American politician (1921?2003)
William Roth
|
---|
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Bill_Roth_%28cropped%29.png/220px-Bill_Roth_%28cropped%29.png) Official portrait,
c.
1971?1990
|
|
|
In office
January 1, 1971 ? January 3, 2001
|
Preceded by
| John J. Williams
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Tom Carper
|
---|
|
In office
October 1, 1995 ? January 3, 2001
|
Preceded by
| Bob Packwood
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Max Baucus
|
---|
|
In office
January 3, 1995 ? October 1, 1995
|
Preceded by
| John Glenn
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Ted Stevens
|
---|
In office
January 3, 1981 ? January 3, 1987
|
Preceded by
| Abraham Ribicoff
|
---|
Succeeded by
| John Glenn
|
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|
In office
January 3, 1967 ? December 31, 1970
|
Preceded by
| Harris McDowell
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Pete du Pont
|
---|
|
In office
April 10, 1961 ? May 13, 1964
|
Preceded by
| Ellwood S. Leach
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Clayton S. Harrison Jr.
|
---|
|
|
Born
| William Victor Roth Jr.
(
1921-07-22
)
July 22, 1921
Great Falls, Montana
, U.S.
|
---|
Died
| December 13, 2003
(2003-12-13)
(aged 82)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
|
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Political party
| Republican
|
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Spouse
|
|
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Children
| 2
|
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Alma mater
| University of Oregon
Harvard Business School
Harvard Law School
|
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Signature
| ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Signature_of_William_Roth.gif/128px-Signature_of_William_Roth.gif) |
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Allegiance
|
United States
|
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Branch/service
|
United States Army
|
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Years of service
| 1943?1946
|
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Unit
| Intelligence
|
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Battles/wars
| World War II
|
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|
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William Victor Roth Jr.
(July 22, 1921 ? December 13, 2003) was an American lawyer and politician from
Wilmington
, Delaware. He was a veteran of
World War II
and a member of the
Republican Party
. He served from 1967 to 1970 as the lone
U.S. Representative from Delaware
and from 1971 to 2001 as a
U.S. Senator from Delaware
.
[1]
He is the last Republican to serve as and/or be elected a U.S. Senator from Delaware.
Roth was a sponsor of legislation creating the
Roth IRA
, an individual retirement plan that can be set up with post-tax dollars, offering tax-free withdrawals.
Early life and family
[
edit
]
Roth was born in
Great Falls
, Montana, the son of Clara (
nee
Nelson) and William Victor Roth, who ran a brewery.
[2]
His paternal grandparents were German and his maternal grandparents were Swedish.
[3]
He attended public schools in
Helena, Montana
, graduating from
Helena High School
. Roth started college at
Montana State University
before moving on to graduate from the
University of Oregon
in 1943,
Harvard Business School
in 1947, and
Harvard Law School
in 1949. During
World War II
he served in a
United States Army
intelligence unit from 1943 until 1946.
After being admitted to the California Bar in 1950, he moved permanently to Delaware in 1954, and began his work as an attorney for the
Hercules Corporation
. He married Jane Richards in 1965 and they had two children, William III and Katharine.
Jane Richards Roth
was
U.S. District Court
judge for the District of Delaware from 1985 until 1991 and then a judge of the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
. They were members of the
Episcopal Church
.
Roth became active in politics as a
Republican
, and served as secretary of the
Delaware Republican Party
and a vice president of the Active Young Republicans of
New Castle County
.
[4]
In addition, Roth served as a member of Delaware's "Little
Hoover Commission
", which studied state government and made recommendations for modernizing and reforming it.
[4]
Professional and political career
[
edit
]
Roth with President
George H. W. Bush
in 1990
Roth speaks on the floor of the Senate,
c.
2000
After losing the election for Lieutenant Governor of Delaware in 1960, Roth was named chair of the Delaware Republican Party on April 10, 1961.
[5]
He replaced incumbent Ellwood S. Leach.
[6]
He served until May 13, 1964 when he lost his reelection bid to Clayton S. Harrison Jr. by a 32-24 vote.
[7]
[8]
In 1966, he defeated incumbent U.S. Representative
Harris McDowell
, and went on to serve two terms in the United States House of Representatives from January 3, 1967, until December 31, 1970. Roth voted in favor of the
Civil Rights Act of 1968
.
[9]
He then began his five terms in the
United States Senate
, succeeding the retiring incumbent senator
John J. Williams
. He served in the U.S. Senate from January 1, 1971, having been appointed when Williams left office two days early, until January 3, 2001, having been defeated in the 2000 election by the Democratic candidate, Governor
Tom Carper
. Many consider Roth's defeat due to his age and health, as he collapsed twice during the campaign, once in the middle of a television interview and once during a campaign event.
[10]
[11]
[12]
Roth was known for
fiscal conservatism
. Critics blamed him for national deficits during the
presidency of Ronald Reagan
.
[13]
He was a longtime member of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and the Senate Committee on Finance, serving as chairman from September 12, 1995 through January 3, 2001. He was best remembered as a strong advocate of tax cuts, and he co-authored the
Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981
, also known as the Kemp-Roth Tax Cut with
Jack Kemp
. Roth was also the legislative sponsor of the
individual retirement account
plan that bears his name, the
Roth IRA
. It is a popular individual retirement account that has existed since 1998.
[
citation needed
]
The
Roth 401(k)
, which did not become available until 2006, is also named after Roth.
[14]
He was also one of the few Republicans to vote for the
Brady Bill
and the ban on semi-automatic weapons. Roth strongly supported environmental protections. Roth was also very engaged in international affairs and policy. He served as the president of NATO's parliament, the North Atlantic Assembly, from 1996 to 1998.
[15]
In 1977, Roth was one of nine senators to vote against the Senate adopting a stringent code of ethics intended to assist with the restoration of public confidence in Congress.
[16]
On December 2, 1981, Roth was one of four senators to vote against
[17]
an amendment to President Reagan's MX missiles proposal that would divert the silo system by $334 million as well as earmark further research for other methods that would allow giant missiles to be based. The vote was seen as a rebuff of the Reagan administration.
[18]
[19]
Roth voted in favor of the
bill
establishing
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
as a
federal holiday
and the
Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987
(as well to override
President Reagan
's veto).
[20]
[21]
[22]
Roth voted in favor of the nominations of
Robert Bork
and
Clarence Thomas
to the
U.S. Supreme Court
.
During the 1999
impeachment of Bill Clinton
Roth voted to convict the President on both charges of impeachment. However Clinton was acquitted on both charges.
Roth was a witty man but not a natural campaigner. To help himself, he would ease himself into public appearances by bringing along a
Saint Bernard dog
. His succession of St. Bernards through his 34-year political career became a trademark of sorts.
[23]
Death
[
edit
]
On December 12, 2003, Roth fell ill while visiting his daughter in Washington, and was admitted to
George Washington University Hospital
, where he died from heart failure the following day.
[24]
The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Bridge carrying
Delaware Route 1
was dedicated as the
Senator William V. Roth Jr. Bridge
, and a celebration was held on July 9, 2007. The bridge is a cable-stayed bridge and notable landmark in northern Delaware. Roth helped secure its funding.
Electoral history
[
edit
]
Public offices
|
Office
|
Type
|
Location
|
Began office
|
Ended office
|
Notes
|
U.S. Representative
|
Legislature
|
Washington
|
January 3, 1967
|
January 3, 1969
|
|
January 3, 1969
|
December 31, 1970
|
|
U.S. Senator
|
January 1, 1971
|
January 3, 1977
|
|
January 3, 1977
|
January 3, 1983
|
|
January 3, 1983
|
January 3, 1989
|
|
January 3, 1989
|
January 3, 1995
|
|
January 3, 1995
|
January 3, 2001
|
|
Election results
|
Year
|
Office
|
Election
|
|
Republican
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
Democrat
|
Votes
|
%
|
1960
|
Lt. Governor
|
General
|
|
William V. Roth Jr.
|
96,671
|
50%
|
|
Eugene Lammot
|
97,826
|
50%
|
1966
|
U.S. Representative
|
|
90,961
|
56%
|
|
Harris B. McDowell Jr.
|
72,142
|
44%
|
1968
|
|
117,827
|
59%
|
|
82,993
|
41%
|
1970
|
U.S. Senator
|
|
94,979
|
59%
|
|
Jacob W. Zimmerman
|
64,740
|
40%
|
1976
|
|
125,454
|
56%
|
|
Thomas C. Maloney
|
98,042
|
44%
|
1982
|
|
105,357
|
55%
|
|
David N. Levinson
|
84,413
|
44%
|
1988
|
|
151,115
|
62%
|
|
Shien Biau Woo
|
92,378
|
38%
|
1994
|
|
111,074
|
56%
|
|
Charles M. Oberly III
|
84,540
|
42%
|
2000
|
|
142,891
|
44%
|
|
Thomas R. Carper
|
181,566
|
56%
|
Works
[
edit
]
- Roth, William V. Jr.; Nixon, William H. (1999).
The Power to Destroy: How the IRS Became America
. Atlantic Monthly Press.
ISBN
0-87113-748-8
.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Roth, William Victor Jr. (1921 - 2003)"
. United States Congress
. Retrieved
July 23,
2011
.
- ^
"Roth Biography"
.
dehistory.org
.
Delaware Historical Society
. Retrieved
August 8,
2016
.
- ^
"United States Census, 1930"
,
FamilySearch
, retrieved
April 26,
2018
- ^
a
b
"The Candidates .... Their backgrounds: William V. Roth, Jr. for Lieutenant Governor"
.
Wilmington Morning News
. Wilmington, DE. September 1, 1960. p. 3 – via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
"Biography ? Senator William V Roth"
.
- ^
"The Morning News 11 Apr 1961, page Page 1"
.
- ^
"The Morning News 13 May 1964, page Page 1"
.
- ^
Miller, Beth (December 15, 2003).
"Roth remembered for 'pure heart'
"
.
The News Journal
. Archived from
the original
on December 17, 2003
. Retrieved
July 29,
2017
.
- ^
"TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO ESTABLISH PENALTIES FOR INTERFERENCE WITH CIVIL RIGHTS. INTERFERENCE WITH A PERSON ENGAGED IN ONE OF THE 8 ACTIVITIES PROTECTED UNDER THIS BILL MUST BE RACIALLY MOTIVATED TO INCUR THE BILL'S PENALTIES"
.
- ^
Gorenstein, Nathan.
"In Delaware, Gov. Carper ousts 5-term Sen. Roth"
.
Philadelphia Inquirer
. Archived from
the original
on July 12, 2001
. Retrieved
July 29,
2017
.
- ^
"Delaware U.S. Race, 2000 -- Sussex County Online, Delaware"
.
sussexcountyonline.com
. Retrieved
December 6,
2016
.
- ^
Wilkie, Curtis (October 26, 2000).
"In tight race, health issues dog Delaware's Roth"
.
Boston Globe
. Archived from
the original
on February 12, 2001.
- ^
"Sen. William Roth, 82; Created Popular Retirement Account"
.
LA Times
. December 15, 2003
. Retrieved
October 4,
2014
.
- ^
Dustin, Woodard.
"About: Mutual Funds: The Roth 401k"
.
- ^
"NATO PA - PRESIDENTS FROM 1955 TO 2014"
. Retrieved
August 8,
2016
.
- ^
"SENATE, 86-9, ADOPTS A STRICT ETHICS CODE TO BUILD CONFIDENCE"
.
New York Times
. April 2, 1977.
- ^
"The 90-4 vote by which the Senate approved the..."
UPI. December 3, 1981.
- ^
Roberts, Steven V. (December 3, 1981).
"SENATORS REJECT PLAN FOR PLACING MX MISSILE IN SILOS"
.
New York Times
.
- ^
Webbe, Stephen (December 4, 1981).
"Reagan scorns Senate rejection of silo-based MX missile plan"
. The Christian Science Monitor.
- ^
"TO PASS H.R. 3706. (MOTION PASSED) SEE NOTE(S) 19"
.
- ^
"TO PASS S 557, CIVIL RIGHTS RESTORATION ACT, A BILL TO RESTORE THE BROAD COVERAGE AND CLARIFY FOUR CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS BY PROVIDING THAT IF ONE PART OF AN INSTITUTION IS FEDERALLY FUNDED, THEN THE ENTIRE INSTITUTION MUST NOT DISCRIMINATE"
.
- ^
"TO ADOPT, OVER THE PRESIDENT'S VETO OF S 557, CIVIL RIGHTS RESTORATION ACT, A BILL TO RESTORE BROAD COVERAGE OF FOUR CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS BY DECLARING THAT IF ONE PART OF AN INSTITUTION RECEIVES FEDERAL FUNDS, THEN THE ENTIRE INSTITUTION MUST NOT DISCRIMINATE. TWO-THIRDS OF THE SENATE, HAVING VOTED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, OVERRODE THE PRESIDENTIAL VETO"
.
- ^
"ONLY IN DELAWARE: WILLIAM V. ROTH JR"
.
- ^
Wald, Matthew L. (December 15, 2003).
"William V. Roth Jr., Veteran of U.S. Senate, Dies at 82"
.
The New York Times
. p. B10
. Retrieved
December 9,
2023
.
Other sources
External links
[
edit
]
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Expenditures in Executive Departments
(1921–1952)
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Government Operations
(1952–1977)
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Governmental Affairs
(1977–2005)
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Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
(2005–)
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International
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National
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People
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Other
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