House 1963-66 (District 30); House 1967-70 (District 30A)
Party when first elected: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus
Counties Served:
Hennepin
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Date of Birth:
7/31/1928
Birth Place:
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Birth County:
Ramsey
Birth Country:
United States
Date of Death:
11/17/2014
Gender:
Male
Religion:
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names:
Bill
City of Residence (when first elected):
Golden Valley
Occupation (when first elected):
Vice-President, Warehousing and Trucking Firm, Minneapolis Terminal Warehouse Company
EDUCATION
St. Paul Academy, St. Paul, Minnesota; Elementary School;
St. Paul Academy, St. Paul, Minnesota; Secondary;
Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire; B.A.; Business Administration, 1950
Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire; M.B.A.; Business Administration, 1951
OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE
Military:
United States Navy (Korean Theater);
1951 to 1954
U.S. Representative:
3rd Congressional District, Minnesota;
01/03/1971 to 01/03/1991
[Elected]
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Spouse:
Ruth (Ruthy) Purdy
Children:
Three children: Deborah (Debby), Pamela (Pam), and Melissa (Mitty) (daughters)
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:
GENERAL NOTES
He was a member of the Republican Party.
"Former U.S. Sen. Rudy Boschwitz...said Frenzel was an acknowledged expert on trade and tax law, and 'he was so well-respected, his views so well-balanced, that he really achieved a great deal even though he was never in the majority in the 20 years he served in the House.'" ("Longtime Congressman Championed Bipartisanship." Star Tribune, November 18, 2014)
"Mr. Frenzel had remained active in public policy debates until this year. ...(H)e had been appointed to governmental panels by presidents of both parties since ending his 20-year career in Congress. In September, President Obama reappointed him to the White House Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, to which Mr. Frenzel was first named by President George W. Bush in 2002; he was chairman from 2002 to 2011." ("Bill Frenzel, 86, Key Voice on Economics in House." New York Times, November 18, 2014)
"One of his most noteworthy achievements came while working for the Clinton White House: getting members of his own party to support NAFTA. Frenzel said in later interviews that he set up shop in an office on the House side and met with every Republican caucus member to convince them free trade with Mexico and Canada was a good idea." ("Longtime Congressman Championed Bipartisanship." Star Tribune, November 18, 2014)
In 2014 he was awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle by the Mexican government, its highest honor for foreigners, for his work on NAFTA.
The emperor of Japan awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun—2nd Class, Gold and Silver Star in 2000 for enhancing international relations between the United States and Japan.
He was co-founder of the Economic Club of Minnesota.
He was a guest scholar at the Brookings Institution since 1991.