Douglas, William O(rville)

Douglas, William O(rville)
born , Oct. 16, 1898, Maine, Minn., U.S.
died Jan. 19, 1980, Washington, D.C.

U.S. jurist and public official.

He attended Columbia University Law School, where he edited the law review and graduated second in his class. After learning the intricacies of financial and corporate law at a Wall Street law firm, he joined the law faculty at Yale, where he taught until 1936. He became a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1936. As SEC chairman (1937–39) he engineered the reorganization of the country's stock exchanges, instituted measures for the protection of small investors, and began government regulation of the sale of securities (see security). In 1939 Pres. Franklin Roosevelt appointed him to the Supreme Court of the United States, on which he served until 1975. Although responsible for writing opinions in many complicated financial cases, he became most famous for his pronouncements on civil liberties (see civil liberty). He rejected government limitations on freedom of speech and was an outspoken defender of an unfettered press. He also strove to uphold the rights of the accused. He wrote numerous books on history, politics, foreign relations, and conservation, including Of Men and Mountains (1950) and A Wilderness Bill of Rights (1965).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Douglas, William O(rville) — (16 oct. 1898, Maine, Minn. EE.UU.–19 jun. 1980, Washington, D.C.). Jurista y funcionario público estadounidense. Asistió a la escuela de derecho de la Universidad de Columbia, donde editó la revista de derecho y se graduó siendo el segundo mejor …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Douglas — Douglas, Kirk Douglas, Michael Kirk ► C. cap. de la isla británica de Man, en su costa SE, en el mar de Irlanda; 20 368 h. * * * (as used in expressions) Adrian, Edgar Douglas Bradbury, Ray (Douglas) Douglas, Aaron Douglas, Kirk Douglas, Michael …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • William — (as used in expressions) William Alexander Abbott Aberhart, William George William Russell Amis, Sir Kingsley (William) Ashley, William Henry Ashton, Sir Frederick (William Mallandaine) Barkley, Alben W(illiam) Bartram, William William Allen… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Douglas — Douglas1 [dug′ləs] n. [< Gael, lit., black stream] a masculine name: dim. Doug Douglas2 [dug′ləs] 1. Sir James 1286? 1330; Scot. military leader: called Black Douglas 2. Sir James 1358? 88; Scot. military leader 3. (George) Norman 1868 1952;… …   English World dictionary

  • Douglas — /dug leuhs/, n. 1. Sir James ( the Black Douglas ), 1286 1330, Scottish military leader. 2. James, 2nd Earl of, 1358? 88, Scottish military leader. 3. Kirk (Issur Danielovitch Demsky), born 1916, U.S. actor. 4. Lloyd C(assel) /kas euhl/, 1877… …   Universalium

  • Douglas — Doug•las [[t]ˈdʌg ləs[/t]] n. 1) big Kirk(Issur Danielovitch Demsky), born 1916, U.S. actor 2) big Stephen A(rnold), 1813–61, U.S. political leader 3) big William O(rville), 1898–1980, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1939–75 4) geg… …   From formal English to slang

  • Orville — (as used in expressions) Douglas, William O(rville) William Orville Frizzell Platt, Orville Hitchcock Wright, Wilbur y Wright, Orville …   Enciclopedia Universal

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