Ronald Arthur Sarasin (born December 31, 1934) is a former American politician from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. He served two terms in the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an ...

and three terms as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Early life and career

Born in

Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state. Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...

, Sarasin attended Center Elementary School in

Beacon Falls, Connecticut Beacon Falls is a town in western New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. It lies in the southwestern part of the state, and is bisected by the Naugatuck River. The population was 6,000 at the 2020 census, down from 6,049 at the 2010 ...

and graduated from Naugatuck (Connecticut) High School in 1952. He served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1952 to 1956 and attained the rank of petty officer, second class. He earned his B.S. from the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

in 1960 and J.D. from the

University of Connecticut School of Law The University of Connecticut School of Law (UConn Law) is the law school associated with the University of Connecticut and located in Hartford, Connecticut. It is the only public law school in Connecticut and one of only four in New England. In ...

in 1963. He was admitted to the Connecticut Bar later that year. He served as the town counsel for

from 1963 to 1972 and an assistant professor of law at New Haven College,

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

from 1963 to 1966.

Political career

He was first elected to the

in 1968 and became the assistant minority leader in 1970. In 1972, he ran for Congress from the

5th district District 5, 5 District or 5th District may refer to: Europe * District 5 (Zürich) * District 5, Düsseldorf * V District, Turku * Districts of Malta#District 5, District 5, an electoral district of Malta * Districts of Malta#District 5 2, Distric ...

against John Monagan, a seven-term veteran of the House. Redistricting added several Republican areas to the 5th in 1972 and

George McGovern George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American historian and South Dakota politician who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator, and the Democratic Party presidential nominee in the 1972 pres ...

’s poor showing in the 1972 presidential election was hurting Democrats in down-ballot races. Sarasin defeated Monagan narrowly. In 1974, he defeated

William R. Ratchford William Richard Ratchford (May 24, 1934 – January 2, 2011) was an American politician from Connecticut. He served six terms in the Connecticut House of Representatives, including two as speaker, and three terms in the United States House of Rep ...

, prevailing amidst the wave of Republican losses to the

Watergate babies The Watergate Babies were Democrats first elected to the United States Congress in the 1974 elections, after President Richard Nixon's resignation over the Watergate scandal, on August 9, 1974. Democrats picked up 49 seats in the House and 5 ...

. He served as a delegate to the Connecticut State Republican conventions in 1968, 1970, 1972, and 1974 and to the Republican National Convention in 1976. In 1978, he secured the Republican nomination for

Governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connecticu ...

with

Lewis Rome Lewis "Lew" B. Rome (September 12, 1933 – July 1, 2015) was an American attorney and politician who served in the Connecticut State Senate and ran unsuccessfully as the Republican Party nominee in the 1982 Connecticut gubernatorial election. ...

as his running mate. His opponent was the incumbent,

Ella Grasso Ella Rosa Giovianna Oliva Grasso (née Tambussi; May 10, 1919 – February 5, 1981) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 83rd Governor of Connecticut from January 8, 1975, to December 31, 1980, after r ...

, the first woman to be elected governor in her own right. Sarasin attacked Grasso on taxes, promising to reduce taxes and cut welfare spending. On Election Day, Grasso won a second term in office with a convincing victory

Later career

2014 Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting (15952593241)

After leaving office, he was the chief lobbyist for the

National Restaurant Association The National Restaurant Association is a restaurant industry business association in the United States, representing more than 380,000 restaurant locations. It also operates the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The associ ...

and president of the

National Beer Wholesalers Association The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) is a trade association that represents the interests of more than 2,850 beer distributors throughout the United States before government and the public. In 2020, their political action committee was ...

. He served as president of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society from 2000 to 2019.

Personal life

Sarasin was married to Marjorie Grazio Sarasin and has one son. He and his wife divorced in 1977. He is the first divorced candidate for governor. His brother Warren Sarasin, was also a politician who served in the Connecticut House of Representatives. He was first elected in 1978, the year his brother was defeated for governor.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sarasin, Ronald Arthur 1934 births Living people Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Politicians from Fall River, Massachusetts University of Connecticut alumni University of Connecticut School of Law alumni United States Navy sailors Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut People from Beacon Falls, Connecticut