Former Boca Raton Councilman and State Representative William D. Hager has died at the age of 74. He served on the Boca Raton City Council from 2002 to 2009 and as deputy mayor from 2004 to 2005 before winning a seat in the Florida House of Representatives.
Hager served in the Florida House from 2010-18.
Hager Had Been Diagnosed With Terminal Disease Years Ago
In a news report by Sun-Sentinel, Hager had been battling a terminal lung disease for the last six years. But his “great vigor for life” never quivered, his daughter Mackenzie Hager, 33, was quoted as saying by the daily.
Hager, to his family and friends, was more than a politician who had a career that went on for decades.
Madison Weinstein, 32, told the newspaper that Hager was a father who was proud of his children. Weinstein also said that he was the most hardworking person she have ever known and that he worked up until he took his last breath.
Hager’s Titles Throughout The Years
Before becoming the councilman and eventually deputy mayor of Boca Raton, Hager was also the Iowa assistant attorney general from 1975 to 1976. He also held the title of the first deputy commissioner for the Iowa Insurance Department for two years and became Iowa Insurance Commissioner from 1986 to 1990.
After he moved to South Florida, he became the president and CEO of the National Council Compensation Insurance until 1998, Weinstein said, adding that only a few years later, his constituents picked him to take charge.
According to his House of Representative’s biography, the former state representative was also part of different local and state agencies like the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, American Cancer Society, Florida Health Care Association, and Florida League Cities.
During his free time and outside of his political career, Hager also coached a local soccer league, volunteered at a community hospital, and was also part of the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, Weinstein was cited as saying by the daily.
Officials Offer Support And Sympathy
Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach, and Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nunez offered condolences on social media Friday.
Caruso, in a tweet, said, “Not only was he a great friend, but he lived his life in service to our community. He will be dearly missed.”
I am deeply saddened by the news of the passing of my friend, @RepBillHager. Not only was he a great friend, but he lived his life in service to our community. He will be dearly missed. My condolences to his wife, Martha and the rest of his family. May he rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/lZNo4iLn3I
— Mike Caruso (@RepMikeCaruso) October 15, 2021
Hager’s Daughters Set Up Fund To Help Study Their Father’s Disease
The daughters of the late Hager have set up a memorial fund at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville to help support the research for the disease he died from.
His memorial service is scheduled on Monday, 11 in the morning at the Detroit Lakes, Minn. Hager is survived by his daughters, wife Martha, and siblings James, Jeff, and Barbara Hagger.
