William Todd Akin (July 5, 1947 – October 3, 2021) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Missouri's 2nd congressional district from 2001 to 2013.

After receiving his bachelor's degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, Akin served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and worked in the computer and steel industries.

Akin, who had won the Republican primary in a crowded field, led McCaskill in pre-election polls until he said that women who are victims of what he called "legitimate rape" rarely get pregnant.

[7] The company eventually passed to his grandfather, William Akin, and then to his father Paul, a third-generation graduate of Harvard University who served as an officer in the Navy during World War II.

[10] After leaving active duty, Akin sold large computer systems for IBM, then worked as a manager in his family's steel business.

degree in 1984 from Covenant Theological Seminary where he studied Greek, Hebrew, and a socially conservative interpretation of the Christian scriptures.

Ultimately, the governor refused to sign the funding bill due to Akin's amendment, which would have prohibited nurses from telling students about sources for information about abortion.

[27] In 2000, Akin ran in the Republican primary election to fill the House seat vacated by U.S. Representative Jim Talent, who was running for governor.

Light voter turnout caused by heavy rains helped Akin win the tight, five-way primary by just 56 votes; he defeated two better-known candidates, former St. Louis County Executive Gene McNary and State Senator Franc Flotron.

[32] For most of his tenure, Akin was listed in the official House roll as "R-St. Louis," even though his district didn't include any portion of the city of St.

[29] In late June 2011, Akin objected to NBC's recent removal of the words "under God" from a video clip of school children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

[41] During his 2012 U.S. Senate bid, Akin reaffirmed his opposition to legislation like the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which he voted against as a Congressman.

He also said the bill would "weaken the private health care system" and lead the country "further down the slippery slope to socialized medicine.

"[44] He voted against federally funded school breakfasts and lunches, and called student loans "a stage-three cancer of socialism".

He opposed repeal of the Dover Policy, which banned media coverage of caskets of troops returning home from overseas, citing privacy and decorum issues.

[49] Other candidates in the August 2012 Republican primary included businessman John Brunner,[50] author and business executive Mark Memoly,[51] and former Missouri Treasurer Sarah Steelman who had backing from the Tea Party.

[52][53] Despite losing some momentum and in a crowded field, Akin won the Republican nomination in the August 7 open primary, 36% to 30% for his nearest challenger.

However, he continued to vote as a Town and Country resident, and signed a polling place logbook attesting to his living there in April 2011.

[57][58] In a local news interview, on August 19, 2012, whilst discussing abortion, Akin claimed that victims of what he described as "legitimate rape" very rarely become pregnant.

[59]The comments from Akin, which came as he ran for the U.S. Senate seat held by Claire McCaskill, almost immediately led to widespread uproar.

[70] While some colleagues such as Iowa congressman Steve King[71] and Tennessee state senator Stacey Campfield[72] supported Akin, senior figures in both parties condemned his remarks and some Republicans called for him to resign.

[73][74][75] In the resulting furor, Akin received widespread calls to drop out of his Senate race from both Republicans and Democrats.

[77]The incident was seen as having an impact on Akin's senate race and the Republicans' chances of gaining a majority in the U.S. Senate,[78] by making news in the week before the 2012 Republican National Convention and by "shift[ing] the national discussion to divisive social issues that could repel swing voters rather than economic issues that could attract them".

[1] After the election, between November 2012 and August 2013, Akin received $111,000 in donations that in part were for the 2018 Senate primaries, however he left after his term finished on January 3, 2013.

[48] Akin and his wife lived for many years in his childhood home, a house owned by his father in affluent Town and Country, Missouri.