James Forrester - Definition and Overview

Sen. James Forrester

James S. Forrester (born 8 January 1937) is a Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's forty-second Senate district, including constituents in Catawba, Gaston and Lincoln counties. A physician from Stanley, North Carolina, Forrester is currently (2003-2004 session) serving in his seventh term in the state Senate, where he holds the position of Deputy Republican Leader.

Forrester was born in Aberdeen Scotland; he graduated from New Hanover High School in 1954. Forrester earned a bachelor's degree in science from Wake Forest University in 1954 and medical degrees from the Bowman Gray School of Medicine (1962) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1976). On 12 March, 1960, he married Mary Frances All; they have four children. Forrester also served in the North Carolina Air National Guard, and participated in the Vietnam War. Forrester ran a private medical practice in Gaston County, North Carolina, and was elected a county commissioner in 1982. In 1990, Forrester was elected to the North Carolina Senate.