William J. Larkin Jr.

William J. Larkin Jr. (February 5, 1928 – August 31, 2019) was an American politician and retired U.S. Army officer from the state of New York.

Larkin was a decorated veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He fought in the Pacific theater in World War II and was later evacuated from the Korean War in 1951 for medical reasons. Larkin later helped protect President John F. Kennedy on a visit to Berlin and met Martin Luther King Jr. while escorting one of the Selma to Montgomery marches in Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement. He retired from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant colonel in 1967.

Following his retirement from the Army, Larkin served one term as New Windsor town supervisor. A Republican, Larkin later sat in the New York State Legislature for 40 years, representing various districts in the Hudson Valley. He was a member of the State Assembly between 1979 and 1990, representing first the 97th district and then the 95th district. He then sat in the State Senate from 1991 until his retirement in 2018, representing the 39th district. Known for his advocacy for veterans, Larkin helped to create the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in Orange County in 2006. In 2018, a Larkin-sponsored bill renaming the Bear Mountain Bridge the Purple Heart Veterans Memorial Bridge was enacted.