.jpg)
William Townsend Pheiffer (July 15, 1898 – August 16, 1986) was an American lawyer,Republican politician anddiplomat. He was arepresentative fromNew York in the77th Congress andambassador to theDominican Republic.
He was born inPurcell, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), the son of William Pfeiffer (b. 1869) and Susan Garfinkel (b. 1869). His brother was Harry R. Pfeiffer (b. 1896).[1] His father was a lawyer. His maternal uncle wasJulius Garfinckel, wealthy merchant. He attended the public schools of Purcell,Ardmore[2] andOklahoma City, and theUniversity of Southern California, where he was a member of theChi Phi fraternity.
DuringWorld War I, Pheiffer served as aprivate in thecavalry of theU.S. Army, in 1918.[3] He earned a law degree at thelaw school of theUniversity of Oklahoma, in 1919. That same year, he was admitted to thebar and began working in generalpractice like his father.[4] He practiced inSayre, Oklahoma, from 1923 to 1926. In 1924, he was acandidate for the 2nd District in theOklahoma Senate.
Pheiffer moved toAmarillo, Texas, in 1926, and continued the practice of law.[5] In 1932, he was an alternatedelegate from Texas at theRepublican National Convention inChicago, Illinois. He was a delegate to the Republican State conventions in 1936 and 1942.
In 1939, he moved toNew York City. The following year, he was elected by a wide margin to represent the16th Congressional District[6] on the East Side ofManhattan in the77th Congress, January 3, 1941 to January 3, 1943. Pheiffer was the first Republican to carry the district, defeating theDemocraticincumbent,James Fay. He was defeated for reelection by Fay by 80 votes in 1942. The 16th District was merged with others in a 1944reapportionment.
DuringWorld War II, Pheiffer entered the Army as acaptain of the cavalry and served from March 12, 1943, to April 22, 1944. On August 1, 1944, he was appointedcounsel to thePetroleum Administration for War,Washington, D.C., and served until February 8, 1945. He then resumed private practice as a member of the New York and Washingtonlaw firm of Pheiffer, Stephens & Weaver. He was also anexecutive assistant in charge of the New York headquarters of theRepublican National Committee from 1945 to 1948.
PresidentEisenhower appointed Pheiffer the Ambassador to theDominican Republic[7] on May 28, 1953. His full title was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and his presentation of credentials took place on June 29.
On March 20, 1954, he was married in the fashionableEverglades Club inPalm Beach, Florida, to Frances Margaret Laacke (September 30, 1892 – July 8, 1993) (She was first married to and divorced from physician Samuel G. Higgins; she then married and became the widow ofMilwaukee brewer/real estate dealer George E. Uihlein).[8][9]
Pheiffer then returned with his bride to the Dominican Republic and they took up residence together at theU.S. Embassy inCiudad Trujillo (now Santo Domingo).[10] He served at his post as envoy until June 2, 1957. He and his wife then returned to New York, where he carried on his practice of law. At his death, his law office was at 645Madison Avenue.[11][12]
He died at age 88 at his home in New York City.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 16th congressional district January 3, 1941–January 3, 1943 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to the Dominican Republic June 29, 1953–June 2, 1957 | Succeeded by |
