He was elected to the
Ohio Board of Education and served on that body from 1960 to 1964. He was elected to the
Ohio House of Representatives in 1964 and served one term before winning a seat in the
State Senate. In 1972, President
Richard Nixon nominated longtime 16th district Congressman
Frank T. Bow as the
United States Ambassador to Panama, which opened the door for Regula to run for the seat. Regula went on to win 18 terms in Congress. Regula was ranking minority member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health, Human Services and Education funding in the 110th Congress. The subcommittee's budget, the largest discretionary domestic account, was over $140 billion. Regula, a former teacher and principal, was a Congressional leader in pushing for alternative solutions in improving reading skills, developing teacher training and increasing
Pell Grant funding so that poorer and middle class students can obtain two and four year degrees. He increased by millions of dollars the amount of federal money committed to research in fighting cancer, heart disease and birth defects. Regula was a member of the moderate
Republican Main Street Partnership and supported stem cell research. Regula was also a Congressional leader in alternative energy sources. He was an early champion of fuel cell technology and he has directed federal funding back to his home state, Ohio, which is recognized as a national leader in fuel cell research and development. Beginning in 1975, Regula
blocked the renaming of Mount McKinley in
Alaska, named for President
William McKinley, to
Denali. This was, in part, because
Canton, McKinley's long-time hometown and resting place, fell within the boundaries of Regula's congressional district. The name was eventually changed in 2015. Regula described the change as a "political stunt" by President Obama and called it "ridiculous" while also calling the President "a dictator." With his seat on the appropriations committee, he was able to use federal funds to establish and protect parks and trails in his district. He earmarked $200 million for the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area, now the
Cuyahoga Valley National Park. In 2003, the
Stark County Park District voted to rename the 25 miles of the
Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail within Stark County the "Congressman Ralph Regula Towpath Trail". It was announced at the dedication of a 150-foot-long tunnel section of the trail paid by a federal grant Regula arranged. "You really did catch me by surprise," Regula said. The park district honored Regula for his continued support in Congress for the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway. His wife Mary helped create the
First Ladies National Historic Site. After she initially raised funds to seed the museum's collection, Ralph appropriated $1.2 million to pushed development further. Regula retired from the House of Representatives when his term ended in January 2009. He was succeeded by
John Boccieri, a
Democrat from the
Ohio General Assembly. After retiring from Congress, Regula joined Dawson & Associates in
Washington, D.C. as an advisor on federal budget and permitting matters. ==See also==