Frank Ray Keyser Jr. (August 17, 1927 – March 7, 2015) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. He served as Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1959 to 1961, and the 72nd governor of Vermont from 1961 to 1963.

Biography

Early life

The son of

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The court ...

Justice F. Ray Keyser Sr. and Ellen Larkin Keyser, the younger Keyser was born in

Chelsea, Vermont Chelsea is a town in and the shire town (county seat) of Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,233 at the 2020 census. Geography Chelsea is located in a river valley in central Vermont. The First Branch of the White R ...

, on August 17, 1927. He served as a page in the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

in 1939. In 1945 he graduated from Montpelier High School. He served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1950 Keyser graduated from

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree, and was a member of the

Delta Upsilon Delta Upsilon (), commonly known as DU, is a collegiate men's fraternity founded on November 4, 1834, at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is the sixth-oldest, all-male, college Greek-letter organization founded in North America ...

fraternity. He graduated from

Boston University School of Law The Boston University School of Law (BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston. Established in 1872, it is the third-oldest law school in New England, after Harvard Law School and Yale Law School. Ap ...

in 1952 and practiced law in Chelsea. Keyser married his first wife, the former Joan F. Friedgen, an engineer and

statistician A statistician is a person who works with Theory, theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private sector, private and public sectors. It is common to combine statistical knowledge with expertise in other subjects, a ...

, on July 15, 1950. The couple has three children – Carol E. Fjeld, Christopher S. Keyser, and Frank Ray Keyser III. Joan Keyser served as the First Lady of Vermont during her husband's tenure as governor.

Career

A Republican, Keyser served three terms in the

(1955–1961), and was

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

from 1959 to 1961. In 1960 Keyser defeated the

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, Robert S. Babcock in the Republican primary for governor. He won the general election, and he served one term, 1961 to 1963. At age 33, Keyser was the youngest person to be elected Vermont's governor. During his term he initiated the Vermont Industrial Building Authority as a way to stimulate economic growth and job creation, and also oversaw expansion of the state park system. In 1961 Keyser was awarded the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

by Tufts University. Also in 1961, Keyser appeared as a contestant on an episode of ''

To Tell the Truth ''To Tell the Truth'' is an American television panel show. Four celebrity panelists are presented with three contestants (the "team of challengers", each an individual or pair) and must identify which is the "central character" whose unusual ...

''; five years after an appearance by West Virginia Governor

Cecil Underwood Cecil Harland Underwood (November 5, 1922 – November 24, 2008) was an American politician who served as the 25th and 32nd governor of West Virginia from 1957 to 1961, and again from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Republican Party, he was the y ...

, Underwood appeared again; Keyser was one of the two impostors who claimed to be Underwood. In 1962 Keyser lost his race for reelection to

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Philip H. Hoff. Hoff's victory marked the first time Republicans had lost the governorship since the founding of the Republican Party in the 1850s and as of 2021 is the last time an incumbent governor of Vermont has been defeated for re-election. From 1965 to 1970, Keyser was vice president and

general counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

for the Vermont Marble Company, and he was chief executive officer and chairman of the board from 1970 to 1979. From 1967 to 1972, he was on the board of the

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, commonly known as the Boston Fed, is responsible for the First District of the Federal Reserve, which covers New England: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and all of Connecticut excep ...

and he was a director of the Central Vermont Public Service Corporation and chairman of the board from 1980 to 1997. In 1980 he organized the

Rutland Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town. Rutland has a ...

law office of Keyser and Crowley. Keyser also served as a director of the Union Mutual of Vermont insurance company. Keyser's first wife, former Vermont First Lady Joan Keyser, died in 2002; the couple had three children. He married Mary Lou (Underhill) Keyser in 2005. A longtime resident of

Proctor Proctor (a variant of ''wikt:procurator, procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: # In law, a proctor is a historica ...

, Keyser died at his daughter's home in Brandon on March 7, 2015, at the age of 87. He was buried at Highland Cemetery in Chelsea.

References

Sources

Vermont Folk Life Center
Biography, F. Ray Keyser Jr.

External links

*
The Governors: F. Ray Keyser
'. Chris Graff interview with former governor F. Ray. Keyser Jr. Vermont Public Television. 1989. * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Keyser, F. Ray Jr. 1927 births 2015 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War II Boston University School of Law alumni Republican Party governors of Vermont Military personnel from Vermont People from Chelsea, Vermont People from Proctor, Vermont Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives Tufts University alumni Vermont lawyers Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly Delta Upsilon members