Bill Gradison facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bill Gradison
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio
In office January 3, 1975 – January 31, 1993
Preceded by	Tom Luken
Succeeded by	Rob Portman
Constituency	1st district (1975–1983) 2nd district (1983–1993)
Mayor of Cincinnati
In office 1971
Preceded by	Eugene P. Ruehlmann
Succeeded by	Tom Luken
Personal details
Born	Willis David Gradison Jr. (1928-12-28) December 28, 1928 (age 96) Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	Yale University (BA) Harvard University (MBA, DCS)

Willis David "Bill" Gradison Jr. (born December 28, 1928) is an American politician from Ohio. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1993.

Early Life and School

Bill Gradison was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He went to Walnut Hills High School. After high school, he studied at Yale University and earned a bachelor's degree in 1949. He then went to Harvard University for business, getting two more degrees in 1951 and 1954.

Career in Government

Bill Gradison started his career working in banking. Later, he worked for the U.S. government. He was an assistant to important leaders in the Treasury Department and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare from 1953 to 1957.

Serving Cincinnati

From 1961 to 1974, Gradison was a member of the Cincinnati city council. In 1971, he became the Mayor of Cincinnati. At that time, the mayor's job rotated among the council members.

Serving in Congress

In 1974, Bill Gradison was elected to the United States House of Representatives. He started serving in 1975. He was the first Jewish person from Ohio to be elected to the U.S. Congress.

He first represented Ohio's 1st district. After the 1980 population count, his district was renumbered as the 2nd district. He served in Congress until 1993. He left Congress to become the president of the Health Insurance Association of America.

Important Tax Laws in the 1980s

During the 1980s, Bill Gradison was a member of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee. This committee handles important laws about taxes and money. He helped create several major laws.

Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981

One big law he helped with was the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981. Bill Gradison suggested a part of this law that made sure income tax brackets would automatically adjust for inflation. This meant people wouldn't pay higher taxes just because prices went up. This idea was very popular and became a key part of President Reagan's tax cut bill.

Social Security Reform Act of 1983

Gradison also played a big role in reforming the Social Security system in the early 1980s. Social Security is a program that provides money to retired people and others. He helped pass the Social Security Reform Act of 1983.

He suggested two important ideas that became law:

• Making sure death records of Social Security recipients were computerized. This helped prevent payments from going to people who had already passed away.
• Moving the Social Security Trust Funds "off-budget." This meant the money for Social Security would be separate from the general government budget. This helped keep politics out of how Social Security was managed.

Tax Reform Act of 1984

Bill Gradison was also involved in the 1984 tax reform. He helped clarify how "fringe benefits" should be taxed. Fringe benefits are extra perks from a job, like health insurance or a company car. Before this law, it was confusing how the IRS (the tax agency) should handle them. His bill helped make the rules clear, which was a big part of the Tax Reform Act of 1984.

Tax Reform Act of 1986

He also contributed to the 1986 tax reform. He asked for a study to see how much corporate tax rates could be lowered if a certain tax credit was removed. The study showed that corporate tax rates could drop from 46% to 39% without losing government money. This idea was included in the new law, which eventually lowered top corporate tax rates to 34%.

Life After Congress

After Bill Gradison left Congress in 1993, Rob Portman, another Republican, took his place.

In 2002, Gradison was appointed to a new group called the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). This board was created to make sure public companies report their money honestly. He served on this board until 2011.

He also became a commissioner for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). This group advises the U.S. Congress on issues related to Medicare, which is a health insurance program for older Americans. He served there for six years.

As of 2022, he is on the board of directors for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

See also

• List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
• List of United States representatives from Ohio