Labor Ledger]
{{s-start}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=[[R. Tracy Walker]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee for [[North Carolina Commissioner of Labor]]|years=2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016}} {{s-aft|after=[[Josh Dobson]]}} {{s-par|us-nc-hs}} {{s-bef | before = Doris Rogers Huffman <br/> [[W. Stine Isenhower|Walter Stine Isenhower]] }} {{s-ttl | title = Member of the [[North Carolina House of Representatives]] <br/> from the [[North Carolina's 45th House district|45th]] district | years = 1993–2001 | alongside = Charles Preston, [[Joe L. Kiser|Joe Kiser]] }} {{s-aft | after = [[Mark K. Hilton|Mark Hilton]] }} |- {{s-off}} {{s-bef | before = [[Harry E. Payne Jr.|Harry Payne]] }} {{s-ttl | title = [[North Carolina Commissioner of Labor|Labor Commissioner of North Carolina]] | years = 2001-2021 }} {{s-aft | after = [[Josh Dobson]] }} {{s-end}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Cherie}} [[Category:1946 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Newton, North Carolina]] [[Category:Lenoir–Rhyne University alumni]] [[Category:Women state legislators in North Carolina]] [[Category:20th-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly]] [[Category:21st-century North Carolina politicians]] [[Category:20th-century American women politicians]] [[Category:21st-century American women politicians]] [[Category:Republican Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives]] [[Category:North Carolina commissioners of labor]]