Ballenger, William Lincoln

William S. Ballenger III was born in Flint, Mich. on Mar. 28, 1941. He graduated from Princeton University, magna cum laude, in 1962. He then returned to Michigan and served as the Republican State Central Committee's Director of Research and then as Chairman of the Shiawassee County Republican Party. He married Virginia Lee "Bunny" Woodward in 1964, and the couple have had two children - Josephine and William S. the Fifth. Ballenger was elected to the State House of Representatives in 1968 and to the State Senate in 1970. A bid for election to the U.S. Congress failed in 1974. From 1975-76, Ballenger served in the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, first as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation and then as Assistant to the Secretary of HEW for Special Projects. In 1977, Michigan Governor William G. Milliken appointed Ballenger Director of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulation. In 1981, Ballenger left this position to run for the U.S. Senate. As part of his campaign, he undertook a well-publicized 1,043 mile walk, which began in Sault Ste. Marie and ended in Detroit. His Senate bid was unsuccessful, and in 1982, he began his service as Michigan Racing Commissioner, a post that he held until 1985. Shortly thereafter, Ballenger began his career as a Michigan political pundit. He became the editor and publisher of a newsletter, "Inside Michigan Politics," and a political talk show host on Lansing radio station WKAR.

From the description of William S. Ballenger papers, 1969-1982. (State Archive of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 43711492

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