Charles L. Terry Jr.

However, Delaware could not escape the key issues of the 1960s, particularly the issue of racial equality. In the Delaware General Assembly there were lengthy debates about equal housing, but no significant legislation could be agreed upon. In the streets of Wilmington, a few nights of shootings in 1967 resulted in a curfew and a liquor sales ban. Terry went to the Delaware General Assembly and demanded and received the authority to declare a state of emergency with crowd control powers. He immediately put the emergency into effect and although the violence was ended in a week, continued the emergency for another month. Then, a year later, real problems came with the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. A few days later Wilmington exploded in two days of self-destructive rioting, looting and burning. Terry again responded with an emergency declaration and sent the National Guard in to assist the city police. A week later, when the situation seemed under control, the mayor lifted the curfew and requested the withdrawal of the National Guard. Believing there was more violence to come, Terry refused. It was not until Terry left office, eight months later, that the National Guard was removed from the streets of Wilmington. While all this was simmering, students at Delaware State College in Dover shouted down Terry during a speech and briefly occupied the administration building. Terry responded by closing down the school for a month. Terry had become known by some as "The Great Divider."

Terry was not without considerable support for his notable accomplishments and for the way he handled the violence in Wilmington. He campaigned for a second term and only narrowly lost, believing an October heart attack and a rezoning dispute in Sussex County cost him the election. However, 1968 was a Republican sweep, and Russell W. Peterson, a chemist from New Castle County, was able to defeat the incumbent governor, undoubtedly helped by a large number of Democrats in Wilmington who were seeking new leadership to end the tension and violence.

Terry had political ambitions and with the support of the incumbent governor, Elbert N. Carvel, resigned as chief justice. He was elected as Governor of Delaware in 1964, defeating Republican David P. Buckson, a former acting governor.

Terry was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1924 and practiced in Dover, serving as attorney for the Kent County Levy Court and the Delaware General Assembly. In 1936, he was appointed Delaware Secretary of State. He then served as associate justice of the Delaware Superior Court from December 7, 1938 until April 29, 1957 and, as President Judge from that date, until July 23, 1962. He was then appointed associate justice of the Delaware Supreme Court and in May 1963 became its Chief Justice, serving until 1964.

Charles Layman Terry Jr. (September 17, 1900 – February 6, 1970) was an American lawyer and politician from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party and served as Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court as well as Governor of Delaware.