Bill Schulz

William R. Schulz (born April 4, 1931) is an American businessman who was an independent candidate for Governor of Arizona in the 1986 gubernatorial election, and was the Democratic nominee against Barry Goldwater in the 1980 U.S. Senate election.

Early life, career and education Bill Schulz was born in Des Moines, Iowa on April 4, 1931, to Herman Schulz and Ellen Margaret Hazelrigg. He attended Greenwood Elementary School. Bill graduated from the Kentucky Military Institute in 1949, and the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1954. He served as a United States Army officer in West Germany from 1954 to 1957, reaching the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. He resigned his commission to focus on a career in business, and attended Harvard University's business school, graduating in 1959.

Following his graduation from Harvard Business School, Schulz founded his own business, known as Homesmith, which offered home repair services in the Palo Alto, California area. Schulz then founded W. R. Schulz and Associates, which owned and managed 88 garden apartment properties in the Phoenix metropolitan area. As of 2026, W. R. Schulz still manages Forest Park Apartments b. 1962 (3800 N. 6th Ave.: 308 units) and Fountains in the Green b. 1955 (3019 N. 14th St.: 327 units) in the midtown Phoenix area. Schulz is credited with getting the Apartment Renter's Tax Relief Bill passed through the state legislature, which led to his involvement in politics. His campaign slogan was "Energy for the Eighties," and Schulz won the Democratic nomination, defeating two other candidates. In the general election, Schulz lost by a very narrow margin, with Goldwater receiving 49.5% to Schulz's 48.4%. Schulz then decided to re-enter the race, but was required to do so as an independent candidate, as he was not able to seek the Democratic nomination. In September 1986, Schulz collected enough signatures to be placed on the November ballot as an independent. Despite Schulz leading in many polls leading up to the election, Republican nominee Evan Mecham was elected as Governor, due to the race being split into a three-way contest, and causing the Democratic nominee Carolyn Warner to lose by a narrow margin to Mecham. Mecham would be impeached from office only two years later, but the 1986 gubernatorial race ended Schulz's political career and he returned to the private sector.