Ronald (Ron) Lester Platt

On June 12, 2022, Ronald (Ron) Lester Platt died with his family at his side at a Mount Pleasant, SC hospital after a prolonged illness.  He was a resident of Leesburg, VA

Platt, 80, was born and raised in Ada, Oklahoma, the only child of Lester “Hook” Platt, who owned a service station, and Maggie, a bookkeeper.   The first in his family to attend college, Platt graduated magna cum laude from the University of Oklahoma in 1962 with a Bachelor’s degree in political science.  Captivated by John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign, Platt left OU with two passions, politics and Sooner football.  In 1964, he earned a Master’s degree summa cum laude in political science from the University of Kansas.

Platt moved to Texas to teach political science at Lamar State University, where singer Janis Joplin was among his students.  Active in state Democratic politics, Platt eventually moved to Washington, DC to work for U.S. Rep. Jack Brooks (TX) and then U.S. Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (TX).  He left Capitol Hill to work for Matt Reese and Associates, then a newly formed political consulting firm where he traveled the nation working on a range of Democratic political campaigns before striking out on his own and launching Ron Platt and Associates.

At the urging of fellow Oklahoman and lawyer-lobbyist JD Williams, Platt joined the corporate world as the lobbyist for Burger King.  Platt became known around Capitol Hill among both Members of Congress and their staffs for handing out “Whopper Cards.”  He was Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs when he left Burger King to return to Washington, DC in 1981 to join the first of several lobbying practices.  He retired from McGuireWoods Consulting in 2016. 

During his lobbying career, Platt represented some of the world’s largest corporations, trade associations, and labor unions.  He thrived on the challenge of the legislative process and achieving his clients’ objectives.  Among his proudest achievements was the passage of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit that provided tax credits to corporations that hired individuals that faced significant barriers to employment.  In 2007, National Journal named Platt a Top Democratic Lobbyist.

During the fall of any election year, Platt could be found plying his campaign skills as a volunteer on numerous political campaigns, including those of U.S. Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado; former U.S. Senators Tom Harkin of Iowa and Charles S. Robb of Virginia; and the late U.S. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada.  In 1992, Platt volunteered for the Clinton-Gore campaign in Kentucky and for the Gore-Lieberman campaign in Michigan in 2000.

Platt had four children from two previous marriages that ended in divorce: Karen (d. 2015), Keith, Martin (d. 1968), and Brent.

In 1979, Platt married Susan Smocer, his wife of 42 years, who shared his love of politics, adventure, family and their menagerie of dogs.

In addition to wife, Susan, Platt is survived by his sons, Keith (Luisa) and Brent; his grandchildren, Kristin McGuirk (Sean), Stephen Tyler and Lauren and Melinda Platt; and great granddaughter Kaiden McGuirk.  He is also survived by Susan’s brother Michael (Malinda) Smocer and sister Jessica Smocer, as well as nieces Makara and Marin Smocer, and nephews Gage and Parker Smocer-Hilderbrand

A celebration of Platt’s life will be held on Capitol Hill on July 12, 2022 at 5:00 pm.  A scholarship fund has been set up in Platt’s name at the University of Oklahoma for the benefit of promising high school graduates from Ada.  In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Ronald L. Platt Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund at the University of Oklahoma.  At this time, donations may be made through this dedicated page:  https://home.oufoundation.org/Platt