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Nick Galifianakis (born 22 July 1928) was a Democratic U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1967 and 1973.

Born in Durham, North Carolina in 1928, Galifianakis attended local public schools and then Duke University, earning a bachelor's degree in 1951 and a law degree in 1953. After serving in the United States Marine Corps Reserve from October 1953 to April 1956, he was admitted to the bar and practiced law in Durham. In 1960, he became an assistant professor of business law at Duke and was elected to the North Carolina General Assembly in 1961. Galifianakis left both positions when elected to the United States Congress in 1966. He served three terms (January 3, 1967 - January 3, 1973).

Galifianakis defeated Senator B. Everett Jordan in the 1972 Democratic primary. However, he lost to Republican challenger Jesse Helms in the general election. Galifianakis was hamstrung, like many Southern Democrats, by Richard Nixon's massive landslide in that year's presidential election. Nixon carried North Carolina by 40 points and won all but two counties in the state. He may have also been hurt by Helms referring to himself as "one of us"--a subtle attack on Galifianakis' Greek-American background (even though his family has lived in North Carolina for several generations).

After leaving Congress, he resumed his law practice, and currently lives in Durham.

Since 1997 his nephew, also named Nick Galifianakis, has been drawing the satirical cartoons that accompany the advice column "Tell Me About It" in the Washington Post tri-weekly. The column is written by the younger Nick's ex-wife, Carolyn Hax.

He is the uncle of comedian Zach Galifianakis and political cartoonist Nicholas Galifianakis.

References

• United States Congress. "Nick Galifianakis (id: G000015)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

• 1928 births
• American Eastern Orthodox Christians
• Duke University alumni
• Greek Orthodox Christians
• Living people
• Members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina
• Greek-Americans
• American military personnel