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WISCONSIN
William Proxmire
Democrat
(1957-77)
William Proxmire has emphasized that there ate various measures of Senatorial
influence, but the vote is the cutting edge-the basis of decision on the big issues that
come before the United States Senate.
Proxmire has not missed a single roll call vote in the Senate since April, 1966.
In December, 1969 he cast his 1,000th consecutive vote, and became only the second
Senator in history to achieve this distinction. According to available Senate records,
only one other Senator, Margaret Chase Smith of Maine, has achieved the distinction
of answering to 1,000 consecutive roll call votes.
Although Proxmire did not miss a vote in forty-five months, this does not tell
the whole story. The Senator missed only six votes in all since the end of 1960.
Recognized as the watchdog for the taxpayer in the Senate, Proxmire
appropriately cast his 1,000th vote on final passage of the District of Columbia
Appropriations Bill. At that time, the Senator was Chairman of the Senate District
Appropriations Subcommittee and managed the bill on the floor.
One of the most dramatic episodes during this "perfect 1,000" record
happened when the Proxmire Truth-in-Lending Bill was signed into law. After eight
years of painstaking efforts and against vigorous opposition, Senator Proxmire had
piloted this bill through the Congress.
The measure was originally introduced by Senator Proxmire's former
colleague, Senator Paul H. Douglas of Illinois. After Douglas' retirement in 1966,
Proxmire carried on the fight for legislation to provide the consumer with an accurate
picture of the credit costs on the merchandise or services he buys.
The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 92 to 0 on July 11, 1967. But, it was
stalled in the House until a House measure was worked out and passed by a vote of
382 to 4 on February 1,1968. On May 22nd a compromise bill was drawn up by the
Senate-House Conferees, and by a voice vote in the House and the Senate was given
final approval a few hours later.
Upon its adoption by the Congress, Proxmire stated, "This legislation may be
more valuable to the consumer-borrower than any credit card in his wallet." He
added, "This law will require finance companies, banks, other lenders and retailers to
inform borrowers and credit customers in writing of finance charges—both in terms
of annual percentages and dollars and cents.
"In addition, advertisements mentioning any figures for credit will have to
include similar detailed information.
443
Object Description
| Title | Biographical miscellany, 1950s through 1980s |
| Description | These files from Proxmire's Senate office (Box 206, folders 15 and 16) contain biographical notes, clippings, press releases, and marketing pieces from the first half of his Senate career. Although most are undated and unattributed, the file contains a 7-page autobiographical statement from 1958 (pages 112-119), a 28-profile in Ralph Nader's "Citizens Look at Congress" series from 1972 (pages 6-34), "The Proxmire Record" from 1970 (120-140), and Proxmire's Senate passport (35-48). |
| Language | English |
| Decade | 1950-1959; 1960-1969; 1970-1979; 1980-1989; |
| Source | Box 206, folders 15 and 16 |
| Type | Article |
| Publisher-Electronic | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Publication Date-Electronic | 2012 |
| Rights | Copyright 2012 by the Wisconsin Historical Society (Madison, Wisconsin) |
| Digital Format | XML |
| Digital Identifier | MSS738000Biographical |
Description
| Title | Page 443 |
| Language | English |
| Decade | 1970-1979 |
| Subject | Legislation; Taxes; |
| Type | Article |
| Publisher-Electronic | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Publication Date-Electronic | 2012 |
| Rights | Copyright 2012 by the Wisconsin Historical Society (Madison, Wisconsin) |
| Digital Format | JPEG2000 |
| Digital Identifier | MSS738001 |
| Full Text | WISCONSIN William Proxmire Democrat (1957-77) William Proxmire has emphasized that there ate various measures of Senatorial influence, but the vote is the cutting edge-the basis of decision on the big issues that come before the United States Senate. Proxmire has not missed a single roll call vote in the Senate since April, 1966. In December, 1969 he cast his 1,000th consecutive vote, and became only the second Senator in history to achieve this distinction. According to available Senate records, only one other Senator, Margaret Chase Smith of Maine, has achieved the distinction of answering to 1,000 consecutive roll call votes. Although Proxmire did not miss a vote in forty-five months, this does not tell the whole story. The Senator missed only six votes in all since the end of 1960. Recognized as the watchdog for the taxpayer in the Senate, Proxmire appropriately cast his 1,000th vote on final passage of the District of Columbia Appropriations Bill. At that time, the Senator was Chairman of the Senate District Appropriations Subcommittee and managed the bill on the floor. One of the most dramatic episodes during this "perfect 1,000" record happened when the Proxmire Truth-in-Lending Bill was signed into law. After eight years of painstaking efforts and against vigorous opposition, Senator Proxmire had piloted this bill through the Congress. The measure was originally introduced by Senator Proxmire's former colleague, Senator Paul H. Douglas of Illinois. After Douglas' retirement in 1966, Proxmire carried on the fight for legislation to provide the consumer with an accurate picture of the credit costs on the merchandise or services he buys. The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 92 to 0 on July 11, 1967. But, it was stalled in the House until a House measure was worked out and passed by a vote of 382 to 4 on February 1,1968. On May 22nd a compromise bill was drawn up by the Senate-House Conferees, and by a voice vote in the House and the Senate was given final approval a few hours later. Upon its adoption by the Congress, Proxmire stated, "This legislation may be more valuable to the consumer-borrower than any credit card in his wallet." He added, "This law will require finance companies, banks, other lenders and retailers to inform borrowers and credit customers in writing of finance charges—both in terms of annual percentages and dollars and cents. "In addition, advertisements mentioning any figures for credit will have to include similar detailed information. 443 |