William T. Conklin (April 28, 1908 – February 15, 1990) was an American politician from New York.
Inspired by the challenges faced by his son Billy, Conklin was one of a group of parents who formed the Guild for Exceptional Children,[3] and became a director of several other associations and medical facilities that cared for developmentally-disabled children.
[citation needed] Conklin entered politics as a Republican, and, after a second attempt, unseated the Democratic incumbent and was elected to the New York State Senate, representing the 14th district, in November 1956.
There he lobbied for the employment of developmentally-disabled persons as messengers and clerks by the state government in Albany, and sponsored legislation for mandatory tests of newborn babies for phenylketonuria.
[citation needed] He died on February 15, 1990, in Brooklyn's now-defunct Victory Memorial Hospital,[4] and was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery.