William Royer
William Howard Royer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 11th district | |
| In office April 3, 1979 – January 3, 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Leo Ryan |
| Succeeded by | Tom Lantos |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Howard Royer April 11, 1920 Jerome, Idaho, US |
| Died | April 8, 2013 (aged 92) Redwood City, California, US |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Shirley Wilson |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Santa Clara University, Oklahoma State University |
| Occupation | Realtor, politician |
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 from the 11th Congressional District of California from 1979 until 1981.
Early life
[edit]Royer was born April 11, 1920 in Jerome, Idaho. His family moved to Redwood City, California. In 1938, Royer graduated from Sequoia High School.[1][2]
Education
[edit]He earned his B.S. at Santa Clara University in 1941 and did graduate work at what is now Oklahoma State University.[2]
Career
[edit]From 1943 to 1945, Royer served in the United States Army Air Forces. Afterward, Royer became a realtor and started Royer Realty Company.[3]
Royer's political career began in 1950 when he was elected to the Redwood City Council, on which he would serve until 1966. From 1956 to 1960, Royer also served as mayor of Redwood City.
In 1972, Royer was elected to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, and was re-elected in 1976.[1]
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 the remainder of Ryan's term. In the 1980 election, Royer was defeated in his bid for a full term, losing 43.3%-46.4% to Democratic challenger Tom Lantos. Royer ran against Lantos again in 1982, losing 40%-57%.
Personal life
[edit]Royer was married to the former Shirley Wilson. They had two sons, Dennis and Peter. Shirley Royer died in 2010; William Royer died April 8, 2013, in his Redwood City home of natural causes. He died three days before his 93rd birthday.[2]
Royer's nephew Jim Harnett is also a politician, serving as mayor of Redwood City.[1]
Electoral history
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Royer | 52,585 | 57.3 | |||
| Democratic | G.W. "Joe" Holsinger | 37,685 | 41.1 | |||
| American Independent | Nicholas W. Kudrovzeff | 770 | 0.8 | |||
| Peace and Freedom | Wilson G. Branch | 731 | 0.8 | |||
| Total votes | 91,771 | 100.0 | ||||
| Turnout | ||||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Lantos | 85,823 | 46.4 | |||
| Republican | William Royer (Incumbent) | 80,100 | 43.3 | |||
| Peace and Freedom | Wilson G. Branch | 13,723 | 7.4 | |||
| Libertarian | William S. Wade Jr. | 3,816 | 2.1 | |||
| American Independent | Nicholas W. Kudrovzeff | 1,550 | 0.8 | |||
| Total votes | 185,012 | 100.0 | ||||
| Turnout | ||||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||||
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Michelle Durand (April 10, 2013). "Former Redwood City mayor, congressman dies". The Daily Journal. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
- ^ a b c Bonnie Eslinger. "William H. Royer, former congressman and Redwood City mayor, dies at 92". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
- ^ "Brandan Royer". teamroyer.com. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
- ^ Michael J. Dubin, United States Congressional Elections, 1788-1997: The Official Results, McFarland & Company Inc, Jefferson, North Carolina, 1998, p. 714.
- ^ 1980 election results
External links
[edit]- United States Congress. "William Royer (id: R000489)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- 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
- Leo Ryan
- United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II
- Sequoia High School (Redwood City, California) alumni
- 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives