Ralph Watts is the current Iowa House Representative for District 47. This includes most of Dallas County, the fastest growing county in the state.
Ralph grew up on a farm in northwest Wyoming, the youngest of six children. He started working at a very young age. Most of his summers were spent as a roustabout working on pipelines and oil field production equipment.
Ralph graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1966, with a degree in electrical engineering. He decided to accept a job with Iowa Power and Light (now known as MidAmerican Energy), and moved his family to Iowa. Ralph held various positions throughout his career with the company, including: Manager of Des Moines Gas Distribution, Vice President of Power Production, and Manager of Purchasing. Prior to retirement, Ralph was the Vice President and General Manager of the CBEC Railway. This railroad was founded by Ralph to provide competitive rail service to MidAmerican Energy's Council Bluffs Energy Center.
After retiring, Ralph started a construction business.
Ralph and his wife of 42 years, Sandy, have four grown children and seven grandchildren. All of their children graduated from Adel-DeSoto-Minburn High School.
Ralph has been, and continues to be, an active leader:
Member, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), Natural Resources Task Force
Member, Iowa State University Engineering College Industrial Advisory Committee (ISUECIAC)
Member, Iowa Sportsman's Federation
Member, Iowa Farm Bureau
Member, National Rifle Association
Member, Iowa Land Improvement Contractors Association (LICA)
Member, Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
Member, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (and no, Ralph does not own an airplane)
Board Member, Families Supporting Adoption
Active Leader in his church
Past President/Board Member, Abilities Unlimited-Adel
Past Advisor, Junior Achievement
Past Member, Kiwanis and Lions Club
Oct 2004: Ralph has been awarded the "GUARDIAN OF SMALL BUSINESS AWARD" by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) - Iowa for his support of small businesses--Congratulations Representative Watts!!!!
Representative Ralph C. Watts awarded fellowship for Midwestern leadership instititute
(Lombard, Ill.) April 30, 2005 -- State Representative Ralph C. Watts of Adel was among 37 select lawmakers chosen today to participate in a training program that annually identifies and assists promising state leaders in the Midwest.
Representative Watts will meet with fellow lawmakers from Iowa and 10 other Midwestern states and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan on July 8-12, in Madison, Wis., for The Council of State Governments' 11th annual Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD).
"In a little more than a decade, BILLD has come to be recognized as one of the premier leadership training programs in the nation," says Michigan Rep. Jerry O. Kooiman, who serves as co-chair of the institute's steering committee. "Since 1995, nearly 325 of our region's lawmakers have graduated from the Bowhay Institute, and many of them now hold key leadership positions in their states."
State legislators from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin were chosen to participate during the competitive, nonpartisan selection process. Members of the Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan legislative assemblies are selected by their caucuses to take part in the program.
