Background
RATNER, Payne H. was born on October 3, 1896 in Casey, 111. Son of Harry and Julia (Miller) Ratner.
RATNER, Payne H. was born on October 3, 1896 in Casey, 111. Son of Harry and Julia (Miller) Ratner.
Born in Casey, Illinois, Ratner graduated from Blackwell High School in Oklahoma.
During World War I he served as an ensign in the United States. Navy. He earned a law degree at Louis in 1920. Ratner practiced law in Sibley, Iowa, and then in Parsons, Kansas.
In Parsons, he was the Labette County Attorney from 1923 to 1927.
He was elected as a Republican to the Kansas Senate in 1929 and also served as state senator from 1937 to 1939. Winning the 1938 Republican gubernatorial nomination and the election, Ratner was sworn in as Governor of Kansas on January 9, 1939.
He was reelected in 1940. During his tenure, a department of labor was established, a department of revenue and taxation was organized, the highway commission was given authority over the vehicle department, a teacher"s pension plan was implemented, a small permanent building fund for schools was authorized, and the state fire marshal"s office, the hotel commission, and the inspector of restaurants were re-established.
He left office on January 11, 1943, and retired from politics.
In 1962 Ratner was indicted on unethical legal activities. The case was dismissed. And he was cleared of all charges.
Ratner died in 1974 in Wichita, Kansas.
He is interred at the Wichita Park Cemetery and Mausoleum in Wichita.
Member: American Legion.
Spouse Cliffe Dodd, August 1920, Sibley, Iowa.