William Fey Huffman, Jr., helped establish Wisconsin’s open meeting laws during his years as publisher, editor and owner of the (Wisconsin Rapids) Daily Tribune and owner of two radio stations. Huffman, 83, died March 1, 2008, at his Milwaukee home.
Huffman spent World War II in Europe as a French military intelligence interpreter with the U.S. Army Office of Strategic Services, leaving the military in late 1945, with the rank of corporal. Following the war, Huffman graduated in 1950 from UW-Madison with a degree in agricultural journalism.
The two radio stations were started by his father, William Sr. The station once was housed in the Daily Tribune building. Huffman started the Mutual Broadcasting System to connect several stations throughout Wisconsin, and served as president and treasurer of the Wisconsin Daily Newspaper League, now known as the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. In addition to print journalism and radio, Huffman was involved in the cranberry industry.
