Don Edwards

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.

Early life

Edwards was born in San Jose, California to Republican parents. His father and grandfather owned a land title business.¹ After graduating from San Jose High School, Edwards earned a B.A. from Stanford University in 1936, where he was member of the Stanford golf team. Edwards then attended Stanford Law School² and was admitted to the bar in 1940.

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. In 1950, he was elected president of the California Young Republicans, resigning after joining the United World Federalists.¹ Perceiving the Republican Party as becoming too conservative, he became a Democrat prior to his first congressional election victory in 1962.²³ He was the president of Valley Title Company of Santa Clara County from 1951 to 1975, and a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions of 1964 and 1968.