Bill Sarpalius

Who is Bill Sarpalius?

William Clarence "Bill" Sarpalius is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, who from 1989 to 1995 represented Texas' 13th congressional district, a large tract of land which includes the Texas Panhandle eastward to Wichita Falls, Texas.

Sarpalius was born in Los Angeles, CA. As a young boy, he, his two younger brothers, and their mother were homeless in Houston, Texas. In 1961, when he was thirteen, he and his brothers were placed at Cal Farley's Boys Ranch near Amarillo. By the time he was nineteen, Sarpalius was the state president of the Future Farmers of America. He first attended Clarendon College in Clarendon in Donley County. He subsequently received a Bachelor of Science degree in agribusiness from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, from which he was later named a distinguished alumnus. In 1972, Sarpalius was hired by Farley's Ranch as a vocational agriculture teacher at the school. In 1978, he left the ranch to return to school and received an M.B.A. from West Texas State University in Canyon, Texas. He then launched a career in agribusiness. He has a son, David William Sarpalius, from a former marriage.