William McNulty Brodhead (born September 12, 1941) is an American lawyer and former

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

from

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

who served four terms in the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from 1975 to 1983.

Early life and education

Brodhead was born in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

and attended elementary and secondary schools in Cleveland. He received a B.A. from

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, in 1965 and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School,

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

, in 1967.

Legal career and politics

He was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1968 and commenced practice in Detroit. He was elected to

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

in 1970 and was reelected in 1972, from a district in Detroit. In 1974,

Martha W. Griffiths Martha Wright Griffiths (January 29, 1912 – April 22, 2003) was an American lawyer and judge before being elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1954. Griffiths was the first woman to serve on the House Committee on Ways and M ...

, Democratic incumbent for Michigan's 17th District to the

was not a candidate for renomination. Brodhead won nomination as the Democratic candidate and was elected to the Ninety-fourth and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 1983. While in Congress, Brodhead served on the House Ways and Means Committee and on the Budget Committee. Brodhead also served as Chair of the Democratic Study Group which was then the liberal caucus in the House.

Post-political career

He declined to run for reelection in 1982 and returned home to the Detroit area. He became a partner in the Detroit law firm, Plunkett & Cooney, where he practiced from 1983 to 2003. Retiring from the law firm in October, 2003, he practiced on his own until 2006, when he retired completely. While in law practice in Detroit, Brodhead served on many non-profit boards including Detroit Public Television, Mt. Carmel Hospital, Michigan's Children and the Citizen's Research Council. He served at various times as Board Chair of the Skillman Foundation, Covenant House Michigan, Focus:Hope and the Oakland Mediation Center. In 1994, he was an unsuccessful candidate for

U.S. Senator 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 ...

, losing in the primary to Bob Carr, who went on to lose in the general election to Spencer Abraham.

Personal life

Brodhead now lives with his wife Kathleen, to whom he has been married since 1965, in Northern California. They have two adult children and a granddaughter who also live in Northern California. He serves on the board of directors of Covenant House, California.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brodhead, William M. 1941 births Living people Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Michigan lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Lawyers from Cleveland Politicians from Detroit University of Michigan Law School alumni Wayne State University alumni Politicians from Cleveland 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers