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 William Donald Schaefer -- elected the 32nd comptroller of Maryland in November 1998 and re-elected in November 2002 -- has served in public office since 1955. He was governor of Maryland, 1987 to 1995; mayor of Baltimore City, 1971 to 1987; president of the Baltimore City Council, 1967 to 1971; and member of the Baltimore City Council, 1955 to 1967.
Comptroller Schaefer is a life-long Maryland resident, born in Baltimore on November 2, 1921, to William Henry and Tululu Irene Schaefer. He was educated in Baltimore's public schools, graduating from Baltimore City College in 1939. Schaefer received his J.D. degree in 1942 from the University of Baltimore School of Law. Schaefer's legal career was put on hold by the U.S. entry into World War II. He joined the U.S. Army in 1942, achieved officer rank and took charge of administering hospitals in England and the European continent.
Following his tour of duty, he remained in the U.S. Army Reserves and retired in 1979 with the rank of colonel. After the war, Schaefer resumed his legal career, practicing real estate law. He earned a Master of Law degree in 1954 from the University of Baltimore School of Law and formed a general practice law firm with two colleagues. His concern for city planning and housing issues propelled him to a seat representing the 5th District on the Baltimore City Council in 1955.
In 1967, Schaefer ventured into citywide politics by running successfully for Baltimore City Council president. Four years later, he ran successfully for the mayor's office where he served for four consecutive terms until he was elected the 58th governor of Maryland in 1986. Since 1995, Schaefer has held the Schaefer Chair at the University of Maryland's School of Public Affairs in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies, an endowed program which provides scholarship assistance to deserving students.
Prior to his election as Comptroller, Schaefer was of counsel to the law firm of Gordon, Feinblatt, Rothman, Hoffberger & Hollander, LLC, in Baltimore. In 1997, Governor Parris Glendening appointed Schaefer chairman of the Maryland Commission for Celebration 2000, the state's official organization to plan and implement an observance of the millennium. Following that, in 1998, he was elected to his current position of comptroller. In 1998, he was elected Maryland's 32nd comptroller and was re-elected in 2002.
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