Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer 1921 - 2011
WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER (1921-2011)
Mayor of Baltimore (Democrat), 1971-86
Governor (Democrat), 1987-95
Comptroller of Maryland (Democrat), 1999-2007
Member, City Council, Baltimore City, 1955-71.
President, City Council, Baltimore City, 1967-71.
Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, December 7, 1971 to December
1986.
Governor of Maryland, January 21, 1987 to January 18, 1995.
Died in Catonsville, Maryland, April 18, 2011.
Retrieved December 7, 2015 - While doing research for a separate but essentially unrelated article...
Chair, Board of Public Works, 1987-95. Board of Trustees,
Maryland Environmental Trust, 1987-95. Member, Maryland Veterans Home
Commission, 1987-95. Member, Appalachian Regional Commission, 1987-95;
Chesapeake Executive Council, 1987-95; Education Commission of the States,
1987-95; Interstate Mining Commission, 1987-95; Interstate Commission on the
Potomac River Basin, 1987-95; Southern Regional Education Board, 1987-95;
Susquehanna River Basin Commission, 1987-95.
Member, Board of Trustees, St. Mary's College of Maryland,
1995-2011; Board of Visitors, Towson University, 1995-2011. Chair, Maryland
Commission for Celebration 2000, 1997-2000. Board of Directors, Maryland
African American Museum Corporation, 1998-2001. Member, Western Maryland
Economic Development Task Force, 1998-2002.
Comptroller of Maryland, January 25, 1999 to January 22,
2007.
Member, Board of Public Works, 1999-2007. Member, State Use
Industries Advisory Committee, 1999; Maryland Higher Education Investment
Program Board, 1999-2003; State Information Technology Board, 1999-2004;
Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, 1999-2007; Banking Board,
1999-2007; Board of State Canvassers, 1999-2007; Capital Debt Affordability
Committee, 1999-2007; Commission on State Debt, 1999-2007; Maryland Industrial
Development Financing Authority, 1999-2007; Maryland Food Center Authority,
1999-2007; Hall of Records Commission, 1999-2007; Maryland State Employees
Surety Bond Committee, 1999-2007; Board of Revenue Estimates, 1999-2007. Chair,
Board of Trustees, State Retirement and Pension Systems, 2002-07 (member,
1999-2007). Chair, Task Force to Study the Maryland Heritage Structure
Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program, 2003. Member, Task Force to Study the
Financial Impact of Retired Military Service Personnel on the Economy of the
State, 2003; College Savings Plans of Maryland Board, 2003-07; Governor's Task
Force on Centralized Bidder Registration for Minority Business Procurement,
2004-05; Task Force on the Exemption of Law Enforcement Officers' Pensions from
Taxation, 2004-05; State Planning Committee for Higher Education, 2004-07; Task
Force to Study Retiree Health-Care Funding Options, 2005; Governor's Commission
on Maryland Military Monuments, 2005-07; Advisory Committee on the Naming of
State Facilities, Roads, and Bridges, 2005-07; Blue Ribbon Commission to Study
Retiree Health-Care Funding Options, 2006-07.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, November 2, 1921. Attended
Baltimore public schools; Baltimore City College; University of Baltimore
School of Law, LL.B., 1942. Served in U.S. Army (World War II). Colonel (ret.),
U.S. Army Reserve. President, Maryland Association of Counties, 1980. Delegate,
Democratic Party National Convention, 1988, 1992. Honorary Co-Chair, Baltimore
City Historical Society, 2002-. Jefferson Award-Greatest Public Service by an
Elected or Appointed Official, American Institute for Public Service, 1979.
Distinguished Public Service Award, Brandeis University, 1984. Dr. Nathan Davis
Award for Outstanding Government Service, American Medical Association, 1989.
Award of Special Recognition, Maryland Legal Services Corporation, 1989, 1993.
H. Vernon Eney Endowment Fund Award, Maryland Bar Foundation, 1994. Schools for
Success Lifetime Achievement Award, State Department of Education, 1999.
Baltimore's Most Influential, Baltimore Business Journal, 1999. Golden Rule
Award, J. C. Penney, 1999. Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award, B'nai B'rith,
2000. Revisionary Award, Revisions Foundation, 2000. Louis V. Koerber
Patriotism Award, National Flag Foundation, 2000. Glenn I. Kirkland Award,
Alzheimer's Association, 2000. Spirit of Public Relations Award, Maryland
Chapter, Public Relations Society of America, 2000. Award, Maryland Underage
Drinking Prevention Coalition, 2001. Award for Charitable and Continuous
Support, Greater Baltimore Area Salvation Army, 2001. President's Award,
Preservation Maryland, 2002. Leadership Award, Maryland Tourism Industry, 2002.
Speaker's Medallion, House of Delegates, 2002. National Award of Merit, Board
of Governors, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, 2003. Governor's Award for
International Leadership, World Trade Institute, 2003. Leadership Award,
Maryland's County Engineers, 2003. First William Donald Schaefer Tourism Award,
Department of Business and Economic Development, 2003. Woodrow Wilson Award for
Public Service, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 2003. Friend
of Maryland Education, Citigroup and State Department of Education, 2003. Ann
Miller Partnership Award, Maryland Food Bank, 2003. Educational Award, Learning
for Life Division, Baltimore Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, 2003.
Recognition Award, Maryland Association of Counties, 2004. First Citizen Award,
Maryland Senate, 2007. The Order of the Ark and the Dove, St. Mary's College of
Maryland, 2007.
Died in Catonsville, Maryland, April 18, 2011.
WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER
William Donald Schaefer - elected November 1998 as the 32nd
Comptroller of Maryland - served in public office for 45 years at both the
State and local level. He was Governor of Maryland, 1987 to 1995; Mayor of
Baltimore City, 1971 to 1987; President of the Baltimore City Council, 1967 to
1971; and a member of the Baltimore City Council, 1955 to 1967.
Governor Schaefer was a life-long Maryland resident, born in
West Baltimore on November 2, 1921 to William Henry and Tululu Irene Schaefer.
He was educated in Baltimore's public schools and graduated from Baltimore City
College in 1939. Mr. Schaefer received his law degree in 1942.
Mr. Schaefer's legal career was put on hold by the entry of
the United States into World War II. He joined the U.S. Army, achieved officer
rank, and took charge of administering hospitals in England and Europe.
Following his tour of duty, he remained in the U.S. Army Reserves, retiring in
1979 with the rank of Colonel.
After the war, Mr. Schaefer resumed his legal career,
practicing real estate law. He earned a Master of Law degree in 1954 from the
University Of Baltimore School Of Law and formed a general practice law firm
with two colleagues. His concern for city planning and housing in the City
propelled him to a seat on the Baltimore City Council in 1955.
In 1967, Mr. Schaefer ventured into citywide politics by
running successfully for President of the Baltimore City Council. Four years
later, he also ran successfully for Mayor, serving four consecutive terms until
he was elected Governor in 1986.
Former Governor Schaefer held the Schaefer Chair at the
University of Maryland's School of Public Affairs in conjunction with the Johns
Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies. He was actively involved in a
project to revitalize the Hampden area of Baltimore, working with interns from
Hopkins. Before his election as Comptroller, Mr. Schaefer was Of Counsel at the
law firm of Gordon, Feinblatt, Rothman, Hoffberger & Hollander, LLC, in
downtown Baltimore. In 1997, Governor Parris N. Glendening appointed Schaefer
as Chair of the Maryland Commission for Celebration 2000, the State's official
agency to plan and implement an observance of the millennium.
Former Governor Schaefer also was involved with many civic
and charitable organizations and served on the boards of several nonprofit
organizations, as well as State and local colleges.
He was the recipient of fifteen honorary degrees; the
President's Medal, Johns Hopkins University; the Jefferson Award for Public
Service by an elected official; the Vernon Eney Award, Maryland Bar Foundation;
and the Distinguished Service Award, Maryland Democratic Party.
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