William Lester "Bill" Armstrong (born March 16, 1937) is an American businessman and politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

. He is member of the Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 party and was a United States Representative and Senator from Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

. Armstrong was born in Fremont, Nebraska

Fremont, Nebraska

Fremont is a city in and the county seat of Dodge County, Nebraska, United States, near Omaha in the eastern part of the state. The population was 26,397 at the 2010 census....

. After attending Tulane University

Tulane University

Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...

 and the University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

 without receiving a degree, he served in the United States National Guard

United States National Guard

The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...

 from 1957 to 1963.

In 1972, Armstrong was elected a United States Representative to the 93rd Congress

93rd United States Congress

The Ninety-third United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1973 to January 3, 1975, during the end of Richard...

. He was reelected to the 94th

94th United States Congress

The Ninety-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 1977, during the administration...

 and 95th Congress

95th United States Congress

The Ninety-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1977 to January 3, 1979, during the first two years...

es (January 3, 1973–January 3, 1979). In 1978, Armstrong was elected to the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

, defeating Democratic incumbent Floyd K. Haskell

Floyd K. Haskell

Floyd Kirk Haskell was a United States Senator from Colorado, and a member of the Democratic Party. He graduated from Harvard University 1937; graduated from Harvard Law School 1941; admitted to the New York and Colorado bars in 1946 and commenced practice in Denver, Colorado.; served in the...

. He was reelected in 1984 and served from January 3, 1979, to January 3, 1991. While serving in the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

, Armstrong was the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee (99th

99th United States Congress

The Ninety-ninth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1985 to January 3, 1987, during the fifth and sixth...

 through 101st Congress

101st United States Congress

The One Hundred First United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1989 to January 3, 1991, during the first two...

es). Armstrong opted to retire and did not seek reelection in 1990.

Armstrong is currently the president of Colorado Christian University

Colorado Christian University

Colorado Christian University is a private, interdenominational Christian liberal arts university in Lakewood, Colorado in the United States...

, having served in that position since 2006.

External links