Quick Facts
Biography
Josephus Lyman "Joe" Mavretic (born July 29, 1934) is a former Democratic public official and military veteran from North Carolina. Born in Currituck County, he made his career as a Marine, graduating from the Naval War College and becoming a Marine fighter pilot, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
He retired from the Marines and returned to his home state. He came from a Democratic family and community, and he ran successfully for the North Carolina House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1980. In spite of his party label, he admired President Ronald Reagan and was willing to buck his party on several issues.
Mavretic became nationally known when he led a bipartisan coalition to remove Liston B. Ramsey from the position of Speaker of the House. He then served in that position from 1989 to 1990. He left the legislature in 1995 and retired to private life and is now a panelist on the television news talk show NC Spin.