William R. Roy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromKansas's2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1975 | |
| Preceded by | Chester L. Mize |
| Succeeded by | Martha Keys |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Robert Roy (1926-02-23)February 23, 1926 Bloomington, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | May 26, 2014(2014-05-26) (aged 88) Topeka, Kansas, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Jane Twining Osterhoudt |
| Children | 6, incl.Bill Roy Jr. |
| Alma mater | Illinois Wesleyan University (BS) Northwestern University (MD) Washburn University (JD) |
| Occupation | Physician, politician, newspaper columnist |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Branch/service |  United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1953–1955 |
| Rank |  Captain |
William Robert Roy (February 23, 1926 – May 26, 2014), also known asBill Roy,[1] was aUnited States representative fromKansas, a physician, and a columnist forThe Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the Democratic nominee for U.S Senator from Kansas in the1974 and1978 senate elections, but lost both races.
Roy was born inBloomington, Illinois, and attended the public schools in nearbyLexington and earned aB.S. fromIllinois Wesleyan University in 1945, followed by aB.M. fromNorthwestern University Medical School inChicago in 1948. He received anM.D. from Northwestern in 1949 as well as aJ.D. fromWashburn University Law School inTopeka, Kansas, in 1970. He did hisobstetrics and gynecologyresidency atDetroit Receiving Hospital.[2] Roy served in theUnited States Air Force from 1953 to 1955, and was a military doctor atForbes Air Force Base in Topeka;[2] he wasdischarged with the rank ofcaptain. He practiced medicine in Topeka from 1955 to 1970
Roy was elected as aDemocrat to theNinety-second andNinety-third Congresses (January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1975). He changed his registration in 1970 to run as aDemocrat.[1]
He did not run for reelection to the House in 1974, but instead ran for theUnited States Senate. In a bitter race, he lost to incumbent SenatorBob Dole only by a few thousand votes, which was the closest margin of Dole's congressional career. In a 1996 interview withPBS, he explained his decision to seek election to the Senate, saying, "I was far from an admirer of Bob Dole, I'll tell you that. He'd been around and he had been pretty much a hatchet man, both in Kansas, and as far as President Nixon was concerned. And so I saw it as a wonderful opportunity to take him out of politics, which I thought was very important at that time."[3] He ran for the U.S. Senate again in 1978 but lost toNancy Kassebaum. He resumed the practice of medicine in Topeka until 1989. He sought a rematch with Kassebaum in 1990 and won the Democraticprimary, but dropped out of the race, citing personal issues. His replacement was runner-up Dick Williams.
In addition to his political races, Roy served as a member of theKansas Board of Regents.[4] Since 1989, Roy was a regular columnist forThe Topeka Capital-Journal. His columns often reflected a liberal perspective, including support forabortion rights[2] and opposition to the policies of PresidentGeorge W. Bush.[5] His 2001–2002 columns inThe Topeka Metro News[citation needed] rallied sentiment to stop the sale of KansasBlue Cross Blue Shield toAnthem of Indianapolis.[6]
Roy died in Topeka on May 26, 2014, ofcongestive heart failure.[7][4]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William I. Robinson | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromKansas (Class 3) 1974 | Succeeded by John Simpson |
| Preceded by Arch Tetzlaff | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromKansas (Class 2) 1978 | Succeeded by James R. Maher |
| Preceded by James R. Maher | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromKansas (Class 2) Withdrew 1990 | Succeeded by Dick Williams |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromKansas's 2nd congressional district 1971–1975 | Succeeded by |
