RUBY T. HOOPER, 83 Had run for governor

Ruby T. Hooper, who in 1984 became the first woman from a major political party to run for governor of North Carolina, died Friday in Tryon, N.C.

She lost her first bid for governor to Jim Martin in the 1984 Republican primary. Mr. Martin would go on to win the general election, and Ms. Hooper served in his administration as deputy secretary of the Department of Human Resources. She ran again for the GOP nomination in 1991, losing to Lt. Gov. James C. Gardner.

For nearly 30 years, she was the director of food services at Broughton Hospital, a mental health facility. She served as chairwoman of the Republican Party in Burke County and ran unsuccessfully for a state House seat in 1982.