William Howard Royer (April 11, 1920 – April 8, 2013) was an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He served as a

U.S. 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 c ...

from the 11th Congressional District of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

from 1979 until 1981.

Early life

On April 11, 1920, Royer was born as William Howard Royer in

Jerome, Idaho Jerome is a city in and county seat of Jerome County, Idaho, United States. The population was 10,890 at the 2010 census, up from 7,780 in 2000.Redwood City, California Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California's Bay Area, approximately south of San Francisco, and northwest of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people to being a ...

. In 1938, Royer graduated from Sequoia High School in

Redwood City, California Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California's Bay Area, approximately south of San Francisco, and northwest of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people to being a ...

Education

Royer earned his B.S. at Santa Clara University and did graduate work at what is now

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

Career

From 1943 to 1945 Royer served in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. In 1940s, Royer became a realtor and he started Royer Realty Company. In 1950, Royer's politics career began when he served on the Redwood City Council until 1966. In 1956, Royer became mayor of Redwood City until 1960. In 1972, Royer was elected to the

San Mateo County Board of Supervisors The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors is the five-member elected body that supervises the operation of San Mateo County, California. Board members represent one of five districts of roughly equal population within the county, elected, since a 20 ...

and in 1976, he was reelected. In 1979, Royer won a special election to succeed the late congressman Leo J. Ryan (D-San Mateo), winning with 57% of the vote. He finished out the remainder of Ryan's term. In the 1980 election, Royer was defeated, losing 46.4% to 43.3% to Democratic challenger

Tom Lantos Thomas Peter Lantos (born Tamás Péter Lantos; February 1, 1928 – February 11, 2008) was a Holocaust survivor and American politician who served as a U.S. representative from California from 1981 until his death in 2008. A member of the Demo ...

. Royer ran against Lantos again in 1982, losing 57% to 40%.

Personal life

Royer's wife was Shirley. They had two sons, Dennis and Peter. In 2010, Shirley died. On April 8, 2013, Royer died in his home in Redwood City of natural causes. He was 92 years old and three days before his 93rd birthday. Royer is buried at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto. Royer's nephew Jim Harnett is also a politician, as mayor of Redwood City.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Royer, William 1920 births 2013 deaths California city council members Mayors of places in California Military personnel from Idaho People from Jerome, Idaho People from Redwood City, California San Mateo County Supervisors Santa Clara University alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California 20th-century American politicians Leo Ryan United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II