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William Broomfield | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan | |
| In office January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | George A. Dondero |
| Succeeded by | Joe Knollenberg (redistricting) |
| Constituency | 18th district (1957-1973) 19th district (1973-1983) 18th district (1983-1993) |
| Member of theMichigan Senate from the12th district | |
| In office 1955–1956 | |
| Preceded by | George N. Higgins |
| Succeeded by | L. Harvey Lodge |
| Member of theMichigan House of Representatives from the 5thOakland district | |
| In office 1949–1954 | |
| Preceded by | George Mathieson |
| Succeeded by | Theodore F. Hughes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1922-04-28)April 28, 1922 Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | February 20, 2019(2019-02-20) (aged 96) Kensington, Maryland, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | [1] |
| Profession | Real Estate, Politician |
Broomfield discusses the need for funding foreign aid to theContras Recorded April 15, 1986 | |
William S. Broomfield, (April 28, 1922 – February 20, 2019) was an American politician from theU.S. state ofMichigan.
Broomfield, the son of Scevillian C. and Fern Broomfield was born inRoyal Oak, Michigan. His father was a dentist.[2] He graduated fromRoyal Oak High School in 1940 and attended Michigan State College (nowMichigan State University) atEast Lansing. DuringWorld War II, he served in theUnited States Army Air Corps. After the war, he engaged in the real-estate and property-management business.[3]
Broomfield was a member of theMichigan State House of Representatives, 1949–1954, serving as speaker pro tempore in 1953. He served in theMichigan State Senate in 1955 and 1956.
In 1956, Broomfield was elected as aRepublican from Michigan's 18th District to theUnited States House of Representatives for the85th and to the seventeen succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1957, to January 3, 1993. Due to redistricting following U.S. Censuses, Broomfield served the 19th District, 1973–1983 and the 18th District, 1983–1993. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1992 to the103rd Congress. The 18th District was discontinued following the 1990 census and for the most part redistricted as the11th which electedJoe Knollenberg in 1993.
During his tenure in Congress, Broomfield served as a member of theU.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs and was ranking member from 1975 until his retirement in 1993. At the time of his retirement, he was the longest serving Republican then serving in the House of Representatives. During his years of service in the House, Broomfield garnered praise from both sides of the aisle for his ethics, honesty and statesmanship. When he retired, he left behind a legacy of bipartisan friendship and cooperation.[4]
Broomfield voted in favor of theCivil Rights Acts of 1957,[5]1960,[6]1964,[7] and1968,[8] as well as the24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and theVoting Rights Act of 1965.[9][10]
After retirement in 1993, Broomfield started a foundation that supports various charities in southeast Michigan, including the efforts to curecancer,spina bifida andAlzheimer's, and theSalvation Army. A longtime resident ofLake Orion, Michigan, he last lived inKensington, Maryland.
In September 2000,Congress designated the Royal Oak Post Office at 200 West 2nd Street inRoyal Oak, Michigan, as theWilliam S. Broomfield Post Office Building.
On December 30, 2006, Broomfield collapsed at thestate funeral memorial for former U.S. President Gerald Ford at theUnited States Capitol, bringing the ceremonies to a temporary pause. The reason given for the collapse wasexhaustion.[11]
Broomfield's wife Jane died on March 21, 2013, at the age of 97, due to heart failure.[12] Broomfield died on February 20, 2019, at the age of 96 in Kensington, Maryland, where he resided in his later years.[13][14]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's 18th congressional district 1957–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's 19th congressional district 1973–1983 | Constituency abolished |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's 18th congressional district 1983–1993 | Constituency abolished |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theHouse Foreign Affairs Committee 1975–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Most Senior Living U.S. representative Sitting or Former 2019 Served alongside:Merwin Coad,Hal Haskell | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
