Former Gov. Mike Easley inducted more than 4,000 North Carolinians.

Between January 2001 and January 2009, the two-term Democratic governor added state residents into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine at a rate of nearly 10 a week, or more than one a day.

Notable recipients included former U.S. Attorney Janice McKenzie Cole, Broadway costumer designer William Ivey Long, architectural historian Catherine Bishir, Charlotte Observer columnist Jack Betts and painter Bob Timberlake.

A number of politicians also made the list: former state Sen. Aaron Plyler, former state Rep. Zeno Edwards Jr., former UNC system president Bill Friday, Supreme Court Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson, former Justice I. Beverly Lake Jr., former Wake County Commissioner Betty Ann Knudsen, Charlotte City Councilwoman Susan Burgess and former Wendell Mayor Lucius Jones.

A few on the list are not North Carolinians: civil rights advocate Coretta Scott King, actor Danny Glover and Navy aerobatic pilots the Blue Angels.

Also on the list: his in-laws, Ann and James Pipines, fundraiser Louis Sewell, and several members of his Cabinet. The list does not include Robert Lee Guy, however.

See anyone else interesting on the list? Post in the comments below or e-mail dome@newsobserver.com.

After the jump, the number given each year.

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U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan has named lawyers to help her with judicial appointments.

The Greensboro Democrat announced that former U.S. attorney Janice McKenzie Cole, criminal attorney Locke Clifford and N.C. State Bar vice president Anthony di Santi will serve on the panel advising her.

The panel will be led by former N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Burley Mitchell.

"I have brought together some of North Carolina's best and brightest, each of whom offers a diverse range of legal expertise, to help me recommend federal nominees that all North Carolinians, regardless of their political affiliation, will be proud of," Hagan said in a statement.

Each is from a different area of the state: Cole lives in Perquimans County, Clifford lives in Greensboro, di Santi in Blowing Rock, and Mitchell in Raleigh. All four are registered Democrats.

The group will make recommendations to Hagan for U.S. attorneys, federal district cout judgeships and appointments to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Hagan hopes to end partisan gridlock over the Fourth Circuit.

Two former U.S. attorneys say the job is fun, but exhausting.

George Anderson and Janice McKenzie Cole, who served as federal prosecutors in the Eastern District during the Carter and Clinton administrations, now work in private practice.

Anderson, who is in his 80s, runs a one-man firm in downtown Raleigh handling misdemeanors, wills and deeds — "nothing to get upset about or get my blood pressure up," he jokes.

Cole ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2002 and now runs an immigration law firm in Hertford and Manteo.

Both said they enjoyed the power and prestige of the office, but did not relish the spotlight.

"It's a job where you have a lot of visibility and you're called upon to make these very tough decisions in prosecutions and investigations," Cole said. "I wouldn't necessarily call it a fun job, but it is an excellent opportunity to have an impact."

"It's probably the best job you could have as an attorney," she added.

What happens to former U.S. attorneys?

The federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of North Carolina have gone onto wildly different careers after leaving office. Below, a quick roundup:

George Anderson: (1977-1980) Now a Raleigh attorney with his own practice.

Sam Currin: (1981-1987) Nominated for a federal judgeship but never confirmed. Led N.C. Republican Party from 1996 to 1999. Now serving time at a federal prison in Massachusetts for money laundering and obstruction of justice.

Margaret Currin: (1988-1993) Professor at Campbell University's law school.

Janice McKenzie Cole: (1994-2001) Ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2002. Now runs an immigration law firm in Hertford.

Frank Whitney: (2002-2005) Now a federal judge in the Western District based in Charlotte, a lifetime appointment.

The Eastern District U.S. attorney usually has a strong political patron.

For most of the last 20 years, the federal prosecutor in Raleigh appointed by the president has been closely tied to Sen. Jesse Helms, except during Democratic administrations.

Here is a list of former U.S. attorneys and their patrons:

George Anderson: (1977-1980) Backed by Democratic Sen. Robert Morgan; appointed by President Jimmy Carter.

Sam Currin: (1981-1987) Former Helms aide. Backed by Helms; appointed by President Ronald Reagan.

Margaret Currin: (1988-1993) The wife of the previous U.S. attorney. Backed by Helms; appointed by Reagan.

Janice McKenzie Cole: (1994-2001) Backed by Democratic U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton; appointed by President Bill Clinton. (No Democratic senator at that time.)

Frank Whitney: (2002-2005) Former Helms legislative counsel. Backed by Republican lawyer Tom Ellis, Helms' longtime political strategist; appointed by President George W. Bush.

George Holding: (2005-present) Former Helms aide and Whitney's No. 2 at U.S. attorney's office. Backed by Ellis; appointed by Bush.