William V. Roth, Jr.

From Freepedia

William V. Roth, Jr.

Image:WilliamRoth.jpg
Date of birth:	July 22, 1921
Place of birth:	Great Falls, Montana
Date of death:	December 13, 2003
Place of death:	Washington, DC
Spouse:	Jane Richards
Political party:	Republican
Office(s):	U. S. Representative from Delaware (1967–1970) U.S. Senator from Delaware (1971–2001)

William Victor "Bill" Roth, Jr. (July 22, 1921 – December 13, 2003) was a United States Representative and five-term Senator from Delaware. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the House from 1967 to 1970 and in the Senate from 1971 to 2001.

Born in Great Falls, Montana, Roth attended public schools in Helena and graduated from the University of Oregon in 1943 and Harvard Business School in 1947. In the interim, he served in the United States Army from 1943-46. Roth moved to Delaware in 1954 and made it his adopted state.

Roth is best remembered as a strong advocate of tax cuts, and he co-authored the Kemp-Roth Tax Cut in 1981 with Jack Kemp. Roth was also the legislative sponsor of the individual retirement account plan that bears his name, the Roth IRA, and was known as a fiscal conservative.

He was first elected to the U.S. House in 1966, was re-elected in 1968, and succeeded retiring incumbent John Williams in the Senate in 1971. He was re-elected in 1976, 1982, 1988 and 1994. He was defeated in the 2000 election by the Democratic candidate, Governor Thomas R. Carper.

A witty man but an unnatural campaigner, Roth would ease himself into public appearances by bringing along a Saint Bernard. His succession of St. Bernards through his 34-year political career became a trademark of sorts.

Election Results

Year	Office	Election		Subject	Party	Votes	Pct		Opponent	Party	Votes	Pct
1966	U.S. House	General		William V. Roth, Jr.	Republican	90,961	56%		Harris B. McDowell	Democratic	72,142	44%
1968	U.S. House	General		William V. Roth, Jr.	Republican	117,827	59%		Harris B. McDowell	Democratic	82,993	41%
1970	U.S. Senate	General		William V. Roth, Jr.	Republican	94,979	59%		Jacob W. Zimmerman	Democratic	64,740	40%
1976	U.S. Senate	General		William V. Roth, Jr.	Republican	125,454	56%		Thomas C. Maloney	Democratic	98,042	44%
1982	U.S. Senate	General		William V. Roth, Jr.	Republican	105,357	55%		David N. Levinson	Democratic	84,413	44%
1988	U.S. Senate	General		William V. Roth, Jr.	Republican	151,115	62%		S.B. Woo	Democratic	92,378	38%
1994	U.S. Senate	General		William V. Roth, Jr.	Republican	111,074	56%		Charles M. Oberly	Democratic	84,540	42%
2000	U.S. Senate	General		William V. Roth, Jr.	Republican	142,891	44%		Thomas R. Carper	Democratic	181,566	56%

References

• Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives Election Statistics. Retrieved September 17, 2005.

Preceded by: Harris B. McDowell, Jr.	U.S. Representative from Delaware (at large) 1967–1971	Succeeded by: Pierre S. du Pont, IV
Preceded by: John J. Williams	U.S. Senator from Delaware (class 1) 1971–2001	Succeeded by: Thomas R. Carper
Preceded by: Robert W. Packwood	Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance 1995–2001	Succeeded by: Max S. Baucus