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. He graduated from

Royal Oak High School Royal Oak High School (ROHS) is a secondary educational facility located in Royal Oak, Michigan in Greater Detroit. The current principal is Sharida Lewis. It is a part of Royal Oak Neighborhood Schools. History ROHS is a 2006 consolidation of ...

in 1940 and attended Michigan State College (now

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

) at East Lansing. During the Second World War, he served in the United States Army Air Corps. After the war, he engaged in the real-estate and property-management business.

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 103rd 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, D.C. from January 3, 199 ...

. The 18th District was discontinued following the 1990 census and for the most part redistricted as the

11th 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...

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 The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affairs o ...

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. Broomfield voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

, and

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement ...

Retirement

After retirement, Broomfield started a foundation in Michigan that supports various charities in southeast Michigan, including the efforts to cure cancer, spina bifida,

Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As t ...

, and the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

. A longtime resident of

Lake Orion, Michigan Lake Orion ( ) is a village in the northern outskirts of Metro Detroit in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. The population was 2,973 at the 2010 census. "Lake Orion" can refer to either the village or the much larger Orion Township, of wh ...

, 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 Fatigue describes a state of tiredness that does not resolve with rest or sleep. In general usage, fatigue is synonymous with extreme tiredness or exhaustion that normally follows prolonged physical or mental activity. When it does not resolve ...

. Broomfield's wife Jane died on March 21, 2013, at the age of 97, due to heart failure. Broomfield died on February 20, 2019, at the age of 96 in Kensington, Maryland, where he resided in his later years.

References

External links

H.R. 4884 renaming post office for Broomfield
* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Broomfield, William 1922 births 2019 deaths Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Michigan State University alumni Republican Party Michigan state senators Military personnel from Michigan People from Royal Oak, Michigan Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan United States Army Air Forces soldiers United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II 20th-century American politicians