William L. Armstrong, a Colorado media executive who became a major conservative voice in the Senate, died July 5. He was 79.
Mr. Armstrong was first elected to the Senate in 1978 and served two terms, spending much of his time on economic issues. He sponsored an amendment to a 1981 tax bill that indexed federal income tax brackets to compensate for inflation.
In 1981, Mr. Armstrong led conservative opposition to then-President Ronald Reagan’s proposed budget, contending that the administration was not doing enough to cut long-term federal deficits. The move forced the administration to compromise.
Two years later, as a member of a Reagan-appointed commission to come up with a plan to solve Social Security’s financial problems, Mr. Armstrong said proposed solutions were focusing too much on raising Social Security taxes and not enough on cutting benefits. Mr. Armstrong fought a losing battle for his proposal to raise the retirement age for Social Security recipients.
He was also a sponsor and a leading advocate of a proposed constitutional amendment to require a balanced federal budget.
“His strong conservative views mainly centered around economic issues rather than social issues,” said Bob Loevy, a political science professor at Colorado College, in a 2012 interview.
Mr. Armstrong’s career in elected office began in 1962 when he won a seat in the Colorado legislature at age 25. He eventually became majority leader of the state Senate. In 1972, Mr. Armstrong moved to the U.S. House of Representatives, winning election from a newly created seat in the eastern suburbs of Denver. He was easily reelected twice.
In 1978, Mr. Armstrong ran for the Senate seat held by Democrat Floyd Haskell. He won an easy primary victory and in the general election took 59 percent of the vote. In 1984, Armstrong easily defeated his Democratic opponent.
William Lester Armstrong was born in Fremont, Neb., on March 16, 1937.
He started working in radio at a young age, at stations in his home town and elsewhere in Nebraska. At 22, Mr. Armstrong bought a radio station on the outskirts of Denver, KOSI-AM, beginning a career that made him a millionaire.
He was also president of KEZW in Denver and president of Ambassador Media, which owned television stations in Pocatello and Twin Falls, Idaho, and Jackson, Wyo.
He served as president of the Sun newspaper in Colorado Springs.
Mr. Armstrong grew up in the Presbyterian Church and became a Lutheran when he married Ellen M. Eaton in 1962. In the 1970s, he had what he called a “conversion experience” that made him a more committed Christian. After that experience, he said, he became more tolerant of other people’s opinions.
“So even though I am certain of what I believe, I am more accepting of other opinions on other subjects,” he told the Associated Press. “My own limitations and shortcomings remind me not to be too critical of the failings of others.”
He served as the director of Campus Crusade for Christ from 1991 to 2008.
His business roles included serving as chairman of three mortgage companies and as a director of Helmerich & Payne, an oil and gas drilling business.
Besides his wife, survivors include two children, Anne and Wil.
— Associated Press
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