William Donlon Edwards (January 6, 1915 – October 1, 2015) was an American politician of the Democratic Party and a member of the United States House of Representatives from California for 32 years in the late 20th century.
Edwards was a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1940 to 1941, when he joined the United States Navy as a naval intelligence and gunnery officer during World War II.
[2] Edwards was one of eight members of the Judiciary Committee to vote for all five articles of impeachment drafted against President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal.
The others were Jack Brooks, Robert Kastenmeier, John Conyers, Barbara Jordan, Charles Rangel, Elizabeth Holtzman and Edward Mezvinsky.
[6] Santa Clara County Supervisor Zoe Lofgren, one of his former aides, won a crowded Democratic primary for the seat and still holds it today.
[1] He was remembered by media outlets as, "a champion of civil and constitutional rights during his three decades on Capitol Hill" and someone who " stood up for women, for workers, for the environment.