William Rieger

William W. Rieger (November 2, 1922 – December 11, 2009) was a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

William W. Rieger
Rieger's official House portrait
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 179th district
In office
1969 – November 30, 2006[1]
Preceded byDistrict created
Succeeded byTony Payton
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the Philadelphia County district
In office
1967–1968
Personal details
BornNovember 2, 1922
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DiedDecember 11, 2009(2009-12-11) (aged 87)
Temple University Hospital[2]
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseLucy Yacovetti
OccupationLegislator
Military service
Allegiance United States
Battles/warsWorld War II

He is a 1941 graduate of Simon Gratz High School.[3]

He was first elected to represent the 179th legislative district in 1966. During 40 year legislative career representing one of the state's poorest districts, he had only two bills passed into law (both in the 1970s).[4] One dealt with loan calculations and another was about stop signs.[4] His last measure to be enacted was a resolution declaring May 1983 to be "High Blood Pressure Month."[5] The last bill he co-sponsored was in 1990.[4] He served the Democratic party as chair of the board of directors of the 43rd Ward Democratic Executive Committee.[6] He also served as co-chairman of the Philadelphia Legislative Delegation in the House.[6]

He was criticized by his 1988 Democratic Primary opponent Benjamin Ramos for distributing campaign literature containing an "earthy Spanish term for excrement," which Rieger said was a printing mistake.[7]

In a 2002 PoliticsPA Feature story designating politicians with yearbook superlatives, he was named "Missing in Action."[8] In 2003, he was criticized by The Philadelphia Inquirer for his legislative inactivity and his absence from his district.[5] He countered absenteeism claims by pointing to his ill health: he battled prostate cancer and received a coronary stent in 2002.[4] Regarding his legislative inactivity, he said, "I could introduce 100 bills tomorrow. They wouldn't go anywhere. They would all be lies. And I don't want to lie to the people," he said.[4]

He retired prior to the 2006 elections. He died on December 11, 2009, from a brain hemorrhage.[2][9]

References
  1. Per Article II, Section 2 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, the legislative session ended on November 30, 2006
  2. Mondics, Chris (December 14, 2009). "William Rieger, served 40 years in Pa. House". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2009-12-15.
  3. "William W. Rieger (Democrat)". Official Pennsylvania House of Representatives Profile. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Archived from the original on 2006-01-10.
  4. "State lawmaker has record of inactivity". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. 2003-04-13.
  5. "A missing man, a shallow record in Pa. House, N. Phila.'s Rep. William Rieger hardly ever shows up for work in Harrisburg. "I'm a sickly 80-year-old man," he says". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 2003-04-13.
  6. "Biography". Official Pennsylvania Democratic Caucus Biography. Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus. Archived from the original on 2006-10-18.
  7. "Rieger Political Literature Gets Opened to Interpretation". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 1998-04-02.
  8. "Keystone State Yearbook Committee". PoliticsPA. The Publius Group. 2001. Archived from the original on 2002-08-03.
  9. "Retired Rep. Rieger dies". Associated Press. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 14, 2009. Archived from the original on December 17, 2009.
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