Charles Carpenter Meeker (born July 27, 1950) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 34th Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina. He was first elected in 2001 over Republican Paul Coble, and reelected for a fifth two-year term in 2009. A fifth term tied Meeker with Avery C. Upchurch as Raleigh's longest-serving mayor. He is the son of Leonard C. Meeker who served as United States Ambassador to Romania from 1969 to 1973 and brother of architect Sarah Meeker Jensen Career Meeker is a Raleigh-based lawyer whose firm focuses on local government issues, including public transportation and development. In his five terms as mayor and during previous service on the Raleigh City Council (1985–89 and 1991–95), Meeker, living and raising his family in Boylan Heights, advocated downtown redevelopment and the creation of a light rail system connecting Raleigh to Durham, Research Triangle Park, and Chapel Hill under the auspices of the Triangle Transit Authority. He also successfully pushed for the construction of a new downtown convention center and hotel, as well as the reconstruction of Fayetteville Street, a $9.33 million project to convert the pedestrian mall to an urban "main street" with outdoor dining, art galleries, and open spaces. Meeker was a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition. Meeker announced in April 2011 that he would not run for a sixth term. He was a candidate for North Carolina Commissioner of Labor in the 2016 election, losing to Republican incumbent Cherie K. Berry. Upon leaving office, he joined the Charlotte-based law firm of Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP as a partner in the firm’s Raleigh office. Education Charles Meeker received his BA in 1972 from Yale University and in 1975 received his JD from Columbia University. Meeker became a member of the North Carolina bar in 1975 and a member of the District of Columbia bar in 1984. See also List of mayors of Raleigh, North Carolina References External links Parker Poe biography News & Observer: Meeker makes his mark on Raleigh 1950 births Columbia Law School alumni Living people Mayors of Raleigh, North Carolina North Carolina Democrats North Carolina lawyers Raleigh City Council members Lawyers from Washington, D.C. Yale College alumni