Josephus Lyman "Joe" Mavretic (born July 29, 1934) is a former Democratic

public official An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their s ...

and

military veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has ...

from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. Born in Currituck County, he made his career as a

Marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

, graduating from the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...

and becoming a Marine

fighter pilot A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and ...

, retiring at the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. Mavretic had served 300 combat missions in Vietnam and recorded 3,000 hours of flight time. He retired from the Marines and returned to his home state. He came from a Democratic family and community, and he ran successfully for the

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 North Ca ...

as a Democrat in 1980. He succeeded Jim Ezzell. In spite of his party label, he admired President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

and was willing to buck his party on several issues. Mavretic became nationally known when he led a bipartisan coalition to remove Liston Ramsey from the position of

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

. He then served in that position from 1989 to 1990. He left the legislature in 1995 and retired to private life. He is now a panelist on the television news talk show '' NC Spin''.

References

External links

Our Campaigns – Representative Josephus Mavretic (NC)
profile , - , - , - Living people United States Marine Corps officers 1934 births Naval War College alumni 20th-century American legislators Speakers of the North Carolina House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives People from Currituck County, North Carolina 20th-century North Carolina politicians {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub