Ron Marlenee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMontana's2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | John Melcher |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ronald Charles Marlenee (1935-08-08)August 8, 1935 |
| Died | April 26, 2020(2020-04-26) (aged 84) Bozeman, Montana, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Cynthia "Cindy" Marlenee (née Tiemann) |
| Children | Sheila Wolff, Casey Marlenee, Allison Helland |
| Residence(s) | Bozeman,Montana |
| Alma mater | Montana State University,University of Montana, Reisch School of Auctioneering |
| Occupation | Rancher, Businessman, United States Congressman |
Ronald Charles Marlenee (August 8, 1935 – April 26, 2020) was an AmericanRepublicanpolitician who served in theUnited States House of Representatives from theU.S. state ofMontana from January 3, 1977, to January 3, 1993. He representedMontana's 2nd congressional district.
Ron Marlenee was born on August 8, 1935[1] inScobey, Montana, the son of Charles and Margaret (Darchuk) Marlenee[2] and the brother of Bob and Lanney.[1] He was educated in the public schools ofDaniels County, and attendedMontana State University inBozeman, theUniversity of Montana inMissoula, and the Reisch School of Auctioneering inMason City, Iowa.
Marlenee was an auctioneer, farmer and rancher. He was active in politics as a Republican, and held several party posts in Daniels County. From 1975 to 1976 he was the Second Congressional District's member of the Montana Republican Committee's executive board. In 1976 he was elected to the Ninety-fifthCongress. He was reelected seven times, and served from January 3, 1977, to January 3, 1993. During his time in Congress, he gained the nickname "Dr. No" for his frequent rejections of governmental bills, since he believed in reducing governmental involvement in public life.[3] While in Congress, he served on the House Interior and Agricultural committees.[4] Environmentalists were unhappy with Marlenee's voting record, and in 1992 he was named by Environmental Action as one of Congress' "Dirty Dozen."[5]
After the 1990 Census, Montana's declining population growth rate resulted in the loss of its 2nd district, reducing the state toone at-large district. Marlenee ran unsuccessfully against theDemocratic nominee,Pat Williams, who represented the1st district. The election was hotly contested, and Williams won with 50.5% of the vote.[4] Ron Marlenee was the longest-serving Republican representative from Montana in the House of Representatives.[6] Following the 1992 election, Marlenee left politics and never ran for a political position again.[4]
Marlenee was known as a conservative Republican who fought for small businesses, limited government,Second Amendment rights,[4] and a balanced budget.[7] He also battled against federal control over state lands(1) and was involved in agricultural issues, particularly focusing on the needs of family farms and small business owners.[4]
Marlenee described himself as a "multi-use" person who believed in multiple uses of federal lands, including drilling, mining, and recreation.[8] In particular, he took a firm stance against environmentalists, and he termed conservationists "fern feelers and prairie fairies."[8]
Ron was both a Freemason and a Shriner over the course of his life.[1] Marlenee's first wife was Carmen Willard, and the two had five children: David, Mike, Sheila, Casey, and Allison. In 1978, he married his second wife Cindy Tiemann.[1]
After leaving Congress, Marlenee resided inBozeman, Montana with his wife Cindy and son Casey. He continued to be active in Montana politics. For many years he hosted or participated in fundraisers and other campaign events for Republican candidates.[9]
Marlenee also became a lobbyist for a variety of organizations.[9] In addition, he became the director of legislative affairs for theSafari Club International, a hunting club in Washington, D.C.,[8] and co-founded the Western Tradition Partnership (now theAmerican Tradition Partnership), which works in Montana politics and bills itself as a "advocate for issues like water, forest management, and energy development."[7] According to theBozeman Chronicle, a "state election regulator later found that the group had provided illegal contributions to state Republican candidates."[1] In addition, Marlenee was responsible for establishing a veteran's memorial inMiles City, Montana.[1]
He died in Bozeman on April 26, 2020.[9]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMontana's 2nd congressional district 1977–1993 | District eliminated |
| Territorial (1865–1889) |
|  | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oneat-large seat (1889–1913) |
| ||||
| Two at-large seats (1913–1919) |
| ||||
| Districts (1919–1993) |
| ||||
| One at-large seat (1993–2023) |
| ||||
| Districts (2023–present) |
| ||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
