Liston B. Ramsey
Encyclopedia
Liston Bryan Ramsey was a prominent and influential member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
for nearly four decades.
He was born in 1919 in rural Madison County
, located deep in the Appalachian Mountains
of western North Carolina
. He was the valedictorian
of his senior class at Marshall High School in 1936, and two years later he earned an associate's degree
from Mars Hill College
, then a junior college located in his native Madison County (in 1988, Mars Hill College would award him an honorary doctorate degree). During the Second World War, Ramsey served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps in the Pacific Theater
of the war. After the war, Ramsey was elected to serve on the town board of aldermen for Marshall, North Carolina
.
In 1960, running as a Democrat, Ramsey was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives
. He served 19 consecutive terms in the state legislature and became one of its most influential members. In 1981 he was elected Speaker of the House
and would spend four terms in that post; he was the first legislator in North Carolina history to hold the Speaker's office for four terms (a record tenure matched only by James B. Black
). During his tenure as Speaker, he worked to transfer state funds to the often-neglected western mountain counties of North Carolina, building roads and other public facilities that would not have existed otherwise. A major accomplishment of his time as Speaker was the creation of the Liston B. Ramsey Activity Center
at Western Carolina University
. The Center, opened in 1986, features facilities for basketball, volleyball, and other sports, as well as sponsoring cultural activities on the Western Carolina campus.
In January 1989, Ramsey was ousted as Speaker of the House when Republican Governor James G. Martin
secretly joined his party's forces with 20 Democratic state representatives led by Joe Mavretic
. These Democrats, who represented North Carolina's larger cities, had grown resentful of what they regarded as Ramsey's autocratic control of the legislature, and of his tendency to support representatives from small, rural counties over those from more urbanized areas. Ramsey's adversaries derisively nicknamed him "Boss Hogg," http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE4D81330F934A25752C0A96F948260 after the corrupt, old-time political boss in the popular 1970s TV series The Dukes of Hazard. These twenty Democrats joined with the 46 Republicans in the State House to elect Mavretic as Speaker over Ramsey. Even after this surprise defeat, however, Ramsey continued to be an influential voice in the legislature. He voluntarily retired from the legislature in 1999, and died in 2001.
In 2002, Mars Hill College opened the Ramsey Center for Regional Studies. The Center houses Ramsey's official papers from his years in public office, and is dedicated to preserving the heritage and culture of the people of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. A section of Interstate 26
running between Asheville, North Carolina
and Johnson City, Tennessee
is also named in his honor.
North Carolina House of Representatives
The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the state senate....
for nearly four decades.
He was born in 1919 in rural Madison County
Madison County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 19,635 people, 8,000 households, and 5,592 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile . There were 9,722 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile...
, located deep in the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
of western North Carolina
Western North Carolina
Western North Carolina is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains, thus it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. It is sometimes included with upstate South Carolina as the "Western Carolinas", which is also counted as a single media market...
. He was the valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of his senior class at Marshall High School in 1936, and two years later he earned an associate's degree
Associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
from Mars Hill College
Mars Hill College
Mars Hill College is a private, coed, liberal-arts college affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. The college is located in the small town of Mars Hill, North Carolina, due north of Asheville, western North Carolina's largest city...
, then a junior college located in his native Madison County (in 1988, Mars Hill College would award him an honorary doctorate degree). During the Second World War, Ramsey served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps in the Pacific Theater
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
of the war. After the war, Ramsey was elected to serve on the town board of aldermen for Marshall, North Carolina
Marshall, North Carolina
Marshall is a town in Madison County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 840 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Madison County.Marshall is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Marshall is located at ....
.
In 1960, running as a Democrat, Ramsey was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives
North Carolina House of Representatives
The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the state senate....
. He served 19 consecutive terms in the state legislature and became one of its most influential members. In 1981 he was elected Speaker of the House
Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives
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 convene for their regular session in January of each odd-numbered year...
and would spend four terms in that post; he was the first legislator in North Carolina history to hold the Speaker's office for four terms (a record tenure matched only by James B. Black
James B. Black
Dr. James "Jim" Boyce Black is a member of the North Carolina Democratic Party, and a former Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly who represented the state's 100th House district, including constituents in Mecklenburg County...
). During his tenure as Speaker, he worked to transfer state funds to the often-neglected western mountain counties of North Carolina, building roads and other public facilities that would not have existed otherwise. A major accomplishment of his time as Speaker was the creation of the Liston B. Ramsey Activity Center
Ramsey Center
The Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center is a 7,826-seat multi-purpose arena in Cullowhee, North Carolina and is home to the Western Carolina University Catamounts basketball and volleyball teams.It is also named "THE LAIR"...
at Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University is a coeducational public university located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. The university is a constituent campus of the University of North Carolina system....
. The Center, opened in 1986, features facilities for basketball, volleyball, and other sports, as well as sponsoring cultural activities on the Western Carolina campus.
In January 1989, Ramsey was ousted as Speaker of the House when Republican Governor James G. Martin
James G. Martin
James Grubbs "Jim" Martin is the 70th Governor of the state of North Carolina. He served from 1985 to 1993. He was the second Republican elected to the office after Reconstruction, and the fifth overall. He is also the only Republican to serve two full terms as governor.-Early Life &...
secretly joined his party's forces with 20 Democratic state representatives led by Joe Mavretic
Josephus L. Mavretic
Josephus "Joe" Mavretic is a former Democratic public official and military veteran from North Carolina. Born in Currituck County, he made his career as a Marine, graduating from the Naval War College and becoming a Marine fighter pilot, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.He retired from...
. These Democrats, who represented North Carolina's larger cities, had grown resentful of what they regarded as Ramsey's autocratic control of the legislature, and of his tendency to support representatives from small, rural counties over those from more urbanized areas. Ramsey's adversaries derisively nicknamed him "Boss Hogg," http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE4D81330F934A25752C0A96F948260 after the corrupt, old-time political boss in the popular 1970s TV series The Dukes of Hazard. These twenty Democrats joined with the 46 Republicans in the State House to elect Mavretic as Speaker over Ramsey. Even after this surprise defeat, however, Ramsey continued to be an influential voice in the legislature. He voluntarily retired from the legislature in 1999, and died in 2001.
In 2002, Mars Hill College opened the Ramsey Center for Regional Studies. The Center houses Ramsey's official papers from his years in public office, and is dedicated to preserving the heritage and culture of the people of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. A section of Interstate 26
Interstate 26
Interstate 26 is a nominally east–west main route of the Interstate Highway System in the Southeastern United States. I-26 runs from the junction of U.S. Route 11W and U.S. Route 23 in Kingsport, Tennessee, generally southeastward to U.S. Route 17 in Charleston, South Carolina...
running between Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
and Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City is a city in Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, with most of the city being in Washington County...
is also named in his honor.