William Roth
Official portrait,c. 1971
United States Senator fromDelaware
In office January 1, 1971 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	John J. Williams
Succeeded by	Tom Carper
Chair of theSenate Finance Committee
In office October 1, 1995 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	Bob Packwood
Succeeded by	Max Baucus
Chair of theSenate Governmental Affairs Committee
In office January 3, 1995 – October 1, 1995
Preceded by	John Glenn
Succeeded by	Ted Stevens
In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1987
Preceded by	Abraham Ribicoff
Succeeded by	John Glenn
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromDelaware'sat-large district
In office January 3, 1967 – December 31, 1970
Preceded by	Harris McDowell
Succeeded by	Pete du Pont
Chair of theDelaware Republican Party
In office April 10, 1961 – May 13, 1964
Preceded by	Ellwood S. Leach
Succeeded by	Clayton S. Harrison Jr.
Personal details
Born	William Victor Roth Jr. (1921-07-22)July 22, 1921 Great Falls, Montana, U.S.
Died	December 13, 2003(2003-12-13) (aged 82) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Jane Richards ​ (m. 1965)​
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Oregon (BA) Harvard University (MBA,LLB)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1943–1946
Unit	Intelligence
Battles/wars	World War II
William Roth's voice Roth congratulatesJoe Biden on his recovery from abrain aneurysm Recorded September 7, 1988

William Victor Roth Jr. (July 22, 1921 – December 13, 2003) was an American lawyer and politician fromWilmington, Delaware. He was a veteran ofWorld War II and a member of theRepublican Party. He served from 1967 to 1970 as the loneU.S. Representative from Delaware and from 1971 to 2001 as aU.S. Senator from Delaware.^[1] He is the last Republican to serve as and/or be elected a U.S. Senator from Delaware.

Roth was a sponsor of legislation creating theRoth IRA, an individual retirement plan that can be set up with post-tax dollars, offering tax-free withdrawals.

Roth was born inGreat Falls, Montana, the son of Clara (née Nelson) and William Victor Roth, who ran a brewery.^[2] His paternal grandparents were German and his maternal grandparents were Swedish.^[3] He attended public schools inHelena, Montana, graduating fromHelena High School. Roth started college atMontana State University before moving on to graduate from theUniversity of Oregon in 1943,Harvard Business School in 1947, andHarvard Law School in 1949. DuringWorld War II he served in aUnited States Army intelligence unit from 1943 until 1946.

After being admitted to the California Bar in 1950, he moved permanently to Delaware in 1954, and began his work as an attorney for theHercules Corporation. He married Jane Richards in 1965 and they had two children, William III and Katharine.Jane Richards Roth wasU.S. District Court judge for the District of Delaware from 1985 until 1991 and then a judge of theU.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. They were members of theEpiscopal Church.

Roth became active in politics as aRepublican, and served as secretary of theDelaware Republican Party and a vice president of the Active Young Republicans ofNew Castle County.^[4] In addition, Roth served as a member of Delaware's "LittleHoover Commission", which studied state government and made recommendations for modernizing and reforming it.^[4]

After losing the election for Lieutenant Governor of Delaware in 1960, Roth was named chair of the Delaware Republican Party on April 10, 1961.[5] He replaced incumbent Ellwood S. Leach.^[6] He served until May 13, 1964, when he lost his reelection bid to Clayton S. Harrison Jr. by a 32–24 vote.^[7][8] In 1966, he defeated incumbent U.S. RepresentativeHarris McDowell, and went on to serve two terms in the United States House of Representatives from January 3, 1967, until December 31, 1970. Roth voted in favor of theCivil Rights Act of 1968.^[9]

He then began his five terms in theUnited States Senate, succeeding the retiring incumbent senatorJohn J. Williams. He served in the U.S. Senate from January 1, 1971, having been appointed when Williams left office two days early, until January 3, 2001, having been defeated in the 2000 election by the Democratic candidate, GovernorTom Carper. Many consider Roth's defeat due to his age and health, as he collapsed twice during the campaign, once in the middle of a television interview and once during a campaign event.^[10][11][12]

Roth was known forfiscal conservatism. Critics blamed him for national deficits during thepresidency of Ronald Reagan.^[13] He was a longtime member of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and the Senate Committee on Finance, serving as chairman from September 12, 1995, through January 3, 2001. He was best remembered as a strong advocate of tax cuts, and he co-authored theEconomic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, also known as the Kemp-Roth Tax Cut withJack Kemp. Roth was also the legislative sponsor of theindividual retirement account plan that bears his name, theRoth IRA. It is a popular individual retirement account that has existed since 1998.^{[citation needed]} TheRoth 401(k), which did not become available until 2006, is also named after Roth.^[14] He was also one of the few Republicans to vote for theBrady Bill and the ban on semi-automatic weapons. Roth strongly supported environmental protections. Roth was also very engaged in international affairs and policy. He served as the president of NATO's parliament, the North Atlantic Assembly, from 1996 to 1998.^[15]

In 1977, Roth was one of nine senators to vote against the Senate adopting a stringent code of ethics intended to assist with the restoration of public confidence in Congress.^[16]

On December 2, 1981, Roth was one of four senators to vote against^[17] an amendment to President Reagan's MX missiles proposal that would divert the silo system by $334 million as well as earmark further research for other methods that would allow giant missiles to be based. The vote was seen as a rebuff of the Reagan administration.^[18][19]

Roth voted in favor of thebill establishingMartin Luther King Jr. Day as afederal holiday and theCivil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 (as well to overridePresident Reagan's veto).^[20][21][22] Roth voted in favor of the nominations ofRobert Bork andClarence Thomas to theU.S. Supreme Court.

During the 1999impeachment of Bill Clinton Roth voted to convict the President on both charges of impeachment. However Clinton was acquitted on both charges.

Roth was a witty man but not a natural campaigner. To help himself, he would ease himself into public appearances by bringing along aSaint Bernard dog. His succession of St. Bernards through his 34-year political career became a trademark of sorts.^[23]

On December 12, 2003, Roth fell ill while visiting his daughter in Washington, and was admitted toGeorge Washington University Hospital, where he died from heart failure the following day.^[24] The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Bridge carryingDelaware Route 1 was dedicated as theSenator William V. Roth Jr. Bridge, and a celebration was held on July 9, 2007. The bridge is a cable-stayed bridge and notable landmark in northern Delaware. Roth helped secure its funding.

• Roth, William V. Jr.; Nixon, William H. (1999).The Power to Destroy: How the IRS Became America. Atlantic Monthly Press.ISBN 0-87113-748-8.

Other sources

• Barone, Michael & Richard E. Cohen (2005).Almanac of American Politics. Washington: National Journal Group.ISBN 0-89234-112-2.
• William W. Boyer (2000).Governing Delaware. Newark: University of Delaware Press.ISBN 0-87413-721-7.

• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• U.S. Senator William V. Roth, Jr. home page (archived from December 2000)
• Appearances onC-SPAN

• 1921 births
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• Deaths from congestive heart failure in the United States
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• United States Army personnel of World War II
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