Former Texas Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff died Monday in Mount Pleasant. He was 89.
Ratliff died in his home surrounded by his family, according to an obituary. Ratliff, an engineer, first entered the Texas Senate in 1989 and served northeast Texas for 15 years. Fellow senators elected him lieutenant governor in 2000, after then-Gov. George W. Bush resigned to serve as the U.S. President and then-Lt. Gov. Rick Perry filled the vacated governor seat. Ratliff served in that role until 2003.
“His life could be summed up in the phrase, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant,’” said the obituary shared by Thomas Ratliff, his son and former vice-chair of the State Board of Education.
During his time in the Texas Senate, the moderate Republican chaired several major committees while tackling significant issues such as school finance and ethics reforms. He also sided with Democrats in the bitter congressional redistricting fight of his time.
To his son, Ratliff’s philosophy could be captured by the quote he gave when announcing his decision to not seek a full term as lieutenant governor more than two decades ago: “I love policy-making, but I do not love politics.”
Ratliff resigned from the Texas Senate in 2004. He then received the 2005 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, which recognizes public officials who showcase “politically courageous leadership.”
Ratliff will be remembered for his “steady presence,” his son said.
“He was the same guy the day he left office as he was the day he got there,” Thomas Ratliff said. “Oftentimes, we see people allow the process to change them and they lose themselves somewhere along the way. He never did, and that’s to his credit as well as to the credit of my mother and her presence in his life.”
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