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William Broomfield
William Broomfield
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives; from Michigan
	In office; January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	George A. Dondero
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Constituency	18th district (1957-1973); 19th district (1973-1983); 18th district (1983-1993)
Member of the Michigan Senate; from the 12th district
	In office; 1955–1956
Preceded by	George N. Higgins
Succeeded by	L. Harvey Lodge
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives; from the 5th Oakland district
	In office; 1949–1954
Preceded by	George Mathieson
Succeeded by	Theodore F. Hughes
Personal details
Born	April 28, 1922; Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S.
Died	February 20, 2019 (aged 96); Kensington, Maryland, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Jane Smith Thompson (m. 1951; died 2013)
Profession	Real Estate, Politician
	William Broomfield's voice Broomfield discusses the need for funding foreign aid to the Contras; Recorded April 15, 1986

William S. Broomfield, (April 28, 1922 – February 20, 2019) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.

Early life

Broomfield, the son of Scevillian C. and Fern Broomfield was born in Royal Oak, Michigan. His father was a dentist.^[2] He graduated from Royal Oak High School in 1940 and attended Michigan State College (now Michigan State University) at East Lansing. During World War II, he served in the United States Army Air Corps. After the war, he engaged in the real-estate and property-management business.^[3]

Political career

Broomfield was a member of the Michigan State House of Representatives, 1949–1954, serving as speaker pro tempore in 1953. He served in the Michigan State Senate in 1955 and 1956.

In 1956, Broomfield was elected as a Republican from Michigan's 18th District to the United States House of Representatives for the 85th 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 the 103rd Congress. The 18th District was discontinued following the 1990 census and for the most part redistricted as the 11th which elected Joe Knollenberg in 1993.

During his tenure in Congress, Broomfield served as a member of the U.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 the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,^[5] 1960,^[6] 1964,^[7] and 1968,^[8] as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.^[9]^[10]

Retirement

After retirement in 1993, Broomfield started a foundation that supports various charities in southeast Michigan, including the efforts to cure cancer, spina bifida and Alzheimer's, and the Salvation Army. A longtime resident of Lake Orion, Michigan, he last lived in Kensington, Maryland.

In September 2000, Congress designated the Royal Oak Post Office at 200 West 2nd Street in Royal Oak, Michigan, as the William S. Broomfield Post Office Building.

On December 30, 2006, Broomfield collapsed at the state funeral memorial for former U.S. President Gerald Ford at the United States Capitol, bringing the ceremonies to a temporary pause. The reason given for the collapse was exhaustion.^[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]

References

^ Ehrenhalt, Alan; Amrine, Renee (1988). Politics in America: The 100th Congress. Congressional Quarterly. p. 772. ISBN 9780871874306.
^ "Clipped From Detroit Free Press". Detroit Free Press. 29 March 1975. p. 11 – via newspapers.com.
^ "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Brooks-bittings to Brougham". politicalgraveyard.com.
^ "When Congressman's Papers Come to Museum's Calf Barn, Community Will Learn from His Leadership Story - Rochester-Rochester Hills, MI Patch". rochester.patch.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
^ "HR 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957". GovTrack.us.
^ "HR 8601. PASSAGE".
^ "H.R. 7152. PASSAGE".
^ "TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO ESTABLISH PENALTIES FOR INTERFERENCE WITH CIVIL RIGHTS. INTERFERENCE WITH A PERSON ENGAGED IN ONE OF THE 8 ACTIVITIES PROTECTED UNDER THIS BILL MUST BE RACIALLY MOTIVATED TO INCUR THE BILL'S PENALTIES".
^ "S.J. RES. 29. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO BAN THE USE OF POLL TAX AS A REQUIREMENT FOR VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS". GovTrack.us.
^ "TO PASS H.R. 6400, THE 1965 VOTING RIGHTS ACT".
^ "Ex-Congressman Collapses at Ford Funeral". The Washington Post. Associated Press. December 30, 2006. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
^ "Jane Broomfield (Obituary)". Daily Tribune. March 31, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
^ Connolly, Griffin (25 February 2019). "William Broomfield, former House GOP foreign policy guru, dies" – via www.rollcall.com.
^ "Former US Rep. William Broomfield of Michigan dies at 96". WNEM Saginaw.

External links

H.R. 4884 renaming post office for Broomfield^{[permanent dead link‍]}

Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Appearances on C-SPAN
William Broomfield at Find a Grave

Michigan House of Representatives
Preceded by George Mathieson	Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 5th Oakland district 1949–1954	Succeeded by Theodore F. Hughes
Michigan Senate
Preceded by George N. Higgins	Member of the Michigan Senate from the 12th district 1955–1956	Succeeded by L. Harvey Lodge
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by George Anthony Dondero	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 18th congressional district 1957–1973	Succeeded by Robert J. Huber
Preceded by Jack H. McDonald	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 19th congressional district 1973–1983	Constituency abolished
Preceded by James J. Blanchard	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 18th congressional district 1983–1993	Constituency abolished
Preceded by John N. Erlenborn	Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee 1975–1993	Succeeded by Benjamin Gilman
Honorary titles
Preceded by John Dingell	Most senior living U.S. representative (Sitting or former) February 7, 2019–February 20, 2019 Served alongside: Merwin Coad, Harry G. Haskell Jr.	Succeeded by Merwin Coad Harry G. Haskell Jr.