Farnum was born in
Saginaw, Michigan and raised in a farm community at
Watrousville. He was named after
evangelist Billy Sunday. He graduated from Vassar High School,
Vassar, Michigan, in 1933 and continued his education in the
Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933–1935. He took special educational courses and was employed in the automobile industry in
Pontiac, 1936–1952. He engaged in
union activities ranging from shop steward to international representative for
United Auto Workers-
Congress of Industrial Organizations from 1942 to 1952. He was administrative aide to
U.S. Senator Blair Moody, 1952–1954 and assistant
Michigan Secretary of State, 1955–1957; deputy Michigan Secretary of State, 1957–1960; and
Michigan Auditor General, 1961–1965. He was a delegate to the
Democratic National Conventions of
1956,
1960, and
1964.
Congress Farnum was elected as a
Democrat from
Michigan's 19th congressional district to the
88th United States Congress, serving from January 3, 1965, to January 3, 1967. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1966, losing in the general election to
Republican Jack McDonald. As a result, he was described as one of the
Michigan Five Fluke Freshmen, a group of first term Michigan Democrats in Congress who were defeated in 1966.
Later career and death Farnum was a deputy chairman of the
Democratic National Committee from 1967 to 1968 and a member of the
Waterford Board of Education from 1969 to 1970. He owned a financial and
management consulting firm. He was elected secretary of the
Michigan Senate in 1975 and served in that capacity until his death in
Lansing. He was entombed in a mausoleum at Deepdale Memorial Park.
Legacy The
Michigan Senate's previous office building in Lansing was named after Farnum. In 2016, the Michigan Senate's office building was moved to the Connie Binsfield Building. ==References==