William O. Douglas

US Supreme Court justice from 1939 to 1975

William Orville Douglas (October 16, 1898 – January 19, 1980) was an American jurist and politician who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1939 until 1975. He was known for his strong progressive views. He is seen as the Supreme Court's most liberal justice ever, and supported expanding individual rights on a number of fields.[2] So far, he served the longest time of any justice, and wrote the most opinions.

William O. Douglas
Douglas in a judicial robe
Douglas in the 1930s
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
In office
April 17, 1939 – November 12, 1975[1]
Nominated byFranklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded byLouis Brandeis
Succeeded byJohn Paul Stevens
3rd Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission
In office
August 17, 1937 – April 15, 1939
PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded byJames Landis
Succeeded byJerome Frank
Personal details
Born
William Orville Douglas

(1898-10-16)October 16, 1898
Maine Township, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedJanuary 19, 1980(1980-01-19) (aged 81)
Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
  • Mildred Riddle
    (m. 1923; div. 1953)
  • Mercedes Hester Davidson
    (m. 1954; div. 1963)
  • Joan Martin
    (m. 1963; div. 1966)
  • Cathleen Heffernan
    (m. 1966)
Children2
EducationWhitman College (BA)
Columbia University (LLB)

Finally, Douglas was forced to retire in 1975 after a severe stroke. He was previously a politician for the Democratic party and several influential liberals wanted him for vice president alongside Franklin D. Roosevelt for the 1944 presidential elections.

References

change
  1. "Members of the Supreme Court of the United States". Supreme Court of the United States. Archived from the original on April 29, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
  2. Martin, Andrew D. "Martin-Quinn Scores". Archived from the original on 2021-11-08. Retrieved 2021-12-27.