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{{short description|American politician}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}}
{{Infobox Governor
{{Infobox officeholder
|name= F. Ray Keyser
|image = F. Ray Keyser, Jr..jpg
|order1 = 72nd [[Governor of Vermont]]
|image=F. Ray Keyser, Jr..jpg|thumb
|lieutenant1 = [[Ralph A. Foote|Ralph Foote]]
|caption=
|term_start1 = January 5, 1961
|order=72nd
|term_end1 = January 10, 1963
|office= Governor of Vermont
|predecessor1 = [[Robert Stafford]]
|term_start= January 5, 1961
|successor1 = [[Philip H. Hoff|Philip Hoff]]
|term_end= January 10, 1963
|office2 = [[List of speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives|Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives]]
|lieutenant= [[Ralph A. Foote]]
|term_start2 = 1959
|predecessor= [[Robert Stafford|Robert T. Stafford]]
|term_end2 = 1961
|successor= [[Philip H. Hoff]]
|predecessor2 = [[Charles Henry Brown (politician)|Charles H. Brown]]
|birth_date= {{birth date and age|1927|08|17}}
|birth_place= [[Chelsea, Vermont]]
|successor2 = [[Leroy Lawrence]]
|office3 = Member of the [[Vermont House of Representatives]] from [[Chelsea, Vermont|Chelsea]]
|death_date=
|term_start3 = 1955
|death_place=
|term_end3 = 1961
|spouse= Joan Keyser (d.2002), Mary-Louise Keyser
|predecessor3 = [[Berthold C. Coburn]]
|profession=Businessman<br/>Lawyer
|successor3 = [[Walter L. Kennedy]]
|party= [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|birth_name = Frank Ray Keyser Jr.
|footnotes=
|birth_date = {{birth date|1927|8|17}}
|birth_place = [[Chelsea, Vermont]], U.S.
|death_date = {{death date and age|2015|3|7|1927|8|17}}
|death_place = [[Brandon, Vermont]], U.S.
|restingplace = Highland Cemetery, [[Chelsea, Vermont]]
|party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{Marriage|Joan Friedgen|1950|2002|end=died}}
* {{Marriage|Mary-Louise Keyser|2005}}
}}
}}
|children = 3
'''Frank Ray Keyser''' (born August 17, 1927) is a [[Attorney at law (United States)|lawyer]] and [[politician]] from [[Vermont]]. He served as [[Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives|Speaker]] of the [[Vermont House of Representatives]] from 1959 to 1961, and [[List of Governors of Vermont|72nd]] [[Governor of Vermont]] from 1961 to 1963.
|relatives = [[F. Ray Keyser Sr.]] (father)
|profession = Attorney
|alma_mater = [[Tufts University]]<br/>[[Boston University School of Law|Boston University]]
}}
'''Frank Ray Keyser Jr.''' (August 17, 1927 – March 7, 2015) was an American [[Attorney at law (United States)|lawyer]] and [[politician]] from [[Vermont]]. He served as [[Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives]] from 1959 to 1961, and the [[List of Governors of Vermont|72nd governor of Vermont]] from 1961 to 1963.


==Biography==
==Biography==
The son of [[Vermont Supreme Court]] [[Judge|Justice]] [[F. Ray Keyser, Sr.]] and Ellen Larkin Keyser, the younger Keyser was born in [[Chelsea, Vermont]] on August 17, 1927. He served as a page in the [[Vermont House of Representatives]] in 1939. In 1945 he graduated from [[Montpelier High School]]. He served in the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]].<ref>Vermont Secretary of State, Vermont Legislative Directory, 1955, page 691</ref>


===Early life===
In 1950 Keyser graduated from [[Tufts University]] with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree, and was a member of the [[Delta Upsilon]] fraternity.<ref>[http://tuftsalumni.org/who-we-are/alumni-recognition/tufts-notables/public-service-education-3/#keyser Tufts University Alumni], Biography, F. Ray Keyser, Jr., accessed June 13, 2012</ref> He graduated from [[Boston University School of Law]] in 1952 and practiced law in [[Chelsea, Vermont|Chelsea]].<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=D9sIAm4B_GAC&pg=PA681&dq=%22boston+university+law+school%22+keyser&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8-nYT73YNIWS9gTCxsnqAw&ved=0CFwQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22boston%20university%20law%20school%22%20keyser&f=false American Bar Association Journal], Our Younger Lawyers, July, 1962, page 681</ref>
The son of [[Vermont Supreme Court]] Justice [[F. Ray Keyser Sr.]] and Ellen Larkin Keyser, the younger Keyser was born in [[Chelsea, Vermont]], on August 17, 1927. He served as a page in the [[Vermont House of Representatives]] in 1939. In 1945 he graduated from [[Montpelier High School (Vermont)|Montpelier High School]]. He served in the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]].<ref>Vermont Secretary of State, Vermont Legislative Directory, 1955, page 691</ref>


In 1950 Keyser graduated from [[Tufts University]] with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree, and was a member of the [[Delta Upsilon]] fraternity.<ref>[http://tuftsalumni.org/who-we-are/alumni-recognition/tufts-notables/public-service-education-3/#keyser Tufts University Alumni] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617160634/http://tuftsalumni.org/who-we-are/alumni-recognition/tufts-notables/public-service-education-3/ |date=June 17, 2012 }}, Biography, F. Ray Keyser Jr., accessed June 13, 2012</ref> He graduated from [[Boston University School of Law]] in 1952 and practiced law in [[Chelsea, Vermont|Chelsea]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=D9sIAm4B_GAC&pg=PA681 American Bar Association Journal], Our Younger Lawyers, July, 1962, page 681</ref>
A [[Vermont Republican Party|Republican]], Keyser served three terms in the [[Vermont House of Representatives]] and was its [[Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives|Speaker]] from 1959–1961.<ref>[http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_vermont/col2-content/main-content-list/title_keyser_f-ray.html National Governors Association], Biography, F. Ray Keyser, Jr., accessed June 13, 2012</ref>


Keyser married his first wife, the former [[Joan Keyser|Joan F. Friedgen]], an engineer and [[statistician]], on July 15, 1950.<ref name=herald>{{cite news |title=Joan F. Keyser obituary |url=http://www.ourherald.com/news/2002-04-25/Obituaries/o01.html |work=The Herald of Randolph |date=2002-04-25 |access-date=2015-03-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402160530/http://www.ourherald.com/news/2002-04-25/Obituaries/o01.html |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The couple has three children – Carol E. Fjeld, Christopher S. Keyser, and Frank Ray Keyser III.<ref name=herald/> Joan Keyser served as the [[First Lady]] of Vermont during her husband's tenure as governor.<ref name=herald/>
In 1960 Keyser was elected Governor, and he served one term, 1961 to 1963.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=ONLUwZ2Z0JsC&pg=PA235&dq=governor+%22ray+keyser%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3uzYT4flGY2o8QTz27TTAw&ved=0CFYQ6AEwBjgK#v=onepage&q=governor%20%22ray%20keyser%22&f=false Samuel B. Hand], The Star That Set: The Vermont Republican Party, 1854-1974, 2003, page 235</ref> At age 34, Keyser was the youngest person to be elected Vermont's Governor.<ref>[http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1913&dat=19601108&id=AbsgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pGkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4066,898652 Associated Press], Vermont Elects Youngest Governor in Its History, Lewiston Journal, November 8, 1960</ref>


===Career===
In 1962 Keyser lost his race for reelection to [[Vermont Democratic Party|Democrat]] [[Philip H. Hoff]]. Hoff's victory marked the first time Republicans had lost the governorship since the founding of the Republican Party in the 1850s and as of 2013 is the last time an incumbent Governor of Vermont has been defeated for re-election.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=QyJfXnsdA0IC&pg=PA8&dq=governor+%22ray+keyser%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3uzYT4flGY2o8QTz27TTAw&ved=0CGYQ6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=governor%20%22ray%20keyser%22&f=false Samuel B. Hand, Anthony Marro, Stephen C. Terry], Philip Hoff: How Red Turned Blue in the Green Mountain State, 2011, page 11</ref>
[[File:F. Ray Keyser Jr. (VT).png|thumb|left|Keyser as governor.]]
A [[Vermont Republican Party|Republican]], Keyser served three terms in the [[Vermont House of Representatives]] (1955&ndash;1961), and was [[Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives|Speaker]] from 1959 to 1961.<ref>[http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_vermont/col2-content/main-content-list/title_keyser_f-ray.html National Governors Association], Biography, F. Ray Keyser Jr., accessed June 13, 2012</ref>


In 1960 Keyser defeated the [[Lieutenant Governor of Vermont|Lieutenant Governor]], [[Robert S. Babcock]] in the Republican primary for governor.<ref>{{cite news |last=Associated |first=Press |date=September 21, 1960 |title=Ray Keyser is Official GOP Winner |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/78827821/ |newspaper=Bennington Banner |location=Bennington, VT|page= 15}}</ref> He won the general election, and he served one term, 1961 to 1963.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ONLUwZ2Z0JsC&pg=PA235 Samuel B. Hand], The Star That Set: The Vermont Republican Party, 1854-1974, 2003, page 235</ref> At age 33, Keyser was the youngest person to be elected Vermont's governor.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1913&dat=19601108&id=AbsgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pGkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4066,898652 Associated Press], Vermont Elects Youngest Governor in Its History, Lewiston Journal, November 8, 1960</ref> During his term he initiated the Vermont Industrial Building Authority as a way to stimulate economic growth and job creation, and also oversaw expansion of the state park system.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_vermont/col2-content/main-content-list/title_keyser_f-ray.html |title=Biography: F. Ray Keyser |website= NGA.org |publisher=National Governors Association |access-date=March 9, 2015}}</ref>
From 1965 to 1970, Keyser was [[general counsel]] for the Vermont Marble Company, and he was Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board from 1970 to 1979.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=uTBCXqOou0YC&pg=PA176&dq=vermont+marble+company+%22ray+keyser%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=uO3YT5KQKIX68gSqrLzRAw&ved=0CEUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=vermont%20marble%20company%20%22ray%20keyser%22&f=false John J. Duffy, Samuel B. Hand, Ralph H. Orth], The Vermont Encyclopedia, 2003, page 176</ref>


In 1961 Keyser was awarded the [[honorary degree]] of [[Legum Doctor|LL.D.]] by Tufts University.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://trustees.tufts.edu/hondegree/degrees/ |title=Honorary Degree Recipients |website=Tufts University: Office of the Trustees |publisher=Tufts University |access-date=March 9, 2015}}</ref> Also in 1961, Keyser appeared as a contestant on an episode of ''[[To Tell the Truth]]''; five years after an appearance by [[West Virginia Governor]] [[Cecil Underwood]], Underwood appeared again; Keyser was one of the two impostors who claimed to be Underwood.<ref>{{cite web|title=To Tell the Truth - 5th Anniversary; PANEL: Dina Merrill, Johnny Carson, Betty White (Dec 18, 1961)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVRSJc2JF08 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/GVRSJc2JF08 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=YouTube|access-date=19 July 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
From 1967 to 1972, he was on the board of the [[Federal Reserve Bank of Boston]]<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?ei=ZvDYT6nWDZGg8QS3w5TNAw&id=Fvs6AAAAMAAJ&dq=%22federal+reserve+bank%22+boston+keyser&q=keyser#search_anchor Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System], Annual Report, 1972, page 287</ref> and he was a Director of the Central Vermont Public Service Corporation and Chairman of the Board from 1980 to 1997.<ref>[http://google.brand.edgar-online.com/EFX_dll/EDGARpro.dll?FetchFilingHtmlSection1?SectionID=638764-4969-19375&SessionID=v34QFHC7QJGNJd7 Central Vermont Public Service Corporation], Annual Meeting proxy Statement, 1996</ref>


In 1962 Keyser lost his race for reelection to [[Vermont Democratic Party|Democrat]] [[Philip H. Hoff]]. Hoff's victory marked the first time Republicans had lost the governorship since the founding of the Republican Party in the 1850s and as of 2021 is the last time an incumbent governor of Vermont has been defeated for re-election.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=QyJfXnsdA0IC&pg=PA8 Samuel B. Hand, Anthony Marro, Stephen C. Terry], Philip Hoff: How Red Turned Blue in the Green Mountain State, 2011, page 11</ref>
In 1980 he organized the [[Rutland (city), Vermont|Rutland]] law office of Keyser and Crowley.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=A1SipBXe93IC&q=keyser,+crowley+%22ray+keyser%22&dq=keyser,+crowley+%22ray+keyser%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=se7YT-WtAoie8QS3rKXlAw&ved=0CEsQ6AEwBA The Taft Group], The Big Book of Library Grant Money, 2004-2005, 2004, page 247</ref>


From 1965 to 1970, Keyser was vice president and [[general counsel]] for the Vermont Marble Company, and he was chief executive officer and chairman of the board from 1970 to 1979.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=uTBCXqOou0YC&pg=PA176 John J. Duffy, Samuel B. Hand, Ralph H. Orth], The Vermont Encyclopedia, 2003, page 176</ref>
Keyser also served as a Director of the Union Mutual of Vermont insurance company.<ref>[http://www.unionmutual.com/officers-and-board-of-directors/ Union Mutual of Vermont], Officers and Board of Directors, accessed June 13, 2012</ref>

From 1967 to 1972, he was on the board of the [[Federal Reserve Bank of Boston]]<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Fvs6AAAAMAAJ&q=keyser Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System], Annual Report, 1972, page 287</ref> and he was a director of the Central Vermont Public Service Corporation and chairman of the board from 1980 to 1997.<ref name="CENTRAL-VERMONT-PUBLIC-SERVICE-CORP-Mar-1996-DEF-14A">{{cite web|url=http://edgar.secdatabase.com/1395/1880896000004/filing-main.htm |title=CENTRAL VERMONT PUBLIC SERVICE CORP, Form DEF 14A, Filing Date Mar 22, 1996 |publisher=secdatabase.com |access-date =May 15, 2018}}</ref>

In 1980 he organized the [[Rutland (city), Vermont|Rutland]] law office of Keyser and Crowley.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=A1SipBXe93IC&q=keyser,+crowley+%22ray+keyser%22 The Taft Group], The Big Book of Library Grant Money, 2004-2005, 2004, page 247</ref> Keyser also served as a director of the Union Mutual of Vermont insurance company.<ref>[http://www.unionmutual.com/officers-and-board-of-directors/ Union Mutual of Vermont] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121055324/http://www.unionmutual.com/officers-and-board-of-directors/ |date=January 21, 2012 }}, Officers and Board of Directors, accessed June 13, 2012</ref>

Keyser's first wife, former Vermont First Lady Joan Keyser, died in 2002; the couple had three children.<ref name=herald/> He married Mary Lou (Underhill) Keyser in 2005.

A longtime resident of [[Proctor, Vermont|Proctor]],<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Connor |first=Kevin |date=March 8, 2015 |title= Former Vt. Gov. F. Ray Keyser Jr. dies |url=http://vtdigger.org/2015/03/08/former-vt-gov-f-ray-keyser-jr-dies-age-88/ |newspaper=VTDigger.org |location=Montpelier, VT}}</ref> Keyser died at his daughter's home in [[Brandon, Vermont|Brandon]] on March 7, 2015, at the age of 87.<ref>{{cite news |date=March 8, 2015 |title=Obituary, Frank Ray Keyser Jr. |url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/burlingtonfreepress/obituary.aspx?n=frank-ray-keyser&pid=174344392&fhid=16421 |newspaper=Burlington Free Press |location=Burlington, VT}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ring |first=Wilson (Associated Press) |date=March 8, 2015 |title= Former Republican Vermont Gov. F. Ray Keyser Jr. Dies at 88 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/republican-vermont-gov-ray-keyser-jr-dies-88-29483105 |newspaper=ABCnews.go.com}}</ref> He was buried at Highland Cemetery in Chelsea.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sun Community News Staff |date=March 9, 2015 |title= Remembering Gov. Keyser: One-term governor's defeat marked end of GOP reign in Vermont|url=http://www.suncommunitynews.com/articles/the-sun/remembering-gov-keyser/ |work=Sun Community News & Printing |location=Middlebury, VT}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
Line 45: Line 70:


==Sources==
==Sources==
* [http://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org/multimedia/radio/golden-dome/bios/keyser.htm Vermont Folk Life Center], Biography, F. Ray Keyser, Jr.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060929181348/http://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org/multimedia/radio/golden-dome/bios/keyser.htm Vermont Folk Life Center], Biography, F. Ray Keyser Jr.


==External links==
==External links==
* ''[http://video.vpt.org/video/2324196420/ The Governors: F. Ray Keyser]''. Chris Graff interview with former governor F. Ray. Keyser Jr. Vermont Public Television. 1989.
* [http://cdi.uvm.edu/findingaids/viewEAD.xql?pid=keyserfray.ead.xml Inventory of the Frank Ray Keyser Papers, Special Collections, University of Vermont Library]
* {{Find a Grave|143469583}}


{{s-start}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box | before=[[Charles Henry Brown (Vermont)|Charles H. Brown]] |title=[[Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives]] | years=1959 &ndash; 1961 | after=[[Leroy Lawrence]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Charles Henry Brown (Vermont politician)|Charles Brown]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives]]|years=1959–1961}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Leroy Lawrence]]}}
|-
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{{s-ttl|title=[[Governor of Vermont]]|years=1961–1963}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Philip H. Hoff|Philip Hoff]]}}
|-
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Robert Stafford]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee for [[Governor of Vermont]]|years=[[1960 Vermont gubernatorial election|1960]], [[1962 Vermont gubernatorial election|1962]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Ralph A. Foote|Ralph Foote]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}


{{Governors of Vermont}}
{{Governors of Vermont}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Keyser, F. Ray Jr.}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME =Keyser, F. Ray, Jr.
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =Ray Keyser
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American politician
| DATE OF BIRTH =August 17, 1927
| PLACE OF BIRTH =[[Chelsea, Vermont]]
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keyser, F. Ray, Jr.}}
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Boston University School of Law alumni]]
[[Category:Republican Party governors of Vermont]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Vermont]]
[[Category:People from Chelsea, Vermont]]
[[Category:People from Chelsea, Vermont]]
[[Category:People from Rutland County, Vermont]]
[[Category:People from Proctor, Vermont]]
[[Category:American military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Tufts University alumni]]
[[Category:Tufts University alumni]]
[[Category:Boston University School of Law alumni]]
[[Category:Vermont lawyers]]
[[Category:Vermont lawyers]]
[[Category:Vermont Republicans]]
[[Category:Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Members of the Vermont House of Representatives]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly]]
[[Category:Governors of Vermont]]
[[Category:Republican Party state governors of the United States]]

Latest revision as of 11:01, 12 December 2024

F. Ray Keyser Jr.
72nd Governor of Vermont
In office
January 5, 1961 – January 10, 1963
LieutenantRalph Foote
Preceded byRobert Stafford
Succeeded byPhilip Hoff
Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
In office
1959–1961
Preceded byCharles H. Brown
Succeeded byLeroy Lawrence
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Chelsea
In office
1955–1961
Preceded byBerthold C. Coburn
Succeeded byWalter L. Kennedy
Personal details
Born
Frank Ray Keyser Jr.

(1927-08-17)August 17, 1927
Chelsea, Vermont, U.S.
DiedMarch 7, 2015(2015-03-07) (aged 87)
Brandon, Vermont, U.S.
Resting placeHighland Cemetery, Chelsea, Vermont
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
Joan Friedgen
​
​
(m. 1950; died 2002)​
Mary-Louise Keyser
​
(m. 2005)​
Children3
RelativesF. Ray Keyser Sr. (father)
Alma materTufts University
Boston University
ProfessionAttorney

Frank Ray Keyser Jr. (August 17, 1927 – March 7, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician from Vermont. He served as Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1959 to 1961, and the 72nd governor of Vermont from 1961 to 1963.

Biography

[edit]

Early life

[edit]

The son of Vermont Supreme Court Justice F. Ray Keyser Sr. and Ellen Larkin Keyser, the younger Keyser was born in Chelsea, Vermont, on August 17, 1927. He served as a page in the Vermont House of Representatives in 1939. In 1945 he graduated from Montpelier High School. He served in the United States Navy during World War II.[1]

In 1950 Keyser graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity.[2] He graduated from Boston University School of Law in 1952 and practiced law in Chelsea.[3]

Keyser married his first wife, the former Joan F. Friedgen, an engineer and statistician, on July 15, 1950.[4] The couple has three children – Carol E. Fjeld, Christopher S. Keyser, and Frank Ray Keyser III.[4] Joan Keyser served as the First Lady of Vermont during her husband's tenure as governor.[4]

Career

[edit]
Keyser as governor.

A Republican, Keyser served three terms in the Vermont House of Representatives (1955–1961), and was Speaker from 1959 to 1961.[5]

In 1960 Keyser defeated the Lieutenant Governor, Robert S. Babcock in the Republican primary for governor.[6] He won the general election, and he served one term, 1961 to 1963.[7] At age 33, Keyser was the youngest person to be elected Vermont's governor.[8] During his term he initiated the Vermont Industrial Building Authority as a way to stimulate economic growth and job creation, and also oversaw expansion of the state park system.[9]

In 1961 Keyser was awarded the honorary degree of LL.D. by Tufts University.[10] Also in 1961, Keyser appeared as a contestant on an episode of To Tell the Truth; five years after an appearance by West Virginia Governor Cecil Underwood, Underwood appeared again; Keyser was one of the two impostors who claimed to be Underwood.[11]

In 1962 Keyser lost his race for reelection to Democrat Philip H. Hoff. Hoff's victory marked the first time Republicans had lost the governorship since the founding of the Republican Party in the 1850s and as of 2021 is the last time an incumbent governor of Vermont has been defeated for re-election.[12]

From 1965 to 1970, Keyser was vice president and general counsel for the Vermont Marble Company, and he was chief executive officer and chairman of the board from 1970 to 1979.[13]

From 1967 to 1972, he was on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston[14] and he was a director of the Central Vermont Public Service Corporation and chairman of the board from 1980 to 1997.[15]

In 1980 he organized the Rutland law office of Keyser and Crowley.[16] Keyser also served as a director of the Union Mutual of Vermont insurance company.[17]

Keyser's first wife, former Vermont First Lady Joan Keyser, died in 2002; the couple had three children.[4] He married Mary Lou (Underhill) Keyser in 2005.

A longtime resident of Proctor,[18] Keyser died at his daughter's home in Brandon on March 7, 2015, at the age of 87.[19][20] He was buried at Highland Cemetery in Chelsea.[21]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Vermont Secretary of State, Vermont Legislative Directory, 1955, page 691
  2. ^ Tufts University Alumni Archived June 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Biography, F. Ray Keyser Jr., accessed June 13, 2012
  3. ^ American Bar Association Journal, Our Younger Lawyers, July, 1962, page 681
  4. ^ a b c d "Joan F. Keyser obituary". The Herald of Randolph. April 25, 2002. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  5. ^ National Governors Association, Biography, F. Ray Keyser Jr., accessed June 13, 2012
  6. ^ Associated, Press (September 21, 1960). "Ray Keyser is Official GOP Winner". Bennington Banner. Bennington, VT. p. 15.
  7. ^ Samuel B. Hand, The Star That Set: The Vermont Republican Party, 1854-1974, 2003, page 235
  8. ^ Associated Press, Vermont Elects Youngest Governor in Its History, Lewiston Journal, November 8, 1960
  9. ^ "Biography: F. Ray Keyser". NGA.org. National Governors Association. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  10. ^ "Honorary Degree Recipients". Tufts University: Office of the Trustees. Tufts University. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  11. ^ "To Tell the Truth - 5th Anniversary; PANEL: Dina Merrill, Johnny Carson, Betty White (Dec 18, 1961)". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  12. ^ Samuel B. Hand, Anthony Marro, Stephen C. Terry, Philip Hoff: How Red Turned Blue in the Green Mountain State, 2011, page 11
  13. ^ John J. Duffy, Samuel B. Hand, Ralph H. Orth, The Vermont Encyclopedia, 2003, page 176
  14. ^ Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Annual Report, 1972, page 287
  15. ^ "CENTRAL VERMONT PUBLIC SERVICE CORP, Form DEF 14A, Filing Date Mar 22, 1996". secdatabase.com. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  16. ^ The Taft Group, The Big Book of Library Grant Money, 2004-2005, 2004, page 247
  17. ^ Union Mutual of Vermont Archived January 21, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Officers and Board of Directors, accessed June 13, 2012
  18. ^ O'Connor, Kevin (March 8, 2015). "Former Vt. Gov. F. Ray Keyser Jr. dies". VTDigger.org. Montpelier, VT.
  19. ^ "Obituary, Frank Ray Keyser Jr". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. March 8, 2015.
  20. ^ Ring, Wilson (Associated Press) (March 8, 2015). "Former Republican Vermont Gov. F. Ray Keyser Jr. Dies at 88". ABCnews.go.com.
  21. ^ Sun Community News Staff (March 9, 2015). "Remembering Gov. Keyser: One-term governor's defeat marked end of GOP reign in Vermont". Sun Community News & Printing. Middlebury, VT.

Sources

[edit]
[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
1959–1961 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Vermont
1961–1963 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of Vermont
1960, 1962 		Succeeded by
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