Gov. F. Ray Keyser

About

Born in Chelsea, Vermont, F. RAY KEYSER graduated from Tufts University in 1949 and from Boston University Law School in 1952. He joined the law firm of Wilson and Keyser in Chelsea, remaining with the firm until 1965. He was named one of America’s Ten Outstanding Young Men of 1961 by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce. He served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1955 until 1960, as Speaker in the last two years. As governor, he initiated a statewide planning program and established the Vermont Industrial Building Authority. Also during his administration, extensive investment was made in the state park system and the state budget was balanced without the imposition of new taxes. He was a member of the Interstate Cooperation Commission from 1955 to 1959—Chairman from 1957 to 1959, and was a member of the Board of Managers of the Council of State Governments from 1957 to 1959. Keyser was defeated for reelection by Democrat Philip H. Hoff in 1962, after which he joined the Vermont Marble company, rising to the position of president. He also served on the board of directors of numerous businesses, including the Central Vermont Railway, Inc., the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Union Fire Insurance Company.

Source

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 4. Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Vol. J.  New York: James T. White & Company.

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