Ben T. Ramsey

1903 - 1985  (81 years)

• Name	Ben T. Ramsey  [1, 2]
  Birth	28 Dec 1903	San Augustine County, Texas   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  Death	27 Mar 1985	Austin, Travis County, Texas   [2]
  Notes	From the Handbook of Texas Online: http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/RR/fra61.html RAMSEY, BEN (1903-1985). Ben Ramsey, Texas state legislator, secretary of state, lieutenant governor, and railroad commissioner, was born at San Augustine on December 28, 1903, the son of William Charles Ramsey. He attended San Augustine public schools and worked on the family farm. After finishing high school, he worked three years in his father's law and abstract office, then enrolled at the University of Texas. He passed the state bar examination before graduation and was licensed to practice law in 1931. Ramsey was elected state representative and served two terms. Afterward he returned to San Augustine to practice law with his brother for five years. In 1940 he was elected to the first of two four-year terms as state senator. He became a Senate leader in antideficit legislation and legislation to regulate labor unions. In 1949 Governor Beauford H. Jester chose Ramsey to be secretary of state . In 1950 Ramsey was elected lieutenant governor. When Governor Allan Shivers 's conservative branch of Texas Democrats clashed with the state's more liberal Democrats, led by Senate majority leader Lyndon B. Johnson and Speaker Samuel T. (Sam) Rayburn of Texas, the two factions agreed to support Ramsey as a member of the National Democratic Committee. In fiscal affairs, especially opposition to higher taxes, Ramsey was considered conservative. Despite this, he supported Governor Shivers in raising revenue necessary for higher teachers' pay, state hospitals, and prisons. Like Shivers he was an enemy of labor unions. He strongly supported rural electrification, water conservation and development, paving of farms roads, and stricter laws regulating what he called "fly-by-night insurance companies." In 1961 Gov. Price Daniel?sup? ?/sup?appointed him to the Railroad Commission . The next year he was elected to the unexpired term and in 1964 and 1970 was reelected to full six-year terms. He served three two-year terms as chairman. Just before his appointment to the commission, Texas was successful in achieving control over offshore oil (?i?see?/i? TIDELANDS CONTROVERSY ), and Ramsey helped compose the rules for Texas coastal drilling. He chose not to run for reelection in 1976. Ramsey married Florine Hankla of San Augustine, and the couple had three children. He died on March 27, 1985, in Austin and was buried in San Augustine. BIBLIOGRAPHY: David F. Prindle, ?i?Petroleum Politics and the Texas Railroad Commission?/i? (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1981). ?i?Texas Bar Journal?/i?, October, 1985. Vertical Files, Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.
  Person ID	I9258	Strong Family Tree
  Last Modified	17 Aug 2014

  
  

  Father	Judge William Charles Ramsey,   b. 20 Dec 1868, Newton County, Texas d. 23 Jan 1930, San Augustine County, Texas (Age 61 years)
  Mother	Emma T. Jenkins,   b. Abt 1880, Texas d. Yes, date unknown
  Marriage	27 May 1900	Newton County, Texas   [3]
  Family ID	F779	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Florine Hankla,   b. 19 Dec 1920, Geneva, Sabine County, Texas d. 5 Dec 2009, Austin, Travis County, Texas (Age 88 years)
  Marriage	Abt 1943	Boulder, Boulder County, Colorado
  Children	1. Living   2. Living   3. Living
  Family ID	F5805	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	17 Dec 2009

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 28 Dec 1903 - San Augustine County, Texas Marriage - Abt 1943 - Boulder, Boulder County, Colorado Death - 27 Mar 1985 - Austin, Travis County, Texas  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Sources

  [S483] 1920 United States Federal Census [Ancestry.com database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005, (For details on the contents of the film numbers, visit the NARA web page. This database is an index to individuals enumerated in the 1920 United States Federal Census, the Fourteenth Census of the United States. It includes all states and territories, as well as Military and Naval Forces, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the Panama Canal Zone. The census provides many details about individuals and families including: name, gender, age, birthplace, year of immigration, mother tongue, and parents? birthplaces. In addition, the names of those listed on the population schedule are linked to actual images of the 1920 Federal Census.), Texas, San Augustine County, JP One, San Augustine Town Enumerated 14 Jan 1920 SD 326 ED 176 Sheet 11A (Reliability: 3). [S673] Handbook of Texas Online; http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/. [S327] Dore, Barbara Yancey (RootsLady@rootslady.com) "Southeast Texas Regional Gedcom Project" http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=bydore_1, (Dore, Barbara Yancey "Southeast Texas Regional Gedcom Project"; http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=bydore_1 ; Updated Tue Feb 24 22:17:40 2004 This Gedcom contains many regionally located but sometimes unconnected Southeast Texas persons. Some of the information has been collected during Barbara's past 35 years of family research. Many undocumented families in the area are included. ALWAYS verify!!).