Hardy Williams

Hardy Williams (April 14, 1931 – January 7, 2010)^[1] was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 8th district from 1983 to 1998.

Hardy Williams
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 8th district
In office January 4, 1983 – November 30, 1998
Preceded by	Paul McKinney
Succeeded by	Anthony Hardy Williams
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 191st district
In office January 5, 1971 – November 30, 1982
Preceded by	Paul Lawson
Succeeded by	Peter Daniel Truman
Personal details
Born	April 14, 1931 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	January 7, 2010(2010-01-07) (aged 78) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Political party	Democratic

Background

He faced criticism in the 1980s for questions over his campaign finance practices.^[2] In 1998, he retired hours before the deadline to file nominating petitions, allowing his son Anthony Hardy Williams the opportunity to run unopposed for his father's 8th senatorial district seat.^[3] The younger Williams had already filed his nominating petitions to run for his House seat, so he remained on both ballots. He resigned his House seat when he won both elections simultaneously.^[4]

Hardy Williams died on January 7, 2010, at the Kearsley Home in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia.^[5][6]

References

1. "Biography - Hardy Williams Education Fund". Archived from the original on 2011-02-19. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
2. "IN PA. CAMPAIGN-FINANCE DISCLOSURES, ALL IS NOT CLEAR". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 1987-05-01. In 1985, state Sen. Hardy Williams rented a building on the 5100 block of Walnut Street in West Philadelphia to house his legislative office and his campaign headquarters. The bill for the year was $18,725. Half the money came from the taxpayers, from a Senate account that pays the rent on district offices. Half came from Williams' campaign fund, money contributed by individuals and political action committees to help his re-election effort.
3. "PA. LEGISLATIVE SEATS HAVE A WAY OF STAYING IN THE FAMILY \ TWO RETIRING STATE SENATORS ARE LIKELY TO BE SUCCEEDED BY SONS. OPPONENTS MAY BE SORE, BUT IT'S NOT UNUSUAL". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 1998-09-07. Only hours before the spring deadline to file nominating petitions for a fifth term in the state Senate, Philadelphia Democrat Hardy Williams announced that he would not run again. But even at the eleventh hour, one Democrat had no problem coming up with the 500 signatures he needed to become a candidate: Williams' son, State Rep. Anthony Hardy Williams. The younger Williams knew a couple of days ahead of time that his father was thinking of retiring.
4. Cox, Harold (November 3, 2004). "Pennsylvania House of Representatives - 1999-2000" (PDF). Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
5. "Former Pa. State Sen. Hardy Williams, 78". Philadelphia Inquirer. January 8, 2010.
6. Shields, Jeff; Walter F. Naedele; Mario F. Cattabiani (Jan 7, 2010). "Former Pa. State Sen. Hardy Williams, 78". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2010-02-11.

External links

• Hardy Williams (D) at the Wayback Machine (archived October 9, 1997)