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Biography
Franklin Wills Hancock Jr. (November 2, 1894 – January 23, 1969) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing North Carolina from 1930 to 1939. He was born and died in Oxford, North Carolina.
In 1938, Hancock was recruited by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to challenge incumbent Democratic Senator Robert R. Reynolds in the Democratic primary. Hancock was unsuccessful, losing by a fairly wide margin.
He later served in several posts in the Roosevelt administration, including as administrator of the Farm Security Administration. Hancock returned home to practice law and was elected as a judge for Granville County for two terms in the 1950s.
Hancock's grandson, Richard Hancock Moore, served two terms as North Carolina State Treasurer (2001–2009) and was a candidate for Governor in 2008, but lost the Democratic primary to Bev Perdue.