William "Bill" Sarpalius (born January 10, 1948) is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, having represented the Texas Panhandle district from 1989 to 1995.

Sarpalius was born in Los Angeles. As a young boy Bill, his two younger brothers and mother were homeless living in Houston, Texas. At the age of 13 he and his brothers were placed at Cal Farley's Boys Ranch near Amarillo. At the age of eighteen, he became the State President of the Future Farmers of America. He first attended Clarendon College in Clarendon. He received a bachelor's degree in agribusiness from Texas Tech University in Lubbock. In 1972, Sarpalius was hired by Farley's Ranch as a teacher at the school. In 1978, he left the ranch to return to school and received an M.B.A. from West Texas State University in Canyon. He then entered into an agribusiness career.

In 1980, Sarpalius successfully ran for a seat in the Texas State Senate. He served in this body until 1989, having been elected in 1988 to the national Congress. While serving in the House, he was a member of the Agricultural Committee. Sarpalius was one of a number of Congressman involved in drafting the North American Free Trade Agreement guidelines. As a Lithuanian-American, Sarapalius was actively involved in calling for American aid to the newly independent country of Lithuania. Because of his efforts he was awarded the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas by the President of Lithuania in 1998.

During the 1994 elections, Sarpalius was one of a large number of Democrats unseated in the Republican Revolution. Afterward, he was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton as a top official in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He is currently the chief executive officer of Advantage Associates, a powerful Washington consulting firm made up of former elected officials.

[edit] External links

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post