Ronnie G. Flippo

Ronnie Gene Flippo (born August 15, 1937) is an American politician and accountant who served seven terms as a United States Congressman from Alabama from 1977 to 1991.

Early life and education

Flippo was born August 15, 1937, in Florence, Alabama, to Claude Nathaniel Flippo and Esther McAfee. Claude Flippo was killed in a construction accident in 1943.

In 1955 Ronnie graduated from Coffee High School in Florence. After high school, he began work as an iron worker. In 1958, he married Faye Cooper, with whom he would have six children.

Like his father, Ronnie suffered a significant construction accident, falling 55 feet while working at a Tennessee Valley Authority steam plant in 1961. He survived, but was hospitalized for more than a year with major injuries.

He then attended the University of North Alabama and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. This was followed up by a master's degree in accounting from the University of Alabama.

Early career

Flippo worked as a CPA after graduating from college, eventually starting his own accounting firm in 1971. He also taught accounting at UNA prior to running for the state legislature.

Political career

State legislature

In 1970, he successfully ran as a Democrat for a seat in the Alabama House of Representatives. After one term, he gave up his State House seat for a successful run for the Alabama Senate.

Congress

In 1976, incumbent congressman Robert E. Jones, Jr. retired, necessitating a special election to fill the vacancy. Flippo won the runoff on November 2, 1976. He developed a reputation as a conservative Democrat, supporting business interests and fiscally conservative budgets. In 1980, he addresses the Democratic National Convention, speaking about the role of the Democratic Party in the American South.

During his tenure, he was a leader on tax reform issues, as well as the debate on the modernization of the Tennessee Valley Authority. He also led a successful three-year legislative battle to protect 28,000 acres in the Sipsey Wilderness Area within the Bankhead National Forest.

Flippo voted for the Abandoned Shipwrecks Act of 1987. The Act asserts United States title to certain abandoned shipwrecks located on or embedded in submerged lands under state jurisdiction, and transfers title to the respective state, thereby empowering states to manage these cultural and historical resources more efficiently, with the goal of preventing treasure hunters and salvagers from damaging them. President Ronald Reagan signed it into law on April 28, 1988.

He served in the House until 1991, when he retired from his seat to run for Governor of Alabama. He was defeated in his bid, finishing fourth in a field led by eventual winner Paul Hubbert.

Later career

After leaving politics, Flippo founded a private management consulting firm, R.G. Flippo & Associates. He served on several boards and governing bodies, including the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, the Alabama Commission on Infrastructure, and the University of North Alabama Foundation.

He currently resides in Florence, Alabama.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Flippo, Ronnie Jo
1937 births
Living people
Democratic Party Alabama state senators
American members of the Churches of Christ
Democratic Party members of the Alabama House of Representatives
Politicians from Florence, Alabama
University of Alabama alumni
University of North Alabama alumni
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama
Members of Congress who became lobbyists
20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
20th-century members of the Alabama Legislature