imported>Historyobsessor: Added his vote on the Abandoned Shipwrecks Act of 1987

2025-03-28T02:52:23Z

Added his vote on the Abandoned Shipwrecks Act of 1987

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{{short description|American politician}}
{{Other uses|William Chappell (disambiguation){{!}}William Chappell}}

{{More citations needed|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name =Bill Chappell
| image =WVChappell Jr.jpg
| birth_date={{birth date|1922|2|3}}
| birth_place =[[Kendrick, Florida]]
| death_date={{Death date and age|1989|3|30|1922|2|3}}
| death_place=[[Bethesda, Maryland]]
| state1 = [[Florida]]
| district1 = [[Florida's 4th congressional district|4th]]
| term_start1=January 3, 1969
| term_end1=January 3, 1989
| preceded1 = [[Syd Herlong]]
| succeeded1 =[[Craig James (politician)|Craig James]]
| office2 = [[List of Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives|Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives]]
| term_start2 = April 4, 1961
| term_end2 = November 9, 1962
| predecessor2 = Tom Beasley
| successor2 = [[Mallory Horne]]
| office3= Member of the [[Florida House of Representatives]]
| term_start3 = November 2, 1954
| term_end3 = November 3, 1964
| predecessor3= [[C. Farris Bryant]]
| successor3= William G. O'Neill
| constituency3= [[Marion County, Florida|Marion County]]
| term_start4 = November 8, 1966
| term_end4 = November 5, 1968
| predecessor4 = William G. O'Neill
| successor4 = [[Buddy MacKay]]
| constituency4= [[Citrus County, Florida|Citrus]], [[Hernando County, Florida|Hernando]], [[Marion County, Florida|Marion]], and [[Sumter County, Florida|Sumter]] Counties (1966–67)<br>30th district (1967–68)
| party =[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]
| birthname = William Venroe Chappell, Jr.
| spouse = Jeane Brown Chappell
| allegiance = {{flag|United States}}
| branch = {{flag|United States Navy}}
| serviceyears = 1942–1946 (USN)<br />1946–1983 (USNR)
| rank =[[Image:US-O6_insignia.svg|15px]] [[Captain (United States)|Captain]]
| unit =
}}


'''William Venroe Chappell Jr.''' (February 3, 1922 – March 30, 1989) was an American [[World War II]] veteran and [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] politician from [[Florida]] who served in the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] from 1969 to 1989.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=C000321|title=Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress - Retro Member details|website=bioguideretro.congress.gov|access-date=2020-04-20}}</ref>

==Early life, education and military service==
Born in [[Kendrick, Florida]], Chappell graduated from the [[University of Florida]] with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] in 1947 and a [[Bachelor of Laws]] in 1949. The [[Bachelor of Laws]] was exchanged for a [[Juris Doctor]] in 1967.

=== Military service ===
He served in the [[United States Navy]], aviator from 1942 to 1946. He retired as a captain from [[United States Navy Reserve]] in 1983.

==Legal career and government service==
Chappell began his legal career as a prosecuting attorney in [[Marion County, Florida|Marion County]] from 1950 to 1954. He later was a member of the law firm of Chappell and Rowland in [[Ocala, Florida|Ocala]].

Chappell represented Marion County in the [[Florida House of Representatives]] from 1954 to 1964, and served as [[List of Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]] from 1961 to 1963. He did not seek reelection in 1964 but was elected again in 1966 from a district encompassing Marion, [[Citrus County, Florida|Citrus]], [[Hernando County, Florida|Hernando]], and [[Sumter County, Florida|Sumter]] Counties.

=== Congressional career ===
When incumbent Congressman [[Syd Herlong]] retired in 1968, Chappell ran for and was elected to [[Florida's 4th congressional district]]. He was re-elected nine times.

Chappell was a moderate to conservative Democrat and served on the [[United States House Appropriations Committee]]. At the time of his defeat he was serving as chairman of the [[United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense]].

Chappell voted for the [[Abandoned Shipwrecks Act|Abandoned Shipwrecks Act of 1987]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=TO SUSPEND THE RULES AND PASS S 858, ABANDONED SHIPWRECK … -- House Vote #532 -- March 29, 1988 |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/100-1988/h532 |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=GovTrack.us |language=en}}</ref> The Act asserts United States title to certain abandoned shipwrecks located on or embedded in submerged lands under state jurisdiction, and transfers title to the respective state, thereby empowering states to manage these cultural and historical resources more efficiently, with the goal of preventing [[Treasure hunting|treasure hunters]] and salvagers from damaging them. President [[Ronald Reagan]] signed it into law on April 28, 1988.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Laws - Division of Historical Resources - Florida Department of State |url=https://dos.fl.gov/historical/archaeology/underwater/laws/#:~:text=On%2028%20April%201988,%20President,authority%20over%20those%20abandoned%20shipwrecks. |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=dos.fl.gov}}</ref>

He was defeated in the [[1988 United States House of Representatives elections|1988 general election]] by [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Craig James (politician)|Craig James]], losing narrowly 50.2–49.8%.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Florida Department of State - Election Results|url=https://results.elections.myflorida.com/Index.asp?ElectionDate=11/8/1988&DATAMODE=|access-date=2020-07-09|website=results.elections.myflorida.com}}</ref>

== Personal life and legacy ==
Chappell married the former Jeane Brown on September 28, 1985. He was a resident of [[Ocala, Florida]], until his death in [[Bethesda, Maryland]], on March 30, 1989, from bone cancer.

The [[Port Orange Causeway]], spanning the [[Halifax River]], in [[Port Orange, Florida]], was named the ''Congressman William V. Chappell Jr. Memorial Bridge'' by the Florida Legislature in 1989.

The [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs|U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs]] Outpatient Clinic in [[Daytona Beach, Florida]], was posthumously named after him.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{CongBio|C000321}}
* {{C-SPAN|1000532}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-hs}}
{{US House succession box|
state=Florida|district=4|
before=[[Syd Herlong]]|
after= [[Craig James (politician)|Craig James]] |
years=1969–1989}}
{{s-end}}

{{U.S. Florida Representatives}}
{{Bioguide}}
{{Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chappell, Bill}}
[[Category:1922 births]]
[[Category:1989 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Marion County, Florida]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives]]
[[Category:University of Florida alumni]]
[[Category:Florida lawyers]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida]]
[[Category:United States Navy officers]]
[[Category:United States Navy reservists]]
[[Category:Deaths from bone cancer in the United States]]
[[Category:Fredric G. Levin College of Law alumni]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in Maryland]]
[[Category:United States Navy pilots of World War II]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Florida Legislature]]

Bill Chappell - Revision history

imported>Historyobsessor: Added his vote on the Abandoned Shipwrecks Act of 1987