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Created page with "{{Infobox officeholder |name=Allan Brown Ritter |image=Allan Ritter of TX.jpg |nationality=American |office=Texas State Representative for<br> District..."
{{Infobox officeholder
|name=Allan Brown Ritter
|image=Allan Ritter of TX.jpg
|nationality=[[United States|American]]
|office=[[Texas]] State Representative for<br> District 21 (Jefferson and Orange counties)
|party=[[Democratic Party|Democrat]]-turned-[[Republican Party|Republican]] (December 2010)
|term_start=1999
|term_end=January 13, 2015
|preceded=Mark W. Stiles
|succeeded=Dade Phelan
|birth_date=May 6, 1954
|birth_place=[[Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont]], Jefferson County, Texas
|occupation=Timber company owner
|residence=Nederland, Jefferson County, Texas
|religion=[[Southern Baptist]]
|spouse=Peggy Ritter
|children=Will, Peyton, Anney, and Whitney Ritter
|alma_mater=Forest Park High School (Beaumont)
|branch=
|footnotes=
}}
'''Allan Brown Ritter''' (born May 6, 1954), is a [[business]]man from Nederland, [[Texas]], who is a former state representative for District 21, which includes parts of Jefferson and Orange counties. First elected as a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] in 1998, Ritter switched parties in 2010 and won his eighth and final term in 2012 as a [[Republican Party|Republican]].<ref name=abritter>{{cite web|url=http://www.texastribune.org/directory/allan-ritter/|title=State Rep. Allan Ritter, District 21 (R-Nederland)|publisher=''The Texas Tribune''|accessdate=September 18, 2020}}</ref>
==Background==
Ritter was born and reared in [[Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont]], the [[county seat]] of Jefferson County. There he graduated in 1972 from [[Forest Park High School (Beaumont, Texas)|Forest Park High School]]. He was a salesman for his family-owned Ritter Timber Company in Nederland from 1972 to 1988, when he became the company president. He is also a board member of Allied Building Stores. He is a member of the [[Chamber of Commerce]], the [[Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association]], [[Crime Stoppers]], and the [[National Rifle Association]].<ref name=votesmart>{{cite web|url=https://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/25363/allan-ritter#.UwYx25WPIfg|title=Allan Ritter's Biography|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=September 18, 2020}}</ref>
Ritter is a member of the First [[Southern Baptist|Baptist]] Church of Nederland.<ref name=abritter/> He and his wife, Peggy, have four children, Will, Peyton, Anney, and Whitney.<ref name=votesmart/>
==Political life==
In the 1998 Democratic primary for House District 21 to choose a nominee to succeed the retiring Mark W. Stiles (born 1948), Ritter ran without opposition.<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Democratic Primary Election Returns, 1998.</ref> Then in the [[general election]], he defeated the Republican candidate, Kent Adams, 18,252 (53.1 percent) to 16,096 (46.9 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, General Election Returns, November 1998.</ref> In November 2000, Ritter was reelected to his second term, having defeated Republican Mary Jane Avery, 27,033 (56.3 percent) to 20,484 (42.6 percent). A [[Libertarian Party|Libertarian]] candidate held the remaining 1.1 percent of the ballots cast.<ref>Texas Secretary of State, General Election Returns, November 2000.</ref>
In 2010, Ritter won his last general election as a Democrat without opposition. In switching parties after the 2010 legislative elections, Ritter and fellow Representative Aaron Peña of Hidalgo County gave the Republican Party a temporary 101-49 [[supermajority]] in the Texas House.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kwtx.com/news/headlines/And_Longtime_Democrat_Aaron_Pena_Makes_It_101_111881504.html?ref=504|title=Longtime Democrat Aaron Peña Makes It 101|publisher=[[KWTX-TV]]|accessdate=February 20, 2014}}</ref> A year later, a third Democrat, [[J. M. Lozano]] of [[Kingsville, Texas|Kingsville]], also bolted to the Republican Party. In his case, Lozano attributed his switch to the influence of [[George P. Bush]], the state land commissioner who founded the [[political action committee]], Hispanic Republicans of Texas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.texastribune.org/2012/03/05/rep-lozano-confirms-he-plans-switch-parties/|author=Julian Aguilar|title=Rep. J.M. Lozano Confirms Plans to Switch to GOP|date=March 5, 2012|publisher=''The Texas Tribune''|accessdate=February 20, 2014}}</ref>
As a new Republican in 2012, he defeated his intra-party opponent, Daniel Stephen Miller (born c. 1951), also of Nederland, 9,299 (72.7 percent) to 3,488 (27.3 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Republican Primary Election Returns, May 29, 2012.</ref> He then ran in November 2012 without Democratic opposition.
Ritter served as chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee and was a member of the Ways and Means Committee.<ref name=votesmart/> In the 2013 legislative session, Ritter voted to establish a breakfast program and to provide marshals for security in public schools. He did not vote on the matter of authorizing immunization of minors without parental consent, which the House approved, 71-61. He voted to extend the franchise tax exemption to certain businesses. Ritter voted to prohibit texting while driving and to require testing for [[narcotics]] of those receiving unemployment compensation. He voted for an "equal-pay-for-women" measure, which passed the House, 78-61. He voted to forbid the state from enforcing federal regulations of firearms. Ritter also supported allowing college and university officials to carry concealed weapons on campus in the name of security.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/25363/allan-ritter#.UwY01pWPIfg|title=Allan Ritter's Voting Records|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=September 18, 2020}}</ref>
Though Ritter voted in 2013 to ban [[abortion]] after twenty weeks of [[gestation]],
Texas [[Right to Life]] gave him a "D" grade in 2001 and only 67 percent in 2013. That same year, the [[interest group]] Texans for Fiscal Responsibility rated Ritter 37 percent; he received a zero rating from the group in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/25363/allan-ritter#.UwZE0ZWPIfg|title=Allan Ritter's Ratings and Endorsement|publisher=Project Vote Smart|accessdate=September 18, 2020}}</ref>
In October 2013, Ritter announced that he would not seek a ninth term in the legislature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBDKonOpXXg|title=Jason Parthum and Judy Nichols seeks to replace Allan Ritter in Texas' House District 21|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=February 20, 2014}}</ref> Two Republican candidates ran to succeed Ritter, [[conservative]] activist Judy Nichols (born c. 1961), backed by the [[Tea Party movement]], and [[real estate]] developer Dade Phelan of [[Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ballotpedia.org/Judy_Nichols|title=Judy Nichols|publisher=ballotpedia.org|accessdate=February 20, 2014}}</ref> Phelan defeated Nichols, 7,940 votes (59.9 percent) to 5,314 votes (40.1 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Republican Primary Election Returns, May 29, 2012.</ref> Phelan subsequently defeated the Democrat educator Garvin Bruney 74.38 to 25.61 percent in the November 4 general election.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritter, Allan}}
[[Category:Texas]]
[[Category:Business People]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Former Democrats]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Southern Baptists]]
|name=Allan Brown Ritter
|image=Allan Ritter of TX.jpg
|nationality=[[United States|American]]
|office=[[Texas]] State Representative for<br> District 21 (Jefferson and Orange counties)
|party=[[Democratic Party|Democrat]]-turned-[[Republican Party|Republican]] (December 2010)
|term_start=1999
|term_end=January 13, 2015
|preceded=Mark W. Stiles
|succeeded=Dade Phelan
|birth_date=May 6, 1954
|birth_place=[[Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont]], Jefferson County, Texas
|occupation=Timber company owner
|residence=Nederland, Jefferson County, Texas
|religion=[[Southern Baptist]]
|spouse=Peggy Ritter
|children=Will, Peyton, Anney, and Whitney Ritter
|alma_mater=Forest Park High School (Beaumont)
|branch=
|footnotes=
}}
'''Allan Brown Ritter''' (born May 6, 1954), is a [[business]]man from Nederland, [[Texas]], who is a former state representative for District 21, which includes parts of Jefferson and Orange counties. First elected as a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] in 1998, Ritter switched parties in 2010 and won his eighth and final term in 2012 as a [[Republican Party|Republican]].<ref name=abritter>{{cite web|url=http://www.texastribune.org/directory/allan-ritter/|title=State Rep. Allan Ritter, District 21 (R-Nederland)|publisher=''The Texas Tribune''|accessdate=September 18, 2020}}</ref>
==Background==
Ritter was born and reared in [[Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont]], the [[county seat]] of Jefferson County. There he graduated in 1972 from [[Forest Park High School (Beaumont, Texas)|Forest Park High School]]. He was a salesman for his family-owned Ritter Timber Company in Nederland from 1972 to 1988, when he became the company president. He is also a board member of Allied Building Stores. He is a member of the [[Chamber of Commerce]], the [[Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association]], [[Crime Stoppers]], and the [[National Rifle Association]].<ref name=votesmart>{{cite web|url=https://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/25363/allan-ritter#.UwYx25WPIfg|title=Allan Ritter's Biography|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=September 18, 2020}}</ref>
Ritter is a member of the First [[Southern Baptist|Baptist]] Church of Nederland.<ref name=abritter/> He and his wife, Peggy, have four children, Will, Peyton, Anney, and Whitney.<ref name=votesmart/>
==Political life==
In the 1998 Democratic primary for House District 21 to choose a nominee to succeed the retiring Mark W. Stiles (born 1948), Ritter ran without opposition.<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Democratic Primary Election Returns, 1998.</ref> Then in the [[general election]], he defeated the Republican candidate, Kent Adams, 18,252 (53.1 percent) to 16,096 (46.9 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, General Election Returns, November 1998.</ref> In November 2000, Ritter was reelected to his second term, having defeated Republican Mary Jane Avery, 27,033 (56.3 percent) to 20,484 (42.6 percent). A [[Libertarian Party|Libertarian]] candidate held the remaining 1.1 percent of the ballots cast.<ref>Texas Secretary of State, General Election Returns, November 2000.</ref>
In 2010, Ritter won his last general election as a Democrat without opposition. In switching parties after the 2010 legislative elections, Ritter and fellow Representative Aaron Peña of Hidalgo County gave the Republican Party a temporary 101-49 [[supermajority]] in the Texas House.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kwtx.com/news/headlines/And_Longtime_Democrat_Aaron_Pena_Makes_It_101_111881504.html?ref=504|title=Longtime Democrat Aaron Peña Makes It 101|publisher=[[KWTX-TV]]|accessdate=February 20, 2014}}</ref> A year later, a third Democrat, [[J. M. Lozano]] of [[Kingsville, Texas|Kingsville]], also bolted to the Republican Party. In his case, Lozano attributed his switch to the influence of [[George P. Bush]], the state land commissioner who founded the [[political action committee]], Hispanic Republicans of Texas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.texastribune.org/2012/03/05/rep-lozano-confirms-he-plans-switch-parties/|author=Julian Aguilar|title=Rep. J.M. Lozano Confirms Plans to Switch to GOP|date=March 5, 2012|publisher=''The Texas Tribune''|accessdate=February 20, 2014}}</ref>
As a new Republican in 2012, he defeated his intra-party opponent, Daniel Stephen Miller (born c. 1951), also of Nederland, 9,299 (72.7 percent) to 3,488 (27.3 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Republican Primary Election Returns, May 29, 2012.</ref> He then ran in November 2012 without Democratic opposition.
Ritter served as chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee and was a member of the Ways and Means Committee.<ref name=votesmart/> In the 2013 legislative session, Ritter voted to establish a breakfast program and to provide marshals for security in public schools. He did not vote on the matter of authorizing immunization of minors without parental consent, which the House approved, 71-61. He voted to extend the franchise tax exemption to certain businesses. Ritter voted to prohibit texting while driving and to require testing for [[narcotics]] of those receiving unemployment compensation. He voted for an "equal-pay-for-women" measure, which passed the House, 78-61. He voted to forbid the state from enforcing federal regulations of firearms. Ritter also supported allowing college and university officials to carry concealed weapons on campus in the name of security.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/25363/allan-ritter#.UwY01pWPIfg|title=Allan Ritter's Voting Records|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=September 18, 2020}}</ref>
Though Ritter voted in 2013 to ban [[abortion]] after twenty weeks of [[gestation]],
Texas [[Right to Life]] gave him a "D" grade in 2001 and only 67 percent in 2013. That same year, the [[interest group]] Texans for Fiscal Responsibility rated Ritter 37 percent; he received a zero rating from the group in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/25363/allan-ritter#.UwZE0ZWPIfg|title=Allan Ritter's Ratings and Endorsement|publisher=Project Vote Smart|accessdate=September 18, 2020}}</ref>
In October 2013, Ritter announced that he would not seek a ninth term in the legislature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBDKonOpXXg|title=Jason Parthum and Judy Nichols seeks to replace Allan Ritter in Texas' House District 21|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=February 20, 2014}}</ref> Two Republican candidates ran to succeed Ritter, [[conservative]] activist Judy Nichols (born c. 1961), backed by the [[Tea Party movement]], and [[real estate]] developer Dade Phelan of [[Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ballotpedia.org/Judy_Nichols|title=Judy Nichols|publisher=ballotpedia.org|accessdate=February 20, 2014}}</ref> Phelan defeated Nichols, 7,940 votes (59.9 percent) to 5,314 votes (40.1 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Republican Primary Election Returns, May 29, 2012.</ref> Phelan subsequently defeated the Democrat educator Garvin Bruney 74.38 to 25.61 percent in the November 4 general election.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritter, Allan}}
[[Category:Texas]]
[[Category:Business People]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Former Democrats]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Southern Baptists]]