Bill Frenzel | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 3rd district |
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In office January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1991 |
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Preceded by | Clark MacGregor |
Succeeded by | Jim Ramstad |
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives | |
In office 1962–1970 |
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Personal details | |
Born |
William Eldridge Frenzel July 31, 1928 St. Paul, Minnesota |
Died |
November 17, 2014 (aged 86) McLean, Virginia |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Ruth Purdy (married June 9, 1951) |
Children | Deborah, Pamela, Melissa 2 grandchildren |
Residence | McLean, Virginia |
Alma mater | Dartmouth College (B.A. 1950, M.B.A. 1951) |
Website | Bill Frenzel – Brookings Institution |
Military service | |
Service/branch | United States Naval Reserve |
Years of service | 1951–54 |
Rank | Lieutenant |
Battles/wars | Korean war |
William Eldridge "Bill" Frenzel (July 31, 1928 – November 17, 2014) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota, representing Minnesota's Third District, which included the southern and western suburbs of Minneapolis.
Frenzel was educated at the Saint Paul Academy in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and earned both a B.A. (1950) and M.A. (1951) from Dartmouth College. He served as a lieutenant in the United States Naval Reserve during the Korean War from 1951 to 1954.
Frenzel served eight years in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1962 to 1970, prior to serving in the U.S. Congress. He was president of the No. Waterway Terminals Corp. (1965–70) and of Minneapolis Terminal Warehouse Company (1966–1970). He was a member of the executive committee for Hennepin County, Minnesota (1966–1967).
Frenzel was elected as a Republican to the 92nd, 93rd, 94th, 95th, 96th, 97th, 98th, 99th, 100th, and 101st congresses, serving from January 3, 1971 to January 3, 1991, and was the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee and a member of the influential Ways and Means Committee. He was a Congressional Representative to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in Geneva for 15 years. Frenzel became known as an expert in budget and fiscal policy, election law, trade, taxes and congressional procedures, and was a negotiator in the 1990 budget summit. During the Iran–Iraq war of the 1980s, Frenzel was a proponent of economic ties to the regime of Saddam Hussein, and opposed congressional efforts to condemn Iraqi war crimes such as the infamous Halabja chemical attack, the deadliest chemical-weapons attack in history, on the grounds that they would disrupt future trade with Iraq. He also served as vice chairman of the Committee on House Administration, and vice chairman of the Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards. He did not run for re-election to the House in 1990.