William B. Widnall
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 7th district
In office
February 6, 1950 – December 31, 1974
Preceded byJ. Parnell Thomas
Succeeded byAndrew Maguire
Personal details
Born(1906-03-17)March 17, 1906
Hackensack, New Jersey, US
DiedDecember 28, 1983(1983-12-28) (aged 77)
Ridgewood, New Jersey, US
Political partyRepublican

William Beck Widnall (March 17, 1906 – December 28, 1983) was a Republican Party politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for 24 years representing New Jersey's 7th congressional district.

Born in Hackensack, New Jersey, Widnall attended public schools, graduating from Hackensack High School in 1922. He graduated from Brown University in 1926 with a Ph.B. degree and went on to receive a law degree from the New Jersey Law School (now Rutgers School of Law–Newark) in 1931.[1]

Widnall then practiced law in Hackensack and served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1946 to 1950. He was elected to Congress on February 6, 1950, in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of J. Parnell Thomas, who had been convicted and sentenced to federal prison for corruption. He opposed building the Kennedy Center in its current location as being too difficult to reach and not attached to the larger Metro system.[2] Widnall served until his own resignation from Congress on December 31, 1974, following his failed reelection bid in 1974. Widnall voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,[3] 1960,[4] 1964,[5] and 1968,[6] and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.[7]

After leaving Congress, Widnall served as chairman of the National Commission of Electronic Fund Transfers from November 1975 to 1981.

A longtime resident of Saddle River, New Jersey, Widnall died at a nursing home in Ridgewood, New Jersey, on December 28, 1983, at the age of 77 due to atherosclerosis and Parkinson's disease.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "The Nomination of William B. Widnall to be Chairman of the Commission on Electronic Fund Transfers; October 23, 1975", Rutgers Law School. Accessed November 17, 2017. "Education: Hackensack, New Jersey public school system; Graduated from Hackensack High School, 1922; Graduated from Brown University, PhB 1926; Graduated from New Jersey Law School (Now Rutgers University) LLB 1931."
  2. ↑ Tom (2013-06-25). "Proposed Kennedy Center Metro Stop Too Expensive". Ghosts of DC. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
  3. ↑ "HR 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957". GovTrack.us.
  4. ↑ "HR 8601. PASSAGE".
  5. ↑ "H.R. 7152. PASSAGE".
  6. ↑ "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".
  7. ↑ "TO PASS H.R. 6400, THE 1965 VOTING RIGHTS ACT".
  8. ↑ Cook, Joan. "Ex-Rep. William B. Windall; Served In House For 25 Years", The New York Times, December 30, 1983. Accessed November 17, 2017. "William Beck Widnall, a New Jersey Republican who represented northern Bergen County in the House of Representatives for 25 years, died Wednesday in a Ridgewood nursing home after a long illness. He was 77 years old and lived in Saddle River, N.J., until he became ill."
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