William R. Purcell

{{Short description|American politician}}

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| name =William Purcell

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| party = Democratic

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1931|2|12}}

| birth_place = Laurinburg, North Carolina

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| profession = Doctor

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William Robert Purcell{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aqpLAQAAMAAJ&q=%22William+Robert+Purcell%22+born|title=North Carolina Manual|year=2001}} (born February 12, 1931, in Laurinburg, North Carolina) is a Democratic politician.{{cite web|url=http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/members/viewMember.pl?sChamber=S&nUserID=51 |title=Senator William R. Purcell (Democrat, 2011-2012 Session) |publisher=North Carolina General Assembly |accessdate=31 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110126085059/http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/members/viewMember.pl?sChamber=S&nUserID=51 |archivedate=January 26, 2011 }}{{cite book | title = Lumber River Scots and their descendants: the McLeans, the Torreys, the Purcells, the McIntyres, the Gilchrists | last1= Purcell, John Edwin, b. 1884 | last2= Archibald Gilchrist Singletary | last3= John Edwin Purcell | last4= Angus Wilton McLean |publisher = The William Byrd Press, Inc.| location= Richmond |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=wQw2AAAAMAAJ | date = 1942 | page = 146| isbn = | accessdate = 14 October 2022 }} He was a member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's twenty-fifth Senate district, including constituents in Anson, Richmond, Scotland and Stanly counties 1997–2013. Purcell served as a captain in the U.S. army medical corp in France from 1957 to 1959. Purcell then graduated from Davidson College and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and was a pediatrician. Purcell served on the Laurinburg, North Carolina, city council and was mayor.[http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/15231/william-purcell Votesmart.org-William R. Purcell]