William R. Ratchford, American politician, U.S. Representative from Connecticut (1979–1985), died from complications from Parkinson's disease he was , 76

William Richard Ratchford  was a U.S. Representative from Connecticut died from complications from Parkinson's disease he was , 76.^[1]
Born in Danbury, Connecticut, Ratchford graduated from Danbury High School, Danbury, Connecticut, in 1952. He received a B.A. from the University of Connecticut, Storrs, in 1956, where he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity. He was awarded a J.D. from Georgetown Law School, Washington, D.C., in 1959. He served in the Connecticut National Guard from 1959 to 1965. Ratchford was admitted to the Connecticut bar in 1959 and commenced practice in Danbury, in 1960.

(May 24, 1934 – January 2, 2011)

Political career

Ratchford served in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1962 to 1974 and was speaker from 1969 to 1973. He was chairman of the Governor's Blue Ribbon Committee on Nursing Homes from 1975 to 1976, and as Commissioner on Aging from 1977 to 1978. He served as a delegate to the Connecticut State Democratic conventions from 1960 to 1974, and as a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1972 and 1984.
Ratchford was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Ninety-Fourth Congress in 1974. He was elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-Sixth and to the two succeeding Congresses, serving overall from January 3, 1979 to January 3, 1985. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Ninety-Ninth Congress. Ratchford served as Associate Administrator in the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. General Services Administration from 1993 to 2001.

Death

He died on January 2, 2011, aged 76, from complications from Parkinson's disease. He had been a long-time resident of Arlington, Virginia.

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