Schulz, William R., 1931-

Prominent Phoenix businessman and politician.

William R. Bill Schulz was born on April 4, 1931 in Des Moines, Iowa. He graduated from the Kentucky Military Institute in 1949 and from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1954. After resigning his commission to focus on a career in business he attended Harvard Business School and graduated in 1959. He and his wife Lelia (married 1954) have three daughters, Ellen, Lelia, and Cindy.

Schulz was the founder and executive manager of Homesmith, Inc., based in Palo Alto, California (1959-1963 May). Homesmith offered a new service of home repair to homeowners in the Palo Alto area. He was also the founder and President of W. R. Schulz and Associates (WRSA) from 1965 to 1983. The firm owned and managed 88 garden apartment properties comprising 12,800 units mainly in the Phoenix Metropolitan area. Despite operating in a highly volatile industry, WRSA was never sued by a partner, lender, or supplier. In the course of housing over 250,000 renter households, WRSA enjoyed a reputation for upholding renter and employee interests. Schulz built his apartment empire on the motto He who serves best profits most.

Schulz was responsible for pushing the Apartment Renter's Tax Relief Bill through the Legislature. During this process, he acquired a taste for and appreciation of politics and was inspired to run for office. In the 1978 Arizona Governor's Campaign, Schulz ran on the Democratic ticket and was opposed in the primary election by Wesley Bolin (incumbent governor) and Dino DeConcini. He launched his Goals for Arizona campaign using research accumulated during trips around the state. He withdrew from the race in March 1978 after the death of Governor Wesley Bolin. Schulz lent his support to Bruce Babbitt, the former Attorney General, who became Governor upon Bolin's death.

In the 1980 Arizona Senate Campaign, Schulz entered the race as the third Democrat (with Jim McNulty and Frank DePaoli) seeking to earn the primary nomination and run against longtime Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater. Schulz used Energy for the Eighties as his campaign slogan. He lost the race to Goldwater by a small margin.

In the 1986 Arizona Governor's Campaign, Schulz announced his intent to run for governor again early in 1984. He had to withdraw from the race in 1985 due to his daughter's poor health. He re-entered the race as an Independent candidate in September of 1986 after obtaining enough signatures to place him on the ballot. Although most politicians believed that Schulz would not be able to obtain the requisite number of signatures, Schulz and his family and friends were able to obtain approximately three times the number needed. He re-entered the race to campaign against Evan Mecham (R) and Carolyn Warner (D). He was defeated by Evan Mecham and chose not to run for office again.

Schulz conducted extensive research for this campaign, traveling around Arizona and spending time in correctional facilities, universities, community colleges, and primary and secondary schools. He traveled to fifteen other states, including North Carolina, Iowa, and Utah, to speak with legislators of both parties to develop a plan for improving Arizona. Schulz wrote up his research findings in The Arizona Governor .