Joe Hackney served for 16 terms as a Democratic member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the state's fifty-fourth House district, including constituents in Chatham, Orange, and Moore counties. A farmer and attorney from Chapel Hill, Hackney served as Speaker of the House for two terms and thereafter served as House Minority Leader until he chose to retire rather than seek another term in the legislature in 2012.

The speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives is the presiding officer of one of the houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The speaker is elected by the members of the house when they first convene for their regular session, which is currently in January of each odd-numbered year. Perhaps the most important duty of the speaker is to appoint members and chairs of the various standing committees of the House.