J. Frank Raley
| J. Frank Raley Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Maryland Senate from the 29th district |
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In office 1963 – 1966 |
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| Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 29th district |
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In office 1955 – 1959 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Frank Raley, Jr. September 13, 1926 Park Hall Estates, Maryland |
| Died | August 21, 2012 (aged 85) St. Mary's City, Maryland |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Georgetown University |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1945–1946 |
J. Frank Raley, Jr., (September 13, 1926 – August 21, 2012), whose full name was John Frank Raley, Jr., was a Maryland politician and an advocate for education, economic development and protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay.
He was a Democrat State Senator and also prior to that, a member of the Maryland House of Delegates and is widely credited for modernizing St. Mary's County's badly outdated infrastructure (schools, roads, bridges, telecommunications and electric services), thus paving the way for a forty-year period of economic growth and development.
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 and served on its Board of Trustees for years, guiding and advocating for the school's further development.
He has been called, by area historians and newspapers, a founder of modern St. Mary's County.
He was born in St. Mary's County, Maryland and grew up in a family of politicians to include his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He grew up during the Great Depression, and learned about politics through his family at a young age.
Raley attended parochial schools in St. Mary's County, as well as the Charlotte Hall Military Academy for high school and received his B.A. from Georgetown University. He also served in the United States Army during World War Two. He also was a general insurance agent.
In 1962 Raley organized a slate of candidates who ran with him to replace the County political machine that had presided over economic stagnation for decades. He was elected, and followed this with a large scale and ultimately successful campaign that he led while he was both in and out of office to bring modern development and improvements in education to the St. Mary's County.
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