Ray H. Altman
Encyclopedia
Ray Heistand Altman is a businessman and former Kentucky
state politician
. He is an insurance
agency owner in Campbellsville
, the seat of Taylor County
in central Kentucky.
native, and the former Edna Noe (1908—1981), originally from Taylor County. Joseph and Edna married on Christmas Day 1925.
Altman was first elected as a Republican
member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
in 1986 to succeed the retiring Republican Herman Rattliff
, a since retired Campbellsville businessman. Altman first represented Green
and Metcalfe counties as well as Taylor. After the 1990 census, the district was shaped to include politically competitive Taylor and heavily Republican Adair County
.
In 1990, Altman spoke out against a bill that would have banned smoking by students in Kentucky public schools. In 1988, the legislature had given local administrators the option to establish smoking zones for students. Altman said the proposed ban on smoking, which failed 10-3 in committee, was unneeded because superintendents already had the authority to ban smoking on school premises. Kentucky has traditionally led the nation in the number of adult smokers, and Altman’s District 51 remains a tobacco
-producing area.
Altman was usually unopposed in his reelection campaigns. He did not seek a sixth term in 1996.
On August 16, 2004, Kentucky Governor
Ernie Fletcher
appointed Altman to the Executive Branch Ethics Commission for a term that expired on December 9, 2006. Still active in Republican politics, Altman in 2008 donated to the reelection campaign of U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell
, the Senate Republican leader from Jefferson County
, the Louisville
suburb
s.
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
state politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He is an insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
agency owner in Campbellsville
Campbellsville, Kentucky
Campbellsville is a city in Taylor County, Kentucky, United States. The population within city limits was 10,498 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Taylor County, and the home of Campbellsville University...
, the seat of Taylor County
Taylor County, Kentucky
Taylor County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 22,927. Its county seat is Campbellsville. The county is named for President Zachary Taylor, who served from 1849 to 1850. Taylor is a moist county...
in central Kentucky.
Biography
Altman is one of six children born to Joseph Leon Altman (1906—1996), an OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
native, and the former Edna Noe (1908—1981), originally from Taylor County. Joseph and Edna married on Christmas Day 1925.
Altman was first elected as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
Kentucky House of Representatives
The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a House district, except when necessary to preserve...
in 1986 to succeed the retiring Republican Herman Rattliff
Herman Rattliff
Herman Willard Rattliff is a retired businessman from Campbellsville, Kentucky, who served from 1968-1986 as a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives. He authored the Rattliff-Ward Textbook Act of 1976....
, a since retired Campbellsville businessman. Altman first represented Green
Green County, Kentucky
Green County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1793. As of 2000, the population was 11,518. Its county seat is Greensburg. The county is named for Nathanael Greene...
and Metcalfe counties as well as Taylor. After the 1990 census, the district was shaped to include politically competitive Taylor and heavily Republican Adair County
Adair County, Kentucky
Adair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population is 18,656. Its county seat is Columbia, Kentucky. The county is named for John Adair, then Speaker of the House in Kentucky and later Governor of Kentucky ....
.
In 1990, Altman spoke out against a bill that would have banned smoking by students in Kentucky public schools. In 1988, the legislature had given local administrators the option to establish smoking zones for students. Altman said the proposed ban on smoking, which failed 10-3 in committee, was unneeded because superintendents already had the authority to ban smoking on school premises. Kentucky has traditionally led the nation in the number of adult smokers, and Altman’s District 51 remains a tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
-producing area.
Altman was usually unopposed in his reelection campaigns. He did not seek a sixth term in 1996.
On August 16, 2004, Kentucky Governor
Governor of Kentucky
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of government in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Fifty-six men and one woman have served as Governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-election once...
Ernie Fletcher
Ernie Fletcher
Ernest Lee "Ernie" Fletcher is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. In 1999, he was elected to the first of three consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives; he resigned in 2003 after being elected the 60th governor of Kentucky and served in that office...
appointed Altman to the Executive Branch Ethics Commission for a term that expired on December 9, 2006. Still active in Republican politics, Altman in 2008 donated to the reelection campaign of U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell
Mitch McConnell
Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Kentucky and the Republican Minority Leader.- Early life, education, and military service :...
, the Senate Republican leader from Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 693,604 people, 287,012 households, and 183,113 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 305,835 housing units at an average density of...
, the Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s.