William Royer

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.

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 (1920-04-11)April 11, 1920 Jerome, Idaho
Died	April 8, 2013(2013-04-08) (aged 92) Redwood City, California
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Shirley Royer
Children	2
Alma mater	Santa Clara University, Oklahoma State University
Occupation	Realtor, politician

Early life

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 in Redwood City, California.[1][2]

Education

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

Career

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

In 1950, Royer's politics 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

Royer's wife was Shirley. They had two sons, Dennis and Peter. In 2010, Roger's wife Shirley died. On April 8, 2013, Royer died in his home of natural causes in Redwood City, California. He was 92 years old and three days before his 93rd birthday.[2] Royer is buried at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto, California. [4]

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

References

1. Michelle Durand (April 10, 2013). "Former Redwood City mayor, congressman dies". The Daily Journal. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
2. 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. "William Howard Royer". Find a Grave. Retrieved September 5, 2019.

External links

• United States Congress. "William Royer (id: R000489)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

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 Tom Lantos