William Cramer, 81; Congressman Called ‘Mr. Republican’
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Former U.S. Rep. William C. Cramer, 81, the first Republican congressman from Florida since Reconstruction, died Oct. 18 in South Pasadena, Fla., of complications of a recent heart attack.
The Denver-born, Florida-reared Cramer was a Harvard-trained lawyer when he was elected to the Florida Legislature in 1950. He lost his first bid for Congress in 1952, but was narrowly elected in 1954.
Earning the title “Mr. Republican,” Cramer helped build the Republican Party in Florida and across the region. He served eight terms in the House, from 1955 to 1971.
After losing a 1970 bid for the U.S. Senate, he remained active in Republican Party politics while practicing law in Washington.
He represented Florida on the Republican National Committee for 20 years and was its general counsel for six.
He also was an unpaid advisor to his friend Gerald R. Ford during Ford’s vice presidential confirmation hearings, and Cramer’s law firm served as an intermediary in talks that led to Ford’s pardon of former President Nixon.
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