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William Royer

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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 byLeo Ryan
Succeeded byTom Lantos
Personal details
Born
William Howard Royer

(1920-04-11)April 11, 1920
Jerome, Idaho, US
DiedApril 8, 2013(2013-04-08) (aged 92)
Redwood City, California, US
Political partyRepublican
SpouseShirley Royer
Children2
Alma materSanta Clara University, Oklahoma State University
OccupationRealtor, 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

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On April 11, 1920, Royer was born as William Howard Royer in Jerome, Idaho. Royer's family moved to Redwood City, California. In 1938, Royer graduated from Sequoia High School.[1][2]

Education

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Royer earned his B.S. at Santa Clara University and did graduate work at what is now Oklahoma State University.[2]

Career

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From 1943 to 1945, Royer served in the United States Army Air Forces. In the 1940s, Royer became a realtor and started Royer Realty Company.[3]

In 1950, Royer's political 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 and in 1976, he was reelected.[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 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. Royer ran against Lantos again in 1982, losing 57% to 40%.

Personal life

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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.[2]

Royer's nephew Jim Harnett is also a politician, as mayor of Redwood City.[1]

Electoral history

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1979 Special election[4]
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
1980 United States House of Representatives elections in California[5]
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

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  1. ^ a b c Michelle Durand (April 10, 2013). "Former Redwood City mayor, congressman dies". The Daily Journal. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Brandan Royer". teamroyer.com. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  4. ^ Michael J. Dubin, United States Congressional Elections, 1788-1997: The Official Results, McFarland & Company Inc, Jefferson, North Carolina, 1998, p. 714.
  5. ^ 1980 election results
[edit]
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Leo J. Ryan
 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 11th congressional district
1979–1981 		Succeeded by
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