William Oswald Mills Sr. (August 12, 1924 – May 24, 1973), was a Republican U.S. congressman who represented the 1st congressional district of Maryland from May 25, 1971, until his death in Easton, Maryland, on May 24, 1973.
Life and career
Mills was born in Bethlehem, Maryland, on August 12, 1924. He attended Caroline County, Maryland, public schools. After graduating from Federalsburg High School in 1941, he then pursued military service. He served in the U.S. Army in 1942, during World War II, as part of general George Patton's Third Army during the crossing of the Rhine River in Germany and was awarded the Bronze Star. After the war, he worked his way up in rank as the manager of the offices of: Easton, Maryland; Preston, Maryland; and Cambridge, Maryland, of the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company from 1946 to 1962. Beginning in 1962, he served on the staff of then-congressman Rogers Morton as a Democrat until finally becoming a Republican in 1970. When Morton was appointed United States Secretary of the Interior by U.S. President Richard Nixon in 1971, Mills won the special election to succeed him in Maryland's 1st District in the 92nd Congress.
Death
On the morning of May 24, 1973, Mills was found dead at a stable near his home in Easton, Maryland, at the age of 48. There was an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the left side of his chest, and a 12-gauge shotgun and spent casing were found by his side.
It was reported that he had been depressed following the death of three of his Congressional aides in a 1972 car accident, and by the fact that his mentor and predecessor, Rogers Morton, was suffering from cancer.
While Mills initially stated that he had done nothing wrong, he began worrying that the campaign contribution would destroy his political career.