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J. Frank Raley Jr. | |
---|---|
Member of the Maryland Senate from the St. Mary's County district | |
In office 1963–1966[1][2] | |
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the St. Mary's County district | |
In office 1955–1959[1] | |
Personal details | |
Born | John Frank Raley, Jr. September 13, 1926[1][2] Park Hall Estates, Maryland[3][1] |
Died | August 21, 2012[4] St. Mary's City, Maryland[3][4] | (aged 85)
Political party | Democratic |
Alma mater | Georgetown University[1][2] |
Military service | |
Branch/service | United States Army[1][3] |
Years of service | 1945–1946[1] |
John Frank Raley Jr. (September 13, 1926 – August 21, 2012) was a Maryland politician[1][5] and an advocate for education,[4][3] economic development[4][3][5] and protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay.[4][3]
He was a Democrat, a State Senator,[4] and a member of the Maryland House of Delegates[1][4][3] and is widely credited for modernizing St. Mary's County's badly outdated infrastructure[5] (schools, roads, bridges, telecommunications and electric services),[5] thus paving the way for a forty-year period of economic growth and development.[5]
He is also credited with getting the Maryland State Legislature to establish St. Mary's College of Maryland as a four-year liberal arts college[4][3][6][7] and served on its board of trustees for years,[3][2] guiding[3] and advocating for[4] the school's further development.[4][3]
He has been called, by area historians and newspapers, a founder of modern St. Mary's County.[8][4]