Representative Ronald Arthur Sarasin

Ronald Arthur Sarasin (December 31, 1934 – March 27, 2023) was an American lawyer, Navy veteran, and Republican politician from Connecticut who served two terms in the Connecticut House of Representatives and three terms as a U.S. Representative from 1973 to 1979. Born in Fall River, Massachusetts, he moved to Connecticut as a child and attended Center Elementary School in Beacon Falls. He graduated from Naugatuck High School in 1952, laying the foundation for a career that would span law, state and national politics, and later leadership in prominent national trade and historical organizations.

Immediately after high school, Sarasin enlisted in the United States Navy, serving from 1952 to 1956 and attaining the rank of petty officer, second class. Following his military service, he pursued higher education under the opportunities afforded to many veterans of his era. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Connecticut in 1960 and went on to receive a Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1963. Admitted to the Connecticut Bar later that year, he began practicing law while also entering public service at the local level. From 1963 to 1972, he served as town counsel for Beacon Falls, Connecticut, and concurrently was an assistant professor of law at New Haven College in New Haven from 1963 to 1966.

Sarasin’s formal political career began in state government. He was first elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1968 and quickly rose within the Republican ranks, becoming assistant minority leader in 1970. During this period, he also became active in party affairs beyond the legislature, serving as a delegate to the Connecticut State Republican conventions in 1968, 1970, 1972, and 1974. His growing prominence in state politics led to his selection as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1976, reflecting his stature within the party at both the state and national levels.

In 1972, Sarasin sought federal office as the Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut’s 5th congressional district. He ran against John Monagan, a seven-term Democratic incumbent. Redistricting had added several Republican-leaning areas to the district, and the national political climate, including Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern’s poor showing in the 1972 election, created headwinds for down-ballot Democrats. In this context, Sarasin narrowly defeated Monagan and entered the 93rd Congress in January 1973. He was reelected in 1974 and 1976, serving three consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, encompassing the end of the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, and shifting economic conditions. As a member of the House of Representatives, Ronald Arthur Sarasin participated in the legislative process, contributed to national policy debates, and represented the interests of his Connecticut constituents.

Sarasin’s reelection campaigns reflected the volatile politics of the 1970s. In 1974, amid the post-Watergate backlash that produced a wave of Democratic “Watergate babies” and widespread Republican losses, he faced a strong challenge from State Representative William R. Ratchford, then speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives. Despite the difficult political climate for Republicans, Sarasin prevailed and retained his seat. Ratchford would later succeed him in Congress after Sarasin chose not to seek reelection in 1978. Instead, Sarasin pursued higher office, securing the Republican nomination for Governor of Connecticut in 1978 with Lewis Rome as his running mate. He ran against incumbent Governor Ella Grasso, the first woman in the United States to be elected governor in her own right. Sarasin campaigned on a platform critical of Grasso’s tax policies, promising to reduce taxes and cut welfare spending. On Election Day, however, Grasso won a convincing victory and secured a second term, while Sarasin’s defeat marked the end of his congressional-era political career.

After leaving elective office, Sarasin transitioned into leadership roles in national trade and advocacy organizations. He served as the chief lobbyist for the National Restaurant Association, representing the interests of the restaurant industry before Congress and federal agencies. He later became president of the National Beer Wholesalers Association, further extending his influence in national policy discussions affecting business and commerce. In 2000, he assumed the presidency of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, a position he held until 2019. During his nearly two decades at the helm, he was credited with establishing a traveling exhibit that highlighted the role enslaved people played in the construction of the U.S. Capitol, and with initiating the organization’s popular civics education program, thereby contributing to a broader public understanding of American history and the workings of Congress.

Sarasin’s personal life intersected with his public career in notable ways. He married Marjorie Grazio Sarasin, with whom he had one son, Michael. The couple divorced in 1977, and Sarasin became the first divorced candidate to run for governor in Connecticut when he sought the office in 1978. In 1988, he married his second wife, Leslie Garmon Sarasin. They were married nearly 34 years and had one son together, Douglas. Public service ran in the family: his brother, Warren Sarasin, was also a politician and was first elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1978, the same year Ronald Sarasin was defeated in his gubernatorial bid.

Ronald Arthur Sarasin died on March 27, 2023, at the age of 88. Over the course of his life, he served his country in the United States Navy, his state in the Connecticut House of Representatives, and his district in the U.S. House of Representatives, and later played significant roles in national trade associations and in preserving and interpreting the history of the U.S. Capitol and the Congress.