American politician (1924?2017)
Ralph Regula
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In office
January 3, 1973 ? January 3, 2009
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Preceded by
| Frank Bow
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Succeeded by
| John Boccieri
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In office
January 3, 1967 ? January 3, 1973
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Preceded by
| Constituency established
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Succeeded by
| Richard Reichel
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Born
| Ralph Straus Regula
(
1924-12-03
)
December 3, 1924
Beach City, Ohio
, U.S.
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Died
| July 19, 2017
(2017-07-19)
(aged 92)
Bethlehem Township, Ohio
, U.S.
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Political party
| Republican
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Spouse
| Mary Rogusky
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Education
| University of Mount Union
(
BA
)
William McKinley School of Law (
LLB
)
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Allegiance
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United States
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Branch/service
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United States Navy
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Years of service
| 1944?1946
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Battles/wars
| World War II
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Regula speaks on FY1991 appropriations for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State
Recorded June 20, 1990
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Ralph Straus Regula
(December 3, 1924 ? July 19, 2017) was an American politician from
Ohio
. A member of the
Republican Party
, he served in the
Ohio House of Representatives
, the
Ohio State Senate
and the
United States House of Representatives
. He represented
Ohio's 16th congressional district
for 18 terms from 1973 to 2009. In the
110th Congress
(2007?2009), he was the second longest serving Republican member of the House of Representatives (after
Bill Young
of Florida).
Early life
[
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]
Regula was born in
Beach City
, Ohio on December 3, 1924. He served in the
United States Navy
during
World War II
. After his service, he attended
Mount Union College
using his
GI Bill
. He met his wife, the former Mary Rogusky, while at Mount Union. After graduating in 1948, he became a schoolteacher while studying at the William McKinley College of Law in Canton.
[1]
Career
[
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]
He was elected to the
Ohio Board of Education
and served on that body from 1960 to 1964. He was elected to the
Ohio House of Representatives
in 1964 and served one term before winning a seat in the
State Senate
.
[2]
In 1972, President
Richard Nixon
nominated longtime 16th district Congressman
Frank T. Bow
as the
United States Ambassador to Panama
, which opened the door for Regula to run for the seat.
[3]
Regula went on to win 18 terms in Congress.
Regula was ranking minority member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health, Human Services and Education funding in the 110th Congress. The subcommittee's budget, the largest discretionary domestic account, was over $140 billion. Regula, a former teacher and principal, was a Congressional leader in pushing for alternative solutions in improving reading skills, developing teacher training and increasing
Pell Grant
funding so that poorer and middle class students can obtain two and four year degrees. He increased by millions of dollars the amount of federal money committed to research in fighting cancer, heart disease and birth defects.
[4]
Regula was a member of the moderate
Republican Main Street Partnership
and supports stem cell research.
Regula was also a Congressional leader in alternative energy sources. He was an early champion of fuel cell technology and he has directed federal funding back to his home state, Ohio, which is recognized as a national leader in fuel cell research and development.
Beginning in 1975, Regula
blocked the renaming of Mount McKinley
in
Alaska
, named for President
William McKinley
, to
Denali
. This was, in part, because
Canton
, McKinley's long-time hometown and resting place, fell within the boundaries of Regula's congressional district.
[5]
The name was eventually changed in 2015. Regula described the change as a political stunt by President Obama and called it ridiculous while also calling the President a dictator.
[6]
With his seat on the appropriations committee, he was able to use federal funds to establish and protect parks and trails in his district. He earmarked $200 million for the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area, now the
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
.
[7]
In 2003, the
Stark County
Park District voted to rename the 25 miles of the
Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail
within Stark County the "Congressman Ralph Regula Towpath Trail". It was announced at the dedication of a 150-foot-long tunnel section of the trail paid by a federal grant Regula arranged. "You really did catch me by surprise," Regula said. The park district honored Regula for his continued support in Congress for the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway.
[8]
[9]
His wife Mary helped create the
First Ladies National Historic Site
. After she initially raised funds to seed the museum's collection, Ralph appropriated $1.2 million to pushed development further.
[10]
Regula retired from the House of Representatives when his term ended in January 2009. He was succeeded by
John Boccieri
, a
Democrat
from the
Ohio General Assembly
. After retiring from Congress, Regula
joined Dawson & Associates
in
Washington, D.C.
as an advisor on federal budget and permitting matters.
See also
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References
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External links
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