William Ross Cotter was a Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 member of the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

.

He was born in Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...

 and graduated from Trinity College

Trinity College (Connecticut)

Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...

 in 1949.

In 1953, he was elected to the city's court of common council and from 1955–1957 served as an aide to Governor Abraham Ribicoff.

He then served as Connecticut's deputy insurance commissioner from 1957 to 1964 and as insurance commissioner

Insurance commissioner

Insurance commissioner is an executive office in many U.S. states, some in the state cabinet. The office differs state by state:...

 from 1964 through 1970.

He was elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-second and to the five succeeding Congresses and served from January 3, 1971, until his death in East Lyme, Connecticut

East Lyme, Connecticut

East Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 18,118 at the 2000 census. The latitude of East Lyme is 41.353N...

 on September 8, 1981. In 1982, the William R. Cotter Federal Building

William R. Cotter Federal Building

The William R. Cotter Federal Building is a historic post office, courthouse, and federal office building located at Hartford in Hartford County, Connecticut. It was the courthouse for United States District Court for the District of Connecticut until 1963....

at Hartford was named in his honor.