Joe F. Ragland

Joe F. Ragland was an American politician from the state of Georgia. He served as a Democratic-turned-Republican member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1967 to 1969. He was born in Newnan, Georgia, grew up in Macon, and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Georgia. He began a career in realty before being elected to the Georgia House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1966. On March 1, 1968, he switched to the Republican Party, citing what he saw as the benefits of a strong two-party system and the alignment of local youths with his new party. Later that year, he lost the Republican primary for re-election to future U.S. congressman Billy Lee Evans.