Ronald Keith Machtley (born July 13, 1948) is an American politician and former president of

Bryant University Bryant University is a private university in Smithfield, Rhode Island, United States. It has three colleges, the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, and the College of Business, and is accredited by the New E ...

. Machtley served three terms as a Republican member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

from 1989 to 1995. From 1996 to 2020, Machtley served as president of

Smithfield, Rhode Island Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,118 at the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1731, it includes the historic villages of Esmond, Georgiaville, Mountaindale, Spragueville, Stillwater, an ...

, and was awarded faculty membership in

Omicron Delta Kappa Omicron Delta Kappa (), also known as The Circle and ODK, is an American collegiate honor society that recognizes leadership and scholarship. It was founded in 1914, at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia and has chartered more t ...

there in 2005.

Biography

Machtley was born in

Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is the largest city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, it is the principal city of the Metropolitan statistical area ...

and attended public schools. He received a B.S. from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

in 1970, serving in the United States Navy from 1970 to 1975 and the

United States Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...

from 1975 to 1995 becoming a commander. Machtley received a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from

Suffolk University Law School Suffolk University Law School (also known as Suffolk Law School) is the Private university, private, non-sectarian law school of Suffolk University located in Downtown Boston, downtown Boston, across the street from the Boston Common and the Fr ...

in Boston, Massachusetts in 1978 and was admitted to the

Rhode Island bar The Rhode Island Bar Association (RIBAR or RIBA) is the Bar association#Mandatory, integrated or unified bar associations, unified (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Organization Founded in 1898, the Rhode Island Bar ...

in the same year.

Congress

Machtley ran for Congress as a Republican in the 1st District and defeated 28-year incumbent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Fernand St. Germain in a considerable upset. He was reelected two more times and was very popular even as Rhode Island was trending more and more Democratic. In 1992, for instance, he was reelected with a staggering 70 percent of the vote even as

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

easily carried the state. He was a moderate Republican in the mold of

John Chafee John Lester Hubbard Chafee ( ; October 22, 1922 – October 24, 1999) was an American politician and officer in the United States Marine Corps. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 66th Governor o ...

Campaign for governor

Machtley gave up his seat to run for

Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Dan McKee, a member of the Democrati ...

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

. He was the heavy favorite in the Republican primary, but was soundly defeated by

Lincoln Almond Lincoln Carter Almond (June 16, 1936 – January 2, 2023) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 72nd Governor of Rhode Island from 1995 to 2003. A member of the Republican Party, he was previously the United States Attorney ...

, who went on to victory in November. As of 2023, he is the last Republican elected to the House from Rhode Island and one of only four Republicans to represent Rhode Island in Congress since 1941 (the others being senators

and

Lincoln Chafee Lincoln Davenport Chafee ( ; born March 26, 1953) is an American politician. He was mayor of Warwick, Rhode Island, from 1993 to 1999, a United States Senator from 1999 to 2007, and the 74th Governor of Rhode Island from 2011 to 2015. He was a ...

and representative

Claudine Schneider Claudine Schneider (née Cmarada; born March 25, 1947) is an American politician and executive who served five terms as a Republican Party (United States), Republican U.S. representative from Rhode Island from 1981 to 1991. She was the first, and ...

University president

Machtley was named president of Bryant in 1996 and shepherded it through its transition to university status in 2004. His salary as of 2017 was reported as $719,243, not including an additional $120,726 reported under other compensation from the organization and related organizations. During his tenure, he led several major building campaigns. In February 2019 Ron and Katie Machtley made a gift of $1 million to push the Expanding the World of Opportunity campaign over the $100 million mark. Shortly thereafter, the Providence Business News reported that Machtley was paid $6.2M in 2017 as part of a retention package. It is believed this is one of the largest such payouts in the history of American higher education.

Retirement

In May 2019 Machtley announced that he would be retiring as President of Bryant University in May 2020. Machtley, an avid golfer, is a member of

Newport Country Club Newport Country Club, is a historic private golf club in the northeastern United States, located in Newport, Rhode Island. Founded in 1893, it hosted both the first U.S. Amateur Championship and the first U.S. Open in 1895. History Theodor ...

, and is a

Rhode Island Commodore Rhode Island Commodore is Rhode Island's highest honor and an honorary title bestowed upon individuals by approval of the governor of Rhode Island. It is not a military rank, requires no duties, and carries with it no pay or other compensation. Ho ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Machtley, Ronald 1948 births Living people Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Bryant University faculty Rhode Island lawyers Politicians from Johnstown, Pennsylvania Suffolk University Law School alumni United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy officers United States Navy reservists Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island Military personnel from Pennsylvania 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives