US EditionLongtime Montana Congressman, Legislator Pat Williams Dies at 87
- John Pat Williams, Montana's longest-serving U.S. House member, died at 87 on June 25, 2025, in a Missoula hospital.
- Williams first entered politics in 1966 as a Montana state representative from Silver Bow County and ran unsuccessfully for U.S. House in 1974 before winning in 1978.
- He served nine consecutive terms from 1979 to 1997, becoming Montana’s longest-serving congressman and sponsoring major legislation like the 1987 Children with Disabilities Act.
- Williams won 51% in the challenging 1992 election against Republican Ron Marlenee, using a populist message that resonated with eastern Montana farmers recovering from 1980s debt.
- His family announced his body will lie in state in Helena's Capitol Rotunda with a July celebration in Missoula, honoring his lifelong advocacy for Montana's people, culture, and wilderness.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Buffalo News
Former Montana US Rep Pat Williams, who won a liberal- conservative showdown, dies at 87
Pat Williams, a New Deal-style Democrat who won Montana's great liberal-conservative showdown of 1992 to become the state's lone voice in the U.S. House of Representatives, has died. He was 87. His family said in a statement that Williams died…
Obit: Pat Williams, longtime Montana congressman, dead at 87
Congressman Pat Williams in Butte died on June 25, 2025. (Courtesy photo) Pat Williams once said, “If you want to know who someone really is, give them power and see what they do with it.” What our father did with his life was defend the underdog, protect our wild lands, defend the working poor, arts and culture, Native people, and children with disabilities. He served 18 years in Congress, more consecutive terms in the U.S. House than anyone in…
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Pat Williams, Montana’s longest-serving U.S. House member, dies at 87
Pat Williams, Montana’s longest-serving member of the U.S. House, died Wednesday evening in a Missoula hospital.
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