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James D. McGinnis
Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
January 18, 1977 – January 20, 1981
Preceded by	Eugene D. Bookhammer
Succeeded by	Michael N. Castle
Born	January 11, 1932 (age 75) Chicago, Illinois
Residence	Dover, Kent County, Delaware
Political party	Democratic Party
Profession	Realtor

James D. McGinnis is an American realtor and politician from Kent County, Delaware. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and served as Lieutenant Governor of Delaware during the first term of Republican Governor Pierre S. du Pont, IV.

Contents 1 Professional career 2 Political career 3 Public offices 3.1 Election results 4 External links

Born in Chicago, Illinois, James D. McGinnis moved to Dover, Delaware in 1954. In 1964, McGinnis entered the real estate business by selling and leasing commercial property. He worked in the industry for eleven years before earning his Broker’s license from the Delaware Real Estate Commission in 1975.

McGinnis earned a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation from the National Association of Realtors. He is a member of the Kent County Association of Realtors, Delaware Association of Realtors, and National Association of Realtors. From 1990 to 1992, he served on the Landlord-Tenant Committee for the Kent County Realtors Association.

McGinnis first won elected office in 1962, when he was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives. In 1964, after only one term in the House, McGinnis won election to the State Senate, holding his seat until 1966.

Upon the retirement of Democratic State Representative Ralph R. Smith in 1972, McGinnis returned to the State House by winning Smith’s seat in Delaware’s 32nd Representative district. He was reelected in 1974 and served as Majority Leader from 1975 to 1976.

McGinnis’s legislative prowess led Delaware Democrats to nominate him for Lieutenant Governor. The Democratic candidate for Governor was Incumbent Sherman W. Tribbitt, running for reelection amid a financial crisis. Then U.S. Congressman and du Pont family heir Pierre S. du Pont, IV defeated Tribbitt for Governor by a 15 point margin. Despite this overwhelming defeat by the Democratic Gubernatorial candidate, McGinnis won his race for Lieutenant Governor, defeating Republican Andrew Foltz by a slim one and a half point margin.

In 1980, McGinnis declined to run for reelection as Lieutenant Governor, instead opting to run for Govenror. However, he and most of the other Democratic contenders dropped out of the primary in favor of eventual nominee William J. Gordy. Gordy lost to incumbent Governor du Pont. The Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, State Senate Majority Leader and future President Pro Tempore Thomas B. Sharp, lost the election to future Governor Michael N. Castle by 19%.

In March of 1997, Democratic Governor Thomas R. Carper recognized McGinnis’s combined experience in the areas of politics and real estate by appointing him to a three-tear term on the Delaware Real Estate Commission. He was reappointed to a second term by Carper in 2000, then to third and fourth terms in 2003 and 2007 by Carper’s successor, Ruth Ann Minner. Minner and McGinnis had served together in the State House from 1975 to 1977, when McGinnis was the floor leader for their caucus and Minner was in her first term.

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1st. Members of the Delaware General Assembly take office the second Tuesday of January. The Lieutenant Governor of Delaware takes office the third Tuesday of January.

Office	Type	Location	Elected	Took Office	Left Office	notes
State House	Legislature	Dover	1962	January 8, 1963	January 12, 1965
State Senate	Legislature	Dover	1964	January 12 1965	January 10, 1967
State House	Legislature	Dover	1972	January 9, 1973	January 14, 1975
State House	Legislature	Dover	1974	January 14, 1975	January 11, 1977
Lieutenant Governor	Executive	Dover	1976	January 18, 1977	January 20, 1981

Year	Office		Subject	Party	Votes	%		Opponent	Party	Votes	%
1972	Delaware State Representative, District 32		James D. McGinnis	Democratic	2,884	55.3%		J. Ronald Fidler	Republican	2,330	44.7%
1974	Delaware State Representative, District 32		James D. McGinnis	Democratic	2,562	61.6%		Andrea L. Barros	Republican	1,599	38.4%
1976	Lieutenant Governor of Delaware		James D. McGinnis	Democratic	110,328	50.4%		Andrew Foltz	Republican	107,075	48.9%

• Delaware Election Results [[1]]
• Gubernatorial Appointments [2]
• McGinnis Realty [3]

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