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William J. Donovan

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Also known as William Joseph Donovan, Wm. J. Donovan, W. J. Donovan, “Bill” Donovan, “Wild Bill” Donovan

U.S. Army soldier during WWII, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat, head of the OSS (1883-1959)

Person · Open Library

Born
1883
Died
1959
Works
4

Top works

  • The American Bar, its past leaders and its present aim
  • Femte kolonnen i teori och praktik
  • Administration of bankruptcy estates
  • Report to the Commission on Revision of Public Service Commissions Law
  • In the matter of an inquiry into the administration of bankrupts' estates conducted before Hon. Thomas D. Thatcher, judge of the United States District court for the southern District of New York ...

via Open Library + Wikidata

Music · MusicBrainz

Type
Person
Country
GB

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Recent publications · Crossref

5 total works indexed

  1. VMD: Visual molecular dynamics

    · 1996 · cited 62,861x

  2. Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure

    · 1976 · cited 44,803x

  3. Comparison of simple potential functions for simulating liquid water

    · 1983 · cited 39,507x

  4. QIIME allows analysis of high-throughput community sequencing data

    · 2010 · cited 30,939x

  5. Preparation of Graphitic Oxide

    · 1958 · cited 28,680x

via Crossref · CC0

Quotes

  • Our orientation has been wrong. We have been talking of aid to Britain as if Britain were a beggar at the gate, whereas, in point of fact, Britain has been our shield behind which we can pull up our socks, tie our shoelaces and get ready—and also our laboratory.

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Key facts

President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded by
Edwin F. Stanton
Succeeded by
John Peurifoy
Born
William Joseph Donovan , ( 1883-01-01 ) January 1, 1883, Buffalo, New York , U.S.
Died
February 8, 1959 (1959-02-08) (aged 76), Washington, D.C. , U.S.
Resting place
Arlington National Cemetery
Party
Republican
Education
Niagara University , Columbia University ( BA , LLB )
Civilian awards
National Security Medal Freedom Award
Nickname
Wild Bill
Allegiance
United States
Branch service
United States Army New York National Guard Army Reserve Office of the Coordinator of Information Office of Strategic Services
Years of service
1912–1917 (National Guard) 1917–1919 (active) 1919–1941 (reserve) 1941–1945 (active)
Rank
Major General
Commands
1st Battalion, 165th Infantry Regiment 165th Infantry Regiment 301st Cavalry Regiment
Battles wars
Pancho Villa Expedition World War I Champagne-Marne Aisne-Marne St. Mihiel Meuse-Argonne Defensive Sector Russian Civil War Allied intervention World War II American Theater Asiatic-Pacific Theater Mediterranean and Middle East theatre European theatre
Military awards
Medal of Honor Distinguished Service Cross Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) Silver Star Purple Heart (3)

via Wikipedia infobox

~40 min read

Encyclopedic overview

William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan (January 1, 1883 – February 8, 1959) was an American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat. He is best known for serving as the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the Bureau of Intelligence and Research and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), during World War II. He is regarded as the founding father of the CIA, and a statue of him stands in the lobby of the CIA headquarters building in Langley, Virginia.

A veteran of World War I, Donovan is believed to be the only person to have been awarded all four of the following decorations: the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, and the National Security Medal. He is also a recipient of the Silver Star and Purple Heart, as well as decorations from a number of other nations for his service during both World Wars.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “William J. Donovan” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.