Harold J. Ragan was born November 5, 1928 in Cook County, Georgia. Ragan graduated from Cairo High School and received his Associate of Agriculture Degree from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in 1949. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture Education, Master of Education Degree, and his six-year Specialist Degree in Agriculture Education from the University of Georgia. In 1986, after 33 years of experience as a vocational agriculture teacher and FFA advisor, Senator Ragan retired from education. Senator Ragan served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He retired from the Air Force Reserve in 1981 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Senator Ragan was a member of the Cairo-Grady County Chamber of Commerce, as well as a Scottish Rite Mason and a Shriner. Senator Ragan also served as a Director and also as President of the Georgia Vocational Agricultural Teachers Association. Senator Ragan and his wife Marjorie are the parents of three grown sons: Hal, Tom, and Tim.
Ragan was first elected to the Senate from southwest Georgia in 1986. He represented the 11th Senate district as a Democrat, which serves Decatur, Grady, Seminole, Early, Miller, and Mitchell Counties and portions of Colquitt and Thomas Counties. While in the Senate, Ragan chaired the Senate Agriculture Committee and served as vice-chair of the Education Committee. He was also a member of Appropriations Committee and the Health and Human Services Committee. In addition to his standing committee assignments, Senator Ragan served on a number of interim study committees and state commissions including the Indigent Care Trust Fund Study Committee, the Georgia Tobacco Community Development Board Overview Committee, and the Linked Deposit Loan Program Study Committee.
This collection contains legislative files from Harold Ragan's time as a member of the Georgia Senate from 1987 to 2002; files from his time on the Agriculture and other committees; files from his senate office, including speeches; subject files on his office's work on various bills and resolutions; correspondence between Ragan, his colleagues, and his constituents; and newspaper clippings relating to Ragan's work and personal interests.
This collection is arranged in seven series: I. Legislative Files, II. Committee Papers, III. Senate Offices Papers, IV. Subject Files, V. Correspondence, VI. Newspaper Clippings, and VII. Audiovisual Materials.
This collection contains audiovisual materials. Reference copies of the audiovisual recordings are available upon request. Research requests will be filled as soon as possible and will be dependent upon the condition of the recordings.
Before material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original.
Finding Aid Publication
Finding Aid prepared by Madison Ingram, 2018-06-27.
; and newspaper clippings relating to Ragan's work and personal interests.