+ − Contact Information
Phone: (512) 463-0698
Fax: (512) 463-5109
Office Address:
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
+ − Biography
A 6th generation Texan, John Raney considers serving in the Texas Legislature the ultimate honor. He was born April 4, 1947 in Huntsville and was raised on land that has been farmed by his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father for over 125 years in Madison County. John moved back to Huntsville in 1950, and then to Bryan in 1960, where he has served the community all these years. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School in 1965 and is a member of the Texas A&M Class of 1969, graduating with a BBA in Marketing. While in college, John founded Texas Aggieland Bookstore, which has now been open for business for 44 years.
John began his involvement in politics in the early 70´s when he served as Chairman of the Republican Party of Brazos County. This was when there were only a handful of Republicans in Texas. During his tenure as Chairman, John also served as Civic Division Vice President of the Bryan College Station Chamber of Commerce, chaired Senatorial District 5 Caucus and began his almost four decade membership in the National Federation of Independent Business, including serving as a board member. John is a long time member of the Texas Retailers Association, serving for many years on its Board of Directors and taking an active role on its Tax and Legislative Committee and Executive Committee. In 2010, John Raney was named the Outstanding Member of the Texas Retailers Association. Through these roles, John participated and testified in numerous committee hearings in the Texas Legislature.
While attending the Republican State Convention in 1972, John met his future wife, Elizabeth. They were married in 1974. John and Elizabeth have two daughters and sons-in-law, Beth and Grant Hawkins and Laura and Alex Scogin, and six grandchildren who are cherished by their Gigi and Papa. For over 50 years, the Raney´s have been active members and served in many leadership roles at First United Methodist Church in Bryan and for over 40 years John has been an active participant in various Masonic bodies in the Brazos Valley. John is very involved in Aggie sports and many community organizations.
John served in the Texas Army National Guard as 1st Lieutenant from 1969 to 1975. He was an honor graduate of the USAR Basic Course and is Airborne qualified.
John was sworn in as the State Representative for District 14 on December 23, 2011. His current committee assignments are the Committee on House Administration, the Committee on Higher Education, and the Committee on Appropriations, where he serves on the Sub-Committee on Budget Transparency and Reform and as Vice Chair of the Sub-Committee on Articles VI, VII, and VIII. He is a member of the Aggie Delegation, Eagle Ford Shale, Farm-to-Table, Freshmen Delegation, General Aviation, Military Communities, Republican, Sportsman's, TEX-21, Texas Manufacturers, Texas Veterans, and Legislative Tourism Caucuses. He is also a member of the Texas Water Smart Coalition.