Hoey Residence Hall is named after Clyde R. Hoey a North Carolina politician, who was a part of the “Shelby Dynasty,” which was a family of politicians in government from the Shelby area. Hoey served his country as a member of the North Carolina General Assembly, Governor of North Carolina, United States House of Representatives, and United States Senate. While in office many of Hoey’s policies were focused on the segregation of races. Where Hoey felt as if his white heritage was superior to that of African Americans. Hoey was a southern Democrat who used his political power to segregate people who he felt were of lower class based on race.
Hoey was primarily a self educated man, and was forced to quit school after the fifth grade due to economic struggles for his family. Around the age of 16 Hoey became interested in journalism, and bought the local newspaper. Once Hoey had control of the local newspaper he would use it as a source to promote his ideas of righteousness, the glory of the past, and the Democratic party. It was during his tenure of running the local newspaper that Hoey found his calling in politics. Once elected to the House of Representatives Hoey spoke in favor of “disfranchising all the Negroes possible.”
Hoey, used his southern heritage as an excuse to implement the policies of segregation. Hoey did, however, support the idea of African American education, but only if African American people fit within the status quo. By joining organizations that fought for their own rights, such as the NAACP, African Americans resisted the white supremacist status quo. By going against these organizations trying to empower African Americans shows Hoey’s passion for segregation shows. Hoey’s views on segregation did not prevent his name being used on buildings in the University of North Carolina Systems from naming buildings after him. This is because Hoey, was an essential part of the Appalachian State University joining the University of North Carolina System. Hoey was part of the committee that B.B. Doughterty used to to help receive the funding to join the UNC system. Without Hoey, ASU would not exist within the system.
