| George Cleveland | |
| State House: | North Carolina |
| State: | North Carolina |
| District: | 14th |
| Term Start: | January 1, 2005 |
| Predecessor: | Keith Williams |
| Party: | Republican |
| Birth Name: | George Grant Cleveland |
| Birth Date: | 9 May 1939 |
| Birth Place: | Scranton, Pennsylvania |
| Alma Mater: | University of Maryland, College Park (BS) |
| Spouse: | Nancy Leatherman Cleveland |
| Children: | 4 |
| Residence: | Jacksonville, North Carolina |
George Grant Cleveland (born May 9, 1939), is a Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. He has represented the 14th District (including constituents in eastern Onslow County) since 2005. He is a 25-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps.[1]
He currently resides in Jacksonville, North Carolina, where he has lived for over 25 years.[2] In 2012, Cleveland generated controversy when he stated that the state of North Carolina has "no one in the state of North Carolina living in extreme poverty" during a debate in the House regarding preschool funding.[3] In a conflicting statement, the non-profit group Action for Children in North Carolina cited statistics claiming one in ten North Carolina children live in extreme poverty.[4]
Cleveland first ran for the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2004, where he defeated incumbent Keith Williams in the Republican primary.[5] He has been re-elected a total of 8 times, most recently in 2020. He was defeated for re-election in the 2024 primary by college student Wyatt Gable, who was just over one-quarter of his age.[6]
In February 2017, Cleveland joined with Representatives Michael Speciale (R-Craven), and Larry Pittman (R-Cabarrus) in proposing a constitutional amendment that would allow North Carolina voters to repeal Article I, Section 4 of the North Carolina Constitution. This article declares "This State shall ever remain a member of the American Union; the people thereof are part of the American nation," and prohibits the state from seceding from the United States of America, and its inclusion in North Carolina's 1868 constitution was a condition for being readmitted into the Union after the Civil War.[7]
During the 2017 session, Cleveland introduced a bill to budget the funds to purchase for the North Carolina State Highway Patrol three rescue helicopters.[8]
H.B. 1050 was introduced by Representative Cleveland in 2018. The bill worked to authorize the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to apply for Federal Funds for the Expansion of Sandhills 4 State Vets Cemetery and Western Carolina State Cemetery.[9]
In March 2020, Cleveland, R-Onslow, won the Republican nomination to retain the N.C. House District 14 seat with 68% of the vote. He defeated Democrat Mary Wofford in the general election.[11]
In November 2018, Cleveland beat Isaiah Johnson by almost 18 percentage points.