POLITICS: Former Sen. William Proxmire Has Died, page 1

Former Wisconsin Democrat Senator William Proxmire has died. He was 90 years of age. Proxmire was elected to the Senate when that seat was vacated when Senator Joseph McCarthy died in 1957. Proxmire is probably most noted for his Golden Fleece Awards that were intended to highlight wasteful government spending, including SETI, for which he later apologized.

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Former Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire has died this morning at the age of 90.

Proxmire served in the U.S. Senate from 1957 to 1989. Showing fierce tenacity during his 32-year career, Proxmire was known for his maverick tendencies and his populist fights.

The Democrat used his trademark "Golden Fleece Awards" to spotlight examples of wasteful government spending. He was also highly critical of President Reagan's tax cuts and the massive federal debt of the early '80s.

He was author of seven books, including The Fleecing of America in 1980.

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Proxmire was a colorful character who championed causes that many might have found easy to ignore, his Golden Fleece Awards being one example. Unfortunately, Proxmire often exposed spending on basic research that eventually yielded important scientific breakthroughs. He was even sued by one of the award recipients for defamation. He also gave a speech in Congress every day imploring the body to ratify "The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide." After 20 year and 3,211 speeches, the convention was finally ratified.

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[edit on 2005/12/15 by GradyPhilpott]