William C. Wampler Sr.
| William C. Wampler Sr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 9th district |
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In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1983 |
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| Preceded by | W. Pat Jennings |
| Succeeded by | Rick Boucher |
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In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1955 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas B. Fugate |
| Succeeded by | W. Pat Jennings |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Creed Wampler April 21, 1926 Pennington Gap, Virginia |
| Died | May 23, 2012 (aged 86) Bristol, Virginia |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Baker Lee McCall |
| Alma mater | Virginia Tech (B.A.) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1943–1945 |
| Unit | U.S. Naval Reserve |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
William Creed Wampler Sr. (April 21, 1926 – May 23, 2012) was a Virginia newspaperman, businessman and Republican politician who served multiple terms in the United States House of Representatives.
Born in Pennington Gap near the center of Lee County, Virginia, on April 21, 1926 to hardware store proprietor John Sevier Wampler and his schoolteacher wife, the former Lilian May Wolfe, the child nicknamed Bill Wampler attended the public schools in Bristol, Virginia. He had two older brothers (John S. Wampler Sr. and James A. Wampler) and as the Great Depression ended the family had a live-in maid/lodger.
When Wampler became old enough to enlist, he did, in the United States Navy on May 21, 1943. Thus, during World War II, he served as a seaman for twenty-eight months until discharged on September 29, 1945. He then continued as a member of the Naval Reserve, V-6 for many years. Using the GI Bill, Wampler resumed his education and graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, Virginia with a degree in political science in 1948. He then began studying law at the University of Virginia from 1948 to 1950, but left before receiving a degree.
He married Mary Elizabeth Baker on August 23, 1953 in Scott, Tennessee, and they had a son, William Creed Wampler, Jr. (who would later represent Virginia's 40th Senatorial District) before divorcing in 1976. On July 25, 1977, he remarried in the Episcopal Church in Bristol, to Mary Lee McCall Frackelton.
Wampler worked as a reporter for The Tennessean in 1950 and 1951. He then became a reporter and editorial writer for Big Stone Gap (Virginia) Post in 1951. Wampler then moved to Bristol, Virginia on the Tennessee line where he worked as reporter and copy editor for the Bristol Herald Courier in 1951 and 1952.
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