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.

Edwards was one of eight members of the Judiciary Committee to vote for all five articles of impeachment drafted against President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal. The others were Jack Brooks, Robert Kastenmeier, John Conyers, Barbara Jordan, Charles Rangel, Elizabeth Holtzman and Edward Mezvinsky. Three of the five articles were adopted prior to Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974.

Edwards was one of the House impeachment managers appointed by the House of Representatives in 1988 to conduct the impeachment trial of Alcee Hastings, judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. However, he was replaced as an impeachment manager before the trial started. However, in 1989, he was appointed and served as a House impeachment manager in the impeachment trial of Walter Nixon, judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. Edwards was the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Civil Liberties and Civil Rights for 23 years. Edwards was not a candidate for reelection to the 104th Congress. Santa Clara County Supervisor Zoe Lofgren, one of his former aides, won a crowded Democratic primary for the seat and still holds it today.

Personal life and death Don Edwards was married three times; he was married to Edith Wilkie Edwards from 1981 until her death in 2011. He turned 100 in January 2015. He died later that year on October 1, 2015. He was remembered by media outlets as, "a champion of civil and constitutional rights during his three decades on Capitol Hill" and someone who "stood up for women, for workers, for the environment."

Legacy Edwards received the Congressional Distinguished Service Award in 2003.