William Lester Armstrong Jr. (March 16, 1937 – July 5, 2016) was an American businessman, administrator, and politician. He was a member of the
Republican Party and served as a
United States representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
and
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
from
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
.
Early life and career
Armstrong was born March 16, 1937, in
Fremont, Nebraska
Fremont is a city and county seat of Dodge County in the eastern portion of the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. The population was 27,141 at the 2020 census. Fremont is the home of Midland University.
History
From the 1830 ...
, and graduated from
Lincoln Northeast High School
Lincoln Northeast High School is a public high school in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lincoln Public Schools district and was established in 1941 when three rival schools (Bethany, Havelock and Jackson) were combined into o ...
. He was the son of William Lester Armstrong and Dorothy Steen Armstrong. His maternal grandfather was a Presbyterian minister and his great-great-uncle,
Alexander Majors
Alexander Majors (October 4, 1814 – January 13, 1900) was an American businessman, who along with William Hepburn Russell and William B. Waddell founded the Pony Express, based in St. Joseph, Missouri. This was one of the westernmost points ...
, was the co-founder of the
Pony Express
The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pik ...
, the Central Overland California, and Pike's Peak Express Company.
Professional career
Armstrong became fascinated as a child with radio, and at the age of eleven, he interviewed with a local radio station in Fremont and was given his own show on weekends to practice his DJ skills.
After high school, he met
Todd Storz
Robert Todd Storz (May 8, 1924 – April 13, 1964) headed a very successful chain of American radio broadcasting stations and is generally credited with being the foremost innovator of the Top 40 radio format in 1951. The selection of records t ...
, known as the father of the Top 40 radio format. He hired Armstrong at KOWH in
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
, then transferred him to WTIX in New Orleans, where he became America's first teenage Top 40 disc jockey. While there, he briefly attended
Tulane University
Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...
, but two years later, in 1956, he moved to
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
to work at WDGY. There he took classes at the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
but did not earn a degree. Within a few months, he was appointed Program Director at the radio station, at the age of 20. He then chose to enlist in the
Colorado Army National Guard
The Colorado Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army, United States National Guard, and Colorado National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces ...
from 1957 to 1963, where he became a First Lieutenant.
After returning from duty at age 22 in 1959, Armstrong bought radio station KOSI-AM in Aurora, Colorado, which became
KEZW in 1981.
Armstrong founded
KOSI-FM
KOSI (101.1 FM) is a commercial radio station in Denver, Colorado. KOSI is owned by Salt Lake City–based Bonneville International and airs an adult contemporary music format. Its studios and offices are located on East Orchard Road in Green ...
in 1968 before selling both the KOSI-AM and KOSI-FM stations 25 years later.
He also was president of Ambassador Media, which owned television station
KPVI in
Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello () is the county seat of and largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the ...
and
satellite stations KKVI in
Twin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The city had a population of 51,807 as of the 2020 census. In the Magic Valley region, Twin Falls is the largest city in a radius, and is the regional ...
and KJVI in
Jackson, Wyoming
Jackson is a town in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 10,760 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 9,577 in 2010. It is the largest town in Teton County and its county seat. Jackson is the principal town of ...
.
Political career
In 1962, Armstrong married Ellen M. Eaton. The same year, he became the (at the time) youngest person ever elected to the
Colorado House of Representatives
The Colorado House of Representatives is the lower house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Colorado. The House is composed of 65 members from an equal number of constituent districts, with each distr ...
, where he served one term. He then served in the
Colorado State Senate
The Colorado Senate is the upper house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Colorado. It is composed of 35 members elected from single-member districts, with each district having a population of about 123, ...
from 1964 to 1972, including two terms as President of the Senate.
In 1972, Armstrong was elected to the
U.S. Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
from the new
fifth district. He was reelected to the
94th and
95th Congress
The 95th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1977, ...
es.
In 1978, Armstrong was elected to the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
, defeating former astronaut
Jack Swigert
John Leonard Swigert Jr. (August 30, 1931 – December 27, 1982) was an American NASA astronaut, test pilot, mechanical engineer, aerospace engineer, United States Air Force pilot, and politician. In April 1970, as command module pilot of Apollo ...
in the GOP primary in September,
and Democratic incumbent
Floyd Haskell
Floyd Kirk Haskell (February 7, 1916August 25, 1998) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. Senator from Colorado from 1973 to 1979.
Early life and career
Floyd Haskell was born in Morrist ...
in November. He and Swigert became good friends and Armstrong was with the former astronaut when he died from cancer in December 1982.
Reelected in 1984, he served in the Senate for twelve years. Armstrong served on the Banking, Finance, and Budget Committees, and was noted for his successful effort to index personal income tax rates to the rate of inflation. Majority Leader
Robert 'Bob' Dole later referred to Armstrong as “the father of tax indexing". In 1980, Armstrong actively worked to make GI Bill benefits permanent for U.S. military personnel. In February 1982, Senator Armstrong, alongside
Congressman Carlos Moorhead sponsored the resolution S.J. Res 165 authorizing and requesting the President to proclaim 1983 as the “
Year of the Bible”. President
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
implemented the resolution as Public Law 97-280. Following the formal designation of 1983 being the Year of the Bible, Armstrong served on the newly created National Committee to help focus attention on the year-long observance.
In 1983, Armstrong chaired the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Social Security, and served on the National Commission on Social Security Reform, which was created to find solutions to the long-term financing of the program. He was the only Commission member to vote against its final 1983 report because it failed to include any change in the eligible retirement age, though his view prevailed in the final legislation enacted by Congress. Also in 1983, Armstrong wrote the foreword to
Daniel O. Graham
Daniel Orrin Graham (April 13, 1925 – December 31, 1995) was a United States Army officer who ultimately rose to the rank of lieutenant general (United States), lieutenant general. Graham served in Germany, Korea, and Vietnam and received sever ...
's book on Project High Frontier, "
We Must Defend America and Put an End to MADness." In the foreword, Armstrong criticizes the U.S. policy of
Mutual Assured Destruction
Mutual assured destruction (MAD) is a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy which posits that a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by an attacker on a nuclear-armed defender with second-strike capabilities would cause the ...
and advocates for a new policy, specifically that advocated by Project High Frontier, for defense against the Soviet Union's
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles
An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...
.
During his time in office, Senator Armstrong worked on welfare reform. He supported the passage of the
Family Support Act 1988, the first change in welfare rules in 50 years. Working with Senator
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Daniel Patrick Moynihan (March 16, 1927 – March 26, 2003) was an American politician, diplomat and sociologist. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented New York in the United States Senate from 1977 until 2001 and served as an ...
, and Governors
Bill Clinton (D-AR), and
Mike Castle (R-DE), the final bill passed the Senate by a vote of 93–3. The new law imposed work requirements (16 hours/week) on able-bodied welfare recipients for the first time. The bill also extended welfare benefits for unemployed 2-parent families and included the child support enforcement provision backed by Armstrong, a requirement for minor parents to be in school, and a screening process intended to reduce fraudulent claims.
In 1985, one of Armstrong's strong symbolic achievements was the
Korean War Veterans Memorial
The Korean War Veterans Memorial is located in Washington, D.C.'s West Potomac Park, southeast of the Lincoln Memorial and just south of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. It memorializes those who served in the Korean War.
History
The ...
Act, which he introduced. He sponsored the Senate bill to authorize the privately funded memorial, which passed in 1986. After its passage, he participated in numerous fund-raising efforts over the next decade, working closely with long-time friend and Korean War veteran,
Congressman Mike McKevitt. The last bill Armstrong introduced before retiring from the Senate authorized the U.S. Mint to issue a silver dollar commemorating the war's 38th anniversary, with proceeds from sales (which eventually totaled over $22 million) helping finance the memorial. The bill passed and was sent to the President just three days before Armstrong's farewell speech to the Senate. Senator Armstrong opposed congressional pay raises and was critical of Senators who voted to raise pay, or on one occasion allowed a 50% pay raise to take effect without a vote. He was also noted in the early 1980s for sponsorship of a landmark soil conservation measure known as the “
Sodbuster bill,” which denied federal subsidies for plowing fragile grasslands. It was adopted as part of the
1985 Farm Bill.
He was the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee (
99th through
101st Congresses); he opted to retire and did not seek reelection in 1990.
Throughout 1986, there was considerable speculation about Armstrong running for President in 1988.
Election results
1972
1974
1976
1978
1984
Personal life
Religion
In the 1970s, Armstrong experienced a religious conversion. After that experience, he said, he became “more tolerant of other people’s opinions”
and “didn’t believe being a politician and a Christian were mutually exclusive”.
He then began 40 years of active involvement in
Evangelicalism in the United States
In the United States, evangelicalism is a movement among Protestant Christians who believe in the necessity of being born again, emphasize the importance of evangelism, and affirm traditional Protestant teachings on the authority as well as the ...
.
In 1982, he served as the general chairman of the
National Prayer Breakfast
The National Prayer Breakfast is a yearly event held in Washington, D.C., usually on the first Thursday in February. The founder of this event was Abraham Vereide. The event—which is actually a series of meetings, luncheons, and dinners—has ...
, and alongside President
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
, delivered the keynote address at the 1988 National Prayer breakfast. Speaking at religious gatherings, he often related the story of how a stranger came to see him in the Capitol and led him to the
four spiritual laws. The
four spiritual laws are based on the famous booklet by
Bill Bright
William R. Bright (October 19, 1921 – July 19, 2003) was an American evangelist. In 1951 at the University of California, Los Angeles he founded Campus Crusade for Christ as a ministry for university students. In 1952 he wrote The Four Spir ...
, founder of
Campus Crusade for Christ
Cru (until 2011 known as Campus Crusade for Christ—informally "Campus Crusade" or simply "crusade"—or CCC) is an interdenominational Christian parachurch organization. It was founded in 1951 at the University of California, Los Angeles by B ...
. He held daily Bible studies with his family, began leading meetings with prayers, and shared his experience very publicly. Within congress, colleagues called Armstrong for legislative support as well as spiritual guidance.
He believed his political and cultural undertakings were “vulcanized” inseparably to his Christian faith.
He was a part of the Family Channel, Christian Businessmen's Committee, Trinity forum, Christian Embassy, The Calling, & Charles Colson's Prison Ministries. He was on the Board of Directors of Campus Crusade for Christ for 15 years.
Family
With his wife, he had two children, Wil Armstrong and Anne Sellman. Armstrong died from cancer at the age of 79 in 2016.
Academic career
Armstrong was President of
Colorado Christian University
Colorado Christian University (CCU) is a private Christian university in Lakewood, Colorado. CCU was founded by Clifton Fowler in 1914 as the Denver Bible Institute.
History
CCU's heritage dates back to the formation of Denver Bible Institute in ...
at the time of his death, having served in that position since 2006. During his tenure as president, Armstrong became well known for his catchphrase "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus." His involvement in Christian organizations and the national evangelical movement became a notable aspect of his legacy and his impact on others. While President, he supported the creation of “The Calling” ministry in 2010. Although he eventually held eight honorary degrees, he never finished college.
References
External links
govtrack.us: Sen. William ArmstrongColorado Christian University: Greetings from the President
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, William
1937 births
2016 deaths
20th-century American businesspeople
20th-century American politicians
American bankers
Christians from Colorado
American radio producers
Heads of universities and colleges in the United States
Businesspeople from Colorado
Businesspeople from Nebraska
Deaths from cancer in Colorado
Democratic Party Colorado state senators
Democratic Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives
People from Fremont, Nebraska
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado
Republican Party United States senators from Colorado
Tulane University alumni
United States Army officers
Lincoln Northeast High School alumni
University of Minnesota alumni
94th United States Congress
95th United States Congress
99th United States Congress
101st United States Congress
Colorado National Guard personnel
National Guard (United States) officers