William H. Gray (Pennsylvania politician)

William Herbert Gray III ( born August 20, 1941 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; † on 1 July 2013 ) was an American politician. Between 1979 and 1991 he represented the State of Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Career

William Gray attended the public schools of his home and thereafter until 1959, the Simon Gratz High School in Philadelphia. He then completed until 1963, the Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster. Until 1970 he studied at various educational institutions theology; after that he worked as a clergyman. He also worked as a teacher at various schools in New Jersey. Politically, he joined the Democratic Party.

In the congressional elections of 1978, Gray was in the second electoral district of Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, DC chosen, where he on 3 January 1979, the successor of Robert NC Nix took. After six re- elections he could remain until his resignation on 11 September 1991 at the Congress. From 1985 to 1989 he was chairman of the Budget Committee. He also served from 15 June 1989 until his resignation as Whip of the Democratic majority faction; his successor in this post came to David E. Bonior.

After the end of his time in the U.S. House of Representatives was William Gray between 1991 and 2004 president of the United Negro College Fund. In 1994 he was foreign policy adviser to the federal government for matters relating to Haiti. He then worked as a private businessman. He sat on the Board of Directors of various companies, including JPMorgan Chase, Dell, Prudential Financial and Pfizer. Until 2007 he worked also for the Bright Hope Baptist Church. Most recently, he was employed by the lobbying firm Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney in Washington. With his wife Andrea, he was the father of three sons.