An outspoken conservative, Phil Van Hoy mentored a generation of Republicans
Phil Van Hoy, a prominent attorney, outspoken conservative and confidant to a generation of Republican politicians, died Saturday at his Charlotte home. He was 72.
Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis on Monday called Van Hoy “a good friend who played a key role in advancing sound conservative principles in North Carolina.”
U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop of Charlotte called him “a friend and a mentor in politics.”
Decades ago Van Hoy held positions in the Mecklenburg Republican Party, chairing the Young Republicans and later serving as vice chair of the county GOP. In 1980 he was an alternate delegate to the convention that nominated Ronald Reagan.
But he never ran for office.
“I don’t think he ever wanted any office for himself,” said U.S. Circuit Court Judge David Sentelle, who once chaired the county Republican Party. “He worked in his law practice and worked for what he believed in. He never tried to use his political connections. He always wanted to support what he thought was right for the country and the community.”
Van Hoy, who grew up in Charlotte, graduated from Duke University. He practiced employment law for more than three decades, representing employers. In law and in politics, he was known for his fierce focus and sharp wit.
Former N.C. Bar Association President John Wester said he “combined zealous advocacy for his clients with keen scholarship and a reliable sense of humor.”
“Phil took to heart the significance of collegiality in our profession,” Wester added, “setting a high example for professionalism.”
About 40 years ago, Van Hoy helped organize a group of Charlotte conservatives which has continued to meet weekly for lunch to talk about politics or political philosophy. Ralph McMillan, another organizer, said the group got its name when somebody called Van Hoy after attending a lunch.
“(He) said, ‘You’re to the right of Attilla the Hun’,” McMillan recalled. “Phil said, ‘No we’re not. We respect property rights. Attilla the Hun stole property.’”
Thus were born the Huns.
Van Hoy disdained liberals which to him included the Observer, for which he’d once worked as a copy boy. He wrote to the editorial page regularly, taking aim at the media, Democrats and big government.
So in 2012, when the Observer offered him a chance to cover the Democratic convention from a Republican perspective, he jumped at it.
“I caught the journalism bug and considered a career in that field until I learned what newspaper writers were paid,” he wrote at the time. “Capitalist that I am, I opted for law school.”
Wearing media credentials, he wandered the streets and offered his observations on the convention. Among them:
▪ “I will take care to give Observer readers first-hand observations while watching out for my personal safety. One danger to which I will not subject myself will be getting caught between Rev. Jesse Jackson and news cameras.”
▪ “The Revolutionary Communist Party people were wearing Fidel Castro shirts. I approached one of them to get a copy of Revolution, their house organ. He handed me the copy, I thanked him and started to walk away, and he said ‘Well, they are not free.’ I paid him and said: ‘So you really aren’t a Communist after all.’ He was speechless.”
▪ “Through mid-day Wednesday, the crowds on the street were smaller. The delegates were sleeping in after a late night of conventioneering and partying into the wee hours, and the honchos were entertaining major donors. I know this from personal experience as a participant in the Republican Convention in 1980. At least the two political parties have this much in common.”
To critics, Van Hoy could be a sharp-tongued ideologue. Friends saw a different side.
“People thought Phil was just this big arch-conservative who didn’t like Democrats,” McMillan said. “He liked everybody. He genuinely liked people.”
Memorial Saturday
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1 at Myers Park United Methodist Church. A reception will follow in Jubilee Hall at the church.
An earlier version of this story misidentified David Sentelle. He’s a senior U.S. Circuit Court judge .
