Name: Ismael López
Date of Birth: 15 March 1945
Party: Democratic
Religion: Roman Catholic
State North Carolina

Ismael López was born on 15th March 1945 in Havana, Cuba. In 1960, His parents sent him to Miami as part of Operation Peter Pan, and then to Charlotte, NC, where he lived with relatives. He thrived in Charlotte, learning English quickly, and obtained a degree in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1968. He became a public school teacher at West Charlotte High School in 1970. He taught there for 12 years, when, in 1982, he ran for state legislator. He succeeded, and quickly raised through the ranks of the North Carolina Democratic Party, becoming a well known figure on local television.