Ron Ramsey
Ron Ramsey | |
|---|---|
| 49th Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee | |
| Assumed office January, 2007 | |
| Governor | Phil Bredesen |
| Preceded by | John S. Wilder |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 20, 1955 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Profession | Real Estate Broker/Auctioneer |
Ronald Lynn "Ron" Ramsey (born November 20, 1955) is the current Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee and Speaker of the Tennessee State Senate. A Republican from Blountville in East Tennessee, Ramsey succeeded long-term Democratic Lieutenant Governor John S. Wilder, who had held the office of Lieutenant Governor since 1971.
Tennesseans do not elect their lieutenant governor; rather, the Speaker of the Senate, who is second in the line of succession to the governor, is granted the title by statute.
Early years
Ramsey graduated from Sullivan Central High School in 1973, and later obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in 1978, majoring in Industrial Technology at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City. He is a member of the advisory board of the Farm Credit Association, a former president of the Blountville Business Association, and a former president and current member of the Bristol TN-VA Association of Realtors. He currently works as a real estate broker and an auctioneer.
State government
Ramsey represents Senate District 2, which encompasses Johnson and Sullivan counties in East Tennessee.
He was elected to the General Assembly as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1992, and served two terms. During his time as a state representative, Ramsey represented the 1st district, composed of Sullivan County. He was elected to the state Senate in 1996[1] and was reelected in 2000, 2004 and 2008.
In 2007, Ramsey garnered the support all of the GOP senators and one Democratic senator, Rosalind Kurita of Clarksville, in the vote for speakership of the Senate. He won with 18 votes to 15 for Wilder. He is the first Republican to serve as speaker of the Senate in 140 years.[2] Ramsey appointed Kurita as speaker pro tempore in return for her support.
Ramsey sparked statewide controversy in 2005 for two actions. He was allegedly videotaped speeding through Knoxville in his Cadillac, traveling on I-40 East at 92 m.p.h. The videotape was made by Keith Jones, a Republican who sells speed-detecting radar equipment to law enforcement agencies.[3] Second, in February 2005 he introduced a bill (2005 SB0698)[4] to change county wheel tax legislation to give Tennessee county commissioners the sole authority to enact wheel taxes by majority vote, thus taking away the ability of voters to decide on local wheel tax in referendums.
During the 2004 election cycle, Ramsey was one of a few very prominent Tennessee General Assembly leadership members who accepted campaign contributions from both the Jack Daniel's PAC and the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Tennessee PAC[5][6]
2010 Gubernatorial Bid
On February 28, 2009, Ramsey announced that he would run for the Republican nomination for governor of Tennessee. [7]
See also
http://digg.com/politics/Senate_Speaker_Calls_Adultery_A_Little_Bump_in_the_Road
References
- ^ Lieutenant Governor Ramsey to keynote graduation, East Tennessean (East Tennessee State University), December 6, 2007
- ^ "Lieutenant governor's contest may be a mystery worth decoding". Larry Daughtrey. The Tennessean. May 28, 2006.
- ^ State senator questions tape showing him speeding on interstate, WATE-TV, August 7, 2005
- ^ http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/info/Leg_Archives/104GA/bills/BillText/SB0698.pdf
- ^ The Institute on Money in State Politics Candidate Database (2004) - Ron Ramsey
- ^ "Drink at Naifeh fete courtesy of Jack Daniel's: Lawmakers, lobbyists mingle at Coon Supper". Tennessean. Trent Seibert. April 27, 2006.
- ^ http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090301/NEWS0201/903010367/1009/NEWS02[dead link]
Sources
- "Lieutenant governor's contest may be a mystery worth decoding". Larry Daughtrey. The Tennessean. May 28, 2006.
- "3) Pharmacists For Life Joins International Boycott" Life Communications. November, 1994.
- "Campaign Finance Reform Bill Fails". Andy Spears. May 3, 2005.
- "John Gregory uses checkbook to promote conservative causes". Hank Haynes. September 3, 2006.
- "Faith Healers: The born-again Gregory brothers worked a financial miracle from cast-off drug brands". Forbes. Zina Moukheiber. October 28, 2002.
- "Campaign gift spat touches the governor". Tennessean. Bonna de la Cruz. October 2, 2004.