Thomas Cass Ballenger (December 6, 1926 – February 18, 2015) was an American politician. A Republican, he represented North Carolina's 10th Congressional district, centered in North Carolina's foothills, in the United States House of Representatives from 1986 to 2005. Biography Ballenger represented the 10th Congressional District of North Carolina from 1986 to 2005. He was also the founder and former Chairman of the Board of Plastic Packaging, Inc., a manufacturing company with plants in Hickory and Forest City, North Carolina. He also served in the North Carolina Senate (1977–86), the North Carolina House of Representatives (1975–77) and on the Catawba County Board of Commissioners (1966–74). In 38 consecutive years in elective office, serving at the local, state and federal levels, Ballenger never lost an election. He was a member of the Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving as a Deputy Whip and as a member of the House Steering Committee. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of the National Council on the Arts. During his time in the U.S. Congress, he was a renowned expert on business issues and foreign affairs, especially on issues dealing with Central and South America. Ballenger served on the Committee on Education and the Workforce and as Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. During his Chairmanship, he authored legislation, which was later enacted, to reform the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to make it less adversarial and more collaborative while still ensuring worker safety. It was the first major legislative revision to OSHA workplace rules since the agency was created. Other notable legislation Ballenger authored included a bill making the use of hypodermic needles safer for healthcare workers and a bill to designate Wilson Creek in Caldwell County, North Carolina, a Wild and Scenic River. He secured major funding for the completion of US321 between Hickory and Gastonia, North Carolina, and also established the Future Forward Economic Alliance, a regional economic development initiative serving 11 counties in Western North Carolina. Through Future Forward, Ballenger led the effort to secure funding to create the North Carolina Center for Engineering Technologies in Hickory, North Carolina. He was also instrumental in the creation of the Hickory Metro Higher Education Center (now the Appalachian State University Center at Hickory.) He also served on the International Relations Committee and as Chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, where he worked to