John A. Ramsey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Alma mater | Stephen F. Austin State University |
| Occupation | Venture Capital |
| Known for | Founder and Chairman of Liberty for All Action Fund |
John Ramsey is an American businessman and libertarian political figure. He is the founder and chairman of the Liberty for All Super PAC. [1] [2]
Ramsey grew up in rural East Texas near the Louisiana border. His family owns a timber farm and community bank near San Augustine, Texas, as well as other agricultural interests in central and west Texas. [2] His parents were both social workers who worked for Child Protective Services. [2]
His grandfather, Justin Robert Howard, an American officer in World War II, banker, rancher, and antique firearm collector, mentored Ramsey in business and finance. Howard died on Thanksgiving 2010, leaving an inheritance to Ramsey and his two siblings. [1] [2]
Ramsey's mother, Susan, died from breast cancer when he was 12. [3]
Ramsey graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with degrees in business economics and finance. [4] [5] His grandfather was a member of the Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association Hall of Fame. While in college, Ramsey served as the energy sector advisor for the Mast Student Investment Roundtable, which exists to provide finance students with experience in managing equity portfolios. In 2011, he attended a study-abroad program at Oxford University in England, where he advocated libertarianism and the exit of Great Britain from the European Union. [6]
Ramsey became a libertarian while in college [2] and worked for Ron Paul's 2012 presidential campaign in Iowa and Maine. [4] [7]
Ramsey founded the Liberty for All Super PAC in 2012 with an initial investment of $890,000 of his own money. [4] According to Federal Election Commission records, Liberty for All became official on March 5, 2012. [1] The PAC was founded with the goal of supporting libertarian-minded, independent-leaning candidates who could win in the two major parties, viewing the RNC and DNC as models. [1] [4]
During the May 2012 Kentucky Republican primary election, Liberty for All spent over $700,000 in independent expenditures for congressional candidate Thomas Massie. [7] [8] [9] The group also supported Republican Congressmen Justin Amash, [8] Kerry Bentivolio [10] and Jeff Flake. [11] Liberty for All reportedly spent a total of $3.1 million in the 2012 cycle, with over 90 percent of backed candidates winning. [12]
In addition to his activity on the national level, Ramsey is politically active around the Austin and Travis County area. In 2012, Ramsey supported Michael Cargill for Travis County Constable. Cargill is a gay African-American gun store owner and prominent libertarian activist in Austin. [13] The race marked Ramsey's first attempt to elect a libertarian leaning candidate in the Democratic party. [6] The race also became prominent for Ramsey's role in labeling Cargill's opponent Adan Ballesteros as the "Cocaine Constable". The attacks against Ballesteros were based on the findings of a 15-year-old investigation by the Department of Public Safety that said Ballesteros had peddled drugs into the United States from Mexico. [14]
In 2012, Ramsey donated $10,000 to Austinites for Geographic Representation (AGR). AGR was the main proponent of Proposition 3, which established single member districts for the Austin city council elections. [15] Ramsey was also a financial backer and fundraising bundler for the 2012 marijuana legalization efforts in Colorado. Ramsey has since been involved in marijuana decriminalization efforts in states such as Maine and Washington.
For the 2014 elections, Ramsey invested in state legislative races in early presidential primary states hoping to start the careers of libertarian politicians who could run for higher offices in the future. [16] In 2016, Ramsey and Liberty for All deployed resources to defeat a food tax in Fairfax county Virginia.
Ramsey is an investor in the hangover preventative Never Hungover. According to Never Hungover CEO Parrish Whitaker, Ramsey contributed to the overall vision of the company. [2]
In early 2013, Ramsey partnered with Grant and Kati Harris to open a wine bar named the Liberty Bell in Nacogdoches, Texas. [17] [18] The Liberty Bell has a sandwich named after Nacogdoches native and professional soccer player Clint Dempsey, the "Dempsey FC." [19]
Ramsey is the founder and CEO of the early-stage tech, SAAS, and consumer packaged-good investment firm Seedcess Investment Group. [20] [21] He is also involved with Praxis, an alternative higher education company that teaches entrepreneurship through real-world career experience. [22] Additionally, he co-manages JPW Equity, an investment fund that focuses its efforts on commercial storage and US-based nutritional supplement manufacturing. [2]
Ramsey is a critic of central banking systems and was an early investor in Bitcoin. In addition to trading activity, Ramsey has invested in several cryptocurrency mining operations. [18] [23] Ramsey is an advanced tennis player and early investor in MyTennislessons.com, the largest online marketplace for tennis instruction.[ citation needed ]
Ramsey has an organic garden at his residence in Austin. Each year upon harvest, Ramsey opens his home to the public for an educational seminar and charitable food drive that is hosted by the Center For Natural Living. [18]
Ramsey is a devout Christian and regularly speaks at conferences, religious institutions, and politically affiliated organizations around the country about libertarianism. Frederic Bastiat, Roger Federer, Ludwig Von Mises, Samuel B. Fuller, George Strait, Milton Friedman, Leo Tolstoy, Ross Perot, Roger Staubach, and Jerry Jones are among Ramsey's influences. [1] [20]
Nacogdoches is a city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Stephen F. Austin State University is located in Nacogdoches and specializes in forestry and agriculture. Nacogdoches is also known as "The Oldest Town in Texas".
The Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC) is a political action organization dedicated to promoting the ideals of individual liberty, limited government and free market economics within the Republican Party in the United States. It is part of the libertarian wing of the Republican Party. It also operates a political action committee, the RLC-USA PAC.
Peter Andreas Thiel is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and political activist. A co-founder of PayPal, Palantir Technologies, and Founders Fund, he was the first outside investor in Facebook. As of July 2024, Thiel had an estimated net worth of US$11.2 billion and was ranked 212th on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Thomas Jefferson Rusk was an early political and military leader of the Republic of Texas, serving as its first Secretary of War as well as a general at the Battle of San Jacinto. He was later a US politician and served as a Senator from Texas from 1846 until his suicide. He served as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate in 1857.
KLTV is a television station licensed to Tyler, Texas, United States, serving East Texas as an affiliate of ABC and Telemundo. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios on West Ferguson Street in downtown Tyler, and its transmitter is located in rural northern Smith County.
George Prescott Bush is an American politician and attorney who served as the commissioner of the Texas General Land Office from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Bush unsuccessfully campaigned for the party's nomination in the 2022 Texas Attorney General election.
In American politics, a Libertarian Republican is a politician or Republican Party member who has advocated libertarian policies while typically voting for and being involved with the Republican Party.
KTRE is a television station licensed to Lufkin, Texas, United States, affiliated with ABC and Telemundo. The station is owned by Gray Television, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on TV Road in the unincorporated community of Pollok.
Robert D. Arnott is an American businessman, investor, and writer who focuses on articles about quantitative investing.
The 2010 Texas gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican governor Rick Perry ran successfully for election to a third consecutive term. He won the Republican primary against U.S. senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and political newcomer, Debra Medina. The former mayor of Houston, Bill White, won the Democratic nomination. Kathie Glass, a lawyer from Houston and previous candidate for Texas Attorney General, won the Libertarian nomination. Deb Shafto was the nominee of the Texas Green Party. Andy Barron, an orthodontist from Lubbock, was a declared write-in candidate.
Joseph Lonsdale is an American entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He co-founded companies including Palantir Technologies, Addepar, and OpenGov, and co-founded and serves as the managing partner at the technology investment firm 8VC.
Stephen Oskoui is an American investor and venture capitalist who is managing partner and co-founder of Gigafund, a venture capital firm backing entrepreneurs globally. Gigafund makes long-term concentrated investments in founders and CEOs who are capable of growing with their companies and maximizing impact over a period of decades.
The 2016 presidential campaign of Rand Paul, the junior United States senator from Kentucky, was announced on April 7, 2015, at an event at the Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky. First elected to the U.S. Senate in the 2010 election, Paul's candidacy for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2016 had been widely speculated since early 2013.
The 2016 presidential campaign of Gary Johnson, the 29th Governor of New Mexico, was announced on January 6, 2016, for the nomination of the Libertarian Party for President of the United States. He officially won the nomination on May 29, 2016, at the Libertarian National Convention in Orlando, Florida, receiving 56% of the vote on the second ballot. Former Massachusetts Governor William Weld was endorsed by Johnson for the Libertarian vice-presidential nomination, which he also received on May 29, 2016.
SFA Softball Field is the home stadium for the Division I (NCAA) Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks softball team. The stadium is located next to Jaycees Field, home of the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks baseball team, in Nacogdoches, Texas. The stadium has seating for 750 fans. Stephen F. Austin State University has a nineteen (19) year exclusive use lease on the stadium with the City of Nacogdoches, Texas starting in 2010. The university made several improvements to the preexisting city softball field including a new playing surface, a warning track, a Daktronics electronic scoreboard, new dugouts, windscreens, a new grandstand, an expanded press box, and bullpens.
Austin Wade Petersen is an American writer, political activist, commentator, and broadcaster. He is the host of the Wake Up America show daily newscast. He was the runner-up for the Libertarian Party's nomination for President of the United States in 2016, finishing second place to Gary Johnson with 21.9% of the vote.
Brandon Jones is an American professional football safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas.
Roy Morris Blake Sr. was a Texas politician and businessman from Nacogdoches, Texas. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from the 4th District. He also served in the Texas Senate from the 3rd district, and was president pro tempore of the Texas Senate in the Seventieth Texas Legislature.
The 2024 United States presidential election in Texas was held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, as part of the 2024 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Texas voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote. The state of Texas had 40 electoral votes in the Electoral College, following reapportionment due to the 2020 United States census in which the state gained two seats.
Charles L. Hopson II is an American pharmacist who represented district 11 of the Texas House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013.