Changes

{{Infobox officeholder

{{Infobox officeholder

| name=William Cato "Bill" Cramer, Sr.

|name=William Cato "Bill" Cramer, Sr.

| image=William C. Cramer of FL.jpg

|image=William C. Cramer of FL.jpg

| office=[[United States Representative]]<br> for  [[Florida]]'s 1st, 12th, and 8th congressional districts at various times

|office=[[United States Representative]]<br> for  [[Florida]]'s 1st, 12th, and 8th congressional districts at various times

| term_start=January 3, 1955

|term_start=January 3, 1955

|term_end=January 3, 1971

|term_end=January 3, 1971

|predecessor=Courtney Warren Campbell

|predecessor=Courtney Warren Campbell

|battles=Liberation of [[France]] in [[World War II]]}}

|battles=Liberation of [[France]] in [[World War II]]}}

'''William Cato Cramer, Sr.''' (August 4, 1922 &ndash; October 18, 2003), was the first [[Republican Party|Republican]] since 1880  to have been elected to the [[United States House of Representatives]] from the state of [[Florida]]. He represented three different congressional districts during his House tenure from 1955 to 1971. He was an [[attorney]] in St. Petersburg in Pinellas County.. First elected in 1954 at the age of thirty-two, he went on to win repeated reelection bids until 1970, when he ran unsuccessfully for the [[United States Senate]].

'''William Cato Cramer, Sr.''' (August 4, 1922 &ndash; October 18, 2003), was the first [[Republican Party|Republican]] since 1880  to have been elected to the [[United States House of Representatives]] from the state of [[Florida]]. He represented three different congressional districts during his House tenure from 1955 to 1971. He was an [[attorney]] in St. Petersburg in Pinellas County. First elected in 1954 at the age of thirty-two, he went on to win repeated reelection bids until 1970, when he ran unsuccessfully for the [[United States Senate]].

==Background==

==Background==

Born in the capital city of [[Denver]], [[Colorado]], Cramer moved with his parent, Walter B. Cramer (1893-1979) and Doreen E. Cramer (1899-1965),<ref name=findagrave/> to St. Petersburg, often called "St. Pete," when he was only three years of age.  After the census of 2000, St. Petersburg became the fourth largest city in the state. He attended public [[Segregation|segregated]] schools and graduated from St. Petersburg High School, at which he waged his first political campaigns by running for student government. He then attended St. Petersburg Junior College, the first public community college in Florida. Cramer grew up with a strong work ethic: as a teenager, he held a variety of jobs. Before entering the [[University of North Carolina]] at Chapel Hill to complete an undergraduate degree, he worked as a bellhop at a resort hotel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/30150884?seq=1|author=Billy Hathorn|title=Cramer v. Kirk: The Florida Republican Schism of 1970|publisher=''The Florida Historical Quarterly'' Vol. LXVII, No. 4 (April 1990)|page=404}}</ref>

Born in the capital city of [[Denver]], [[Colorado]], Cramer moved with his parents, Walter B. Cramer (1893-1979) and Doreen E. Cramer (1899-1965),<ref name=findagrave/> to St. Petersburg, often called "St. Pete," when he was only three years of age.  After the census of 2000, St. Petersburg became the fourth largest city in the state. He attended public [[Segregation|segregated]] schools and graduated from St. Petersburg High School, at which he waged his first political campaigns by running for student government. He then attended St. Petersburg Junior College, the first public community college in Florida. Cramer grew up with a strong work ethic: as a teenager, he held a variety of jobs. Before entering the [[University of North Carolina]] at Chapel Hill to complete an undergraduate degree, he worked as a bellhop at a resort hotel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/30150884?seq=1|author=Billy Hathorn|title=Cramer v. Kirk: The Florida Republican Schism of 1970|publisher=''The Florida Historical Quarterly'' Vol. LXVII, No. 4 (April 1990)|page=404}}</ref>

In 1943, Cramer enlisted in the [[United States Navy]]. With his degree, he was commissioned as a gunnery officer and fought to liberate France during [[World War II]]. After the war, he served in the  Navy Reserve until 1946. That same year, Cramer graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the [[University of North Carolina]] in Chapel Hill. In 1948, he graduated from [[Harvard Law School]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambrige]], [[Massachusetts]].

In 1943, Cramer enlisted in the [[United States Navy]]. With his degree, he was commissioned as a gunnery officer and fought to liberate France during [[World War II]]. After the war, he served in the  Navy Reserve until 1946. That same year, Cramer graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the [[University of North Carolina]] in Chapel Hill. In 1948, he graduated from [[Harvard Law School]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambrige]], [[Massachusetts]].

===Senatorial election of 1970===

===Senatorial election of 1970===

In 1970, at the urging of [[U.S. President]] [[Richard M. Nixon]], Cramer relinquished his House seat after seven terms to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the Democrat [[Spessard Holland]]. Cramer won the Republican [[primary]] over George Harrold Carswell (1919-1992), a circuit court judge whom Nixon had earlier in the years nominated to fill a vacancy on the [[United States Supreme Court]]. The nomination was rejected by a majority of the Senate in part because Carswell had been a [[segregation]]ist in his native [[Georgia]]. Carswell had the support of then [[Governor]] Claude Kirk and U.S. Senator [[Edward Gurney]], who served a single term from 1969 to 1974. Cramer defeated Carswell in the primary, 220,553 votes (64.6 percent) to 121,281 (35.4 percent). However, Cramer lost the [[general election]] to the Democrat [[Lawton Chiles]], known as "Walking Lawton" because he walked a large swath of the state as a campaign tool. After three terms in the Senate, Chiles was elected governor in 1990, but Cramer never again sought public office after the Senate bid.<ref> "Cramer v. Kirk," p. 425.</ref> Cramer received 772,817 votes (46.1 percent) and gained crossover votes of 61,716 more ballots than the number of registered Republicans in Florida at that time. Chiles' 902,438 tabulation (53.9 percent) was less than half of registered Democrats, but he gained majorities in fifty-five counties, compared to thirteen counties for Cramer.<ref>State of Florida, General election returns, November 3, 1970.</ref>

In 1970, at the urging of [[U.S. President]] [[Richard M. Nixon]], Cramer relinquished his House seat after seven terms to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the Democrat [[Spessard Holland]]. Cramer won the Republican [[primary]] over George Harrold Carswell (1919-1992), a circuit court judge whom Nixon had earlier in the years nominated to fill a vacancy on the [[United States Supreme Court]]. The nomination was rejected by a majority of the Senate in part because Carswell had been a [[segregation]]ist in his native [[Georgia]]. Carswell had the support of then [[Governor]] [[Claude Kirk]] and U.S. Senator [[Edward Gurney]], who served a single term from 1969 to 1974. Cramer defeated Carswell in the primary, 220,553 votes (64.6 percent) to 121,281 (35.4 percent). However, Cramer lost the [[general election]] to the Democrat [[Lawton Chiles]], known as "Walking Lawton" because he walked a large swath of the state as a campaign tool. After three terms in the Senate, Chiles was elected governor in 1990, but Cramer never again sought public office after the Senate bid.<ref> "Cramer v. Kirk," p. 425.</ref> Cramer received 772,817 votes (46.1 percent) and gained crossover votes of 61,716 more ballots than the number of registered Republicans in Florida at that time. Chiles' 902,438 tabulation (53.9 percent) was less than half of registered Democrats, but he gained majorities in fifty-five counties, compared to thirteen counties for Cramer. While Cramer went down to defeat, so did Kirk, who was handily unseated by the Democrat [[Reubin Askew]].<ref>State of Florida, General election returns, November 3, 1970.</ref>

Governor Kirk also lost his bid for a second term to the Democrat [[Reubin Askew]]. Kirk and Cramer were the candidates at the top of the Florida ballot, but they had never been close politically. The feuding between the two played some part in the defeat of both men.  

Governor Kirk also lost his bid for a second term to the Democrat [[Reubin Askew]]. Kirk and Cramer were the candidates at the top of the Florida ballot, but they had never been close politically. The feuding between the two played some part in the defeat of both men.