William J. Green Jr. Explained

Image Name:William J. Green, Jr. (Pennsylvania Congressman).jpg
State:Pennsylvania
District:5th
Term Start:January 3, 1949
Term End:December 21, 1963
Preceded:George W. Sarbacher Jr.
Succeeded:William J. Green III
Term Start2:January 3, 1945
Term End2:January 3, 1947
Preceded2:C. Frederick Pracht
Succeeded2:George W. Sarbacher Jr.
Birth Date:5 March 1910
Birth Place:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Death Place:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Resting Place:Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Spouse:Mary Kelly
Children:6, including William III Anne Green Michals
Relatives:Bill Green IV (grandson)
Party:Democratic
Alma Mater:St. Joseph's College
Allegiance: United States
Branch:United States Army
Serviceyears:1944
Rank:Private

William Joseph Green Jr. (March 5, 1910  - December 21, 1963) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

Biography

William J. Green was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Irish immigrants. He graduated from St. Joseph's Preparatory School, and attended St. Joseph's College in Philadelphia. He was engaged in business as an insurance broker in Philadelphia in 1937. He served in the United States Army as a private in the Quartermaster Corps from March 22, 1944, to December 4, 1944.

He was elected to Congress in 1944, and after a defeat in the Republican landslide year of 1946, was reelected to Congress in 1948 and every two years thereafter until his death at age 53. He had been elected Democratic City Chairman in 1953, and, in that role, held until his death, he helped solidify Philadelphia as a Democratic stronghold.

Green died of peritonitis and gall bladder complications in Philadelphia on December 21, 1963[1] and was interred at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania.[2] He was succeeded in Congress by his son, William J. Green III, who was 25 years old at the time of his first election, and later became Mayor of Philadelphia.

The William J. Green Jr. Federal Building, at 6th and Arch streets in Philadelphia, is named for him.

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Rep. Green, 53, Philadelphia Leader, dies . Chicago Tribune . December 22, 1963.
  2. Web site: Green, William Joseph, Jr. . www.bioguide.congress.gov . Biographical Directory of the United States Congress . 26 October 2022.