William M. Donnelly was a politician from the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

.

Donnelly, of Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

, was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate from Michigan's 1st congressional district

Michigan's 1st congressional district

Michigan's 1st congressional district is a United States Congressional district containing the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan as well as part of the Lower Peninsula. Currently the district is represented by Republican Dan Benishek.-Geography:...

 in a contest for a seat in the U.S. House in three consecutive elections. He lost all three to Republican Robert H. Clancy

Robert H. Clancy

Robert Henry Clancy was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Clancy was born in Detroit, Michigan, where he attended the public schools. He graduated from the literary department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1907 and he later studied law there for one year...

 in 1926, 1928 and 1930 for the 70th, 71st and 72nd Congresses. He was a member of the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee

Michigan Democratic Party

The Michigan Democratic Party is the state-level party of the United States Democratic Party in Michigan. It is based in Lansing. Mark Brewer is the current Party Chair.-Current officeholders:...

 and a delegate to Democratic National Convention

Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...

 from Michigan in 1928 and 1944.

Donnelly was a member of Michigan House of Representatives from Wayne County

Wayne County, Michigan

-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...

1st District, 1933-34. He was defeated in the primaries for that seat in 1934 and 1940. Four years later he was again elected and served from 1945 until his death the following year at the age of sixty.