William Donald Schaefer

William Donald Schaefer (1990)

William Donald Schaefer (born November 2, 1921 in Baltimore , Maryland , † April 18, 2011 in Catonsville , Baltimore County , Maryland) was an American politician . He was governor of the state of Maryland from 1987 to 1995 .

Early years and political advancement

Schaefer attended elementary school in his hometown of Baltimore and then until 1939 the Baltimore City College . He then studied law at the University of Baltimore . His training was interrupted by World War II, in which he participated as an officer in the US Army . Between 1942 and 1945 he was employed in the administration of military hospitals in England and other European countries. Schaefer remained a member of the military reserve until 1979, where he became a colonel.

After the war he became a lawyer in Baltimore. He joined the Democratic Party and ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Maryland House of Representatives in 1950 and 1954 . In 1955 he was elected to the Baltimore City Council and became its chairman in 1967. Between 1971 and 1987 he was the mayor of Baltimore . During his tenure, Bishop L. Robinson became the city's first African American police chief.

Governor of maryland

In 1986, Schaefer was elected the new governor of Maryland. He took up his new office on January 21, 1987 and, after being re-elected in 1990, was able to hold office until January 18, 1995. During his tenure, Oriole Park , a stadium in Baltimore, was built. The standards were raised in the public schools. At that time, an electrified railway line was also built, which improved local transport around Baltimore. Despite his membership in the Democratic Party, he supported the Republican candidate George Bush against Bill Clinton in the 1992 presidential election .

After the end of his term as governor, Schaefer returned to legal work for a large law firm until 1999. In 1999 he applied for the position of State Comptroller of the State Comptroller of Maryland . Louis L. Goldstein, who died the previous year, had held this office since 1959. Schaefer clearly prevailed against the Republican Mark Epstein and, as a former governor still endowed with great popularity, was re-elected with a large majority in 2002. In 2006 he sought a third term, but lost the Democratic primary against Peter Franchot , who later also won the actual election, and thus retired from political life.

Web links

• William Schaefer in the National Governors Association (English)
• William Donald Schaefer in the database of Find a Grave (English)