William Joseph Coyne (August 24, 1936 – November 3, 2013) was a Democratic member of 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

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

from 1981 to 2003.

Early life and education

Coyne was born in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. He graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1954, and received a

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

in accounting from

Robert Morris College Robert Morris University Illinois, formerly Robert Morris College, was a private university with its main campus in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1965 but its oldest ancestor was the Moser School founded in 1913. It changed its name to ...

. He served for two years in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in 1955–1957. He served as a supply sergeant in Korea. After completing his military service, he set up a private accounting firm.

Political career

From 1970 to 1972 he was member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

, and a member of the

Pittsburgh City Council The Pittsburgh City Council serves as the legislative body in the City of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city ...

from 1974 to 1980.

Congress

Coyne was elected to Congress in 1980, succeeding 24-year incumbent William S. Moorhead in a district taking in most of Pittsburgh. He was reelected ten times, never facing serious opposition. He was a longtime member of the

United States House Committee on Ways and Means The Committee on Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee has jurisdiction over all taxation, tariffs, and other revenue-raising measures, as well as a number of other program ...

Retirement and death

In 2002, Coyne's district was combined with the district of

Mike Doyle Michael, Mick or Mike Doyle may refer to: Politics * Michael Doyle (Irish politician), Irish Farmers' Party politician from Wexford, TD from 1922 to 1927 *Michael Doyle, alleged member of the Molly Maguires *Mike Doyle (American politician) (born ...

, a somewhat more moderate Democrat. Although the new district contained more of Coyne's territory than Doyle's, Coyne retired to avoid the possibility of two Democratic

incumbents The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

facing each other in the

primary elections Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

. Coyne died at the age of 77 on November 3, 2013, two months after falling and sustaining head injuries.

Sources

* *

External links

Voting record
at the ''Washington Post'' * * *https://web.archive.org/web/19980524001946/http://www.house.gov/coyne/ * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coyne, William J. 1936 births 2013 deaths 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Businesspeople from Pennsylvania Politicians from Pittsburgh Robert Morris University Illinois alumni Military personnel from Pittsburgh United States Army soldiers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Pittsburgh City Council members Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in Pennsylvania Burials at Calvary Catholic Cemetery (Pittsburgh) 20th-century American businesspeople