Was longest-serving member of the House until his death
Photo for Headline Surfer / Florida's longest serving Congressman, CW 'Bill' Young, shown here at left, died Friday. He was 82.
ORLANDO -- Gov. Rick Scott issued a statement earlier tonight from Orlando regarding today's passing of Florida U.S. Congressman C.W. "Bill" Young, 82, and the the longest-serving Republican in the House, who had been hospitalized in recent weeks at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
“Ann and I join all Floridians as we mourn the passing of Representative Bill Young," Scott said in a statement e-mailed to Headline Surfer and other Florida media outlets.
"As Florida’s longest serving member of Congress, Bill will be remembered as a true statesman and champion for the Tampa Bay area. He served with eight US presidents throughout his career, always putting the families of Florida first, and working across the aisle to find solutions."
Gov. Rick Scott issues a statement on the passing of Congressman Bill Young.
“Ann and I join all Floridians as we mourn the passing of Representative Bill Young," Scott said in a statement e-mailed to Headline Surfer and other Florida media outlets. "As Florida’s longest serving member of Congress, Bill will be remembered as a true statesman and champion for the Tampa Bay area. He served with eight US presidents throughout his career, always putting the families of Florida first, and working across the aisle to find solutions."
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio issued a press statement to Headline Surfer in remembrnce of Young, stating, “Floridians have lost one of the greatest public servants we’ve ever had in our state’s history. For over a half century, Bill fought tirelessly for the Tampa Bay region and to strengthen Florida’s role as a critical part of our national defense."
Rubio continued, "Largely because of Bill Young, many of our nation’s brave men and women in uniform have called Florida home at some point in their careers, with many of them spending their golden retirement years here. Throughout Bill’s career, our military and veterans have had no greater champion than him. My thoughts and prayers are with Bill’s wife, Beverly, and their entire family.”
FAST FACTS: Charles William "Bill" Young
Charles William "Bill" Young (December 16, 1930 - October 18, 2013) was the U.S. Representative for Florida's 13th congressional district, serving in Congress since 1971. He was a member of the Republican Party, and was at the time of his death the longest-serving Republican member of Congress. He served as chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations from 1999 to 2005 and sat on the Committee until his death. Young was born in Harmarville, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, in 1930. He grew up in a Pennsylvania coal town in a shotgun shack.
His father abandoned the family and a flood washed away their home at age 6. An uncle had a hunting camp in Florida, so the family moved there when he was 16. Young dropped out of St. Petersburg High School to support his ill mother and was wounded in a hunting accident. When he was 18, he joined the Army National Guard and served from 1948 to 1957.
After finishing his service at age 25, he applied for a job as an insurance salesman and ultimately ran an insurance agency. Young was elected to Congress in 1970 from what was then the 8th District and has been reelected 20 times. The district, which has changed numbers four times during Young's tenure (it was the 8th District from 1971 to 1973, the 6th District from 1971 to 1983, the 8th District again from 1983 to 1993, the 10th from 1993 to 2013 and has been the 13th since 2013) was once considered a Republican stronghold.
However, it has become much friendlier to Democratic candidates in recent years, at least on the national level. Since 1988, it has only supported a Republican for president once, in 2004. Despite the Democratic trend in his district at the national level, Young has usually skated to reelection. He has only twice received less than 60% of the vote, in 1992 and 2012.
Source: Wikipedia
Did You Know?
In a 1999 New York Times interview, GOP Congressman CW Bill Young of Florida, stated, "In my short life I've been shot, I've been hit by a truck, survived an airplane crash, I've had my chest opened and my heart rebuilt. And it's sort of hard to get me flustered after all that.
Source: Wikipedia
