K. William Stinson

Kaye William “Bill” Stinson (April 20, 1930 – January 9, 2002) was an American businessman, naval officer, and Republican politician who served one term as a United States Representative from the State of Washington from 1963 to 1965. During his tenure in the House of Representatives, he participated in the legislative process at a pivotal moment in American history, representing the interests of his Washington constituents and contributing to national debates on civil rights and domestic policy.

Stinson was born on April 20, 1930, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was educated in the Grand Rapids public schools and continued his studies at Grand Rapids Junior College, where he attended for two years. He then enrolled at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, graduating in 1952. His early academic training in Michigan provided the foundation for his subsequent work in industry and public service.

Following his graduation, Stinson entered the executive training program of the Westinghouse Electric Company, beginning a career in the private sector that would later inform his legislative interests. In January 1953, amid the post–World War II and Korean War era, he enlisted in the United States Navy. He attended Officers’ Candidate School and served as a naval officer until June 1956. His military service during this period reflected both the expanding global role of the United States and the growing importance of technically trained officers in the armed forces.

After leaving active duty, Stinson relocated to the Pacific Northwest, where he was employed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation in Seattle, Washington, from 1956 to 1959. He subsequently worked as a manufacturer’s representative in the marine and sporting goods industry from 1959 to 1962. These positions connected him closely with the economic life of Washington State, particularly its maritime and outdoor recreation sectors, and helped establish his ties to the region he would later represent in Congress.

Stinson was elected as a Republican to the Eighty-eighth Congress and served as a Representative from Washington from January 3, 1963, to January 3, 1965. His single term in office coincided with a significant period in American history marked by the civil rights movement, the early stages of the Great Society programs, and intensifying Cold War tensions. As a member of the House of Representatives, K. William Stinson participated in the democratic process and contributed to the legislative work of the chamber. Notably, he voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, supporting one of the most consequential pieces of civil rights legislation in the twentieth century. A member of the Republican Party, he sought to represent the interests and concerns of his Washington constituents while engaging with national policy issues. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1964 to the Eighty-ninth Congress, bringing his formal congressional service to a close after one term.

In his later years, Stinson continued to reside in Washington State and remained identified with the community he had served. He lived in Battle Ground, Washington, prior to his death. On January 9, 2002, while vacationing with his wife and daughter in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Kaye William “Bill” Stinson died, closing a life that had spanned service in business, the United States Navy, and the U.S. House of Representatives.