Ronald Lynn Ramsey (/ˈræmzi/; born November 20, 1955) is an American auctioneer, politician, and lobbyist, who served as the 49th lieutenant governor of Tennessee and speaker of the State Senate from 2007 to 2017.

Ramsey graduated from Sullivan Central High School in 1973, and later obtained his bachelor of science degree in 1978, majoring in building construction technology at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City.

[8] Among many other notable praises of Paine by Ramsey within his SJR0014, Ramsey cited Paine as the author of the essay Common Sense (1775-17760, a widely circulated pamphlet in the British American colonies advocating independence of people inhabiting the Thirteen Colonies from King George III and Great Britain.

Ramsey concluded his SRJ0014 resolution by noting, "Thomas Paine's influence on the American Revolution and his role as a Founding Father of the United States".

Ramsey later dropped his own legislative support of his SJR0014 Thomas Paine Day" resolution by May 6, 2009, after being informed that Paine was also the author of the best-selling book, The Age of Reason; Being an Investigation of True and Fabulous Theology (three editions: 1794, 1795, and 1807) that sparked a deistic revival in the early history of the United States by challenging the concept of institutionalized religion (in particular, Christianity), what Paine saw as evidence of corruption within the Christian Church as evidenced by the efforts of many of its Christian religious leaders to acquire temporal political power, and even the legitimacy of the Bible itself.

On March 16, 2016, Ramsey posted on his Facebook page he would not seek re-election[9] and leave politics altogether, dispelling rumors he was planning to run for governor in 2018.