Donovan, William J

Donovan, William J

▪ United States diplomat and general
byname  Wild Bill Donovan 
born Jan. 1, 1883, Buffalo, N.Y., U.S.
died Feb. 8, 1959, Washington, D.C.

      American lawyer, soldier, and diplomat who directed (1942–45) the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II.

      Donovan began the practice of law in Buffalo in 1907. In 1916 he served in the New York National Guard on the Mexican border and in World War I he was in France with the 165th Infantry Regiment (formerly the celebrated New York 69th). He advanced to the rank of colonel and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. In 1922 he was appointed U.S. district attorney for western New York. He served as assistant attorney general in the Justice Department from 1924 to 1929. During the 1930s he returned to the practice of law but maintained his political connections both in the United States and abroad. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1940–41, asked Donovan to draft plans for the creation of a central intelligence service for the United States. Donovan was appointed coordinator of information on July 11, 1941. On June 13, 1942, he was named chief of the newly created OSS. This military agency was charged with collecting foreign intelligence and carrying out counterpropaganda and covert action operations; it conducted operations throughout the world, except for Latin America and Gen. Douglas MacArthur's Pacific command, and was most active in Europe.

      Donovan was made a brigadier general in 1943. Although he was foremost among the advocates of a peacetime central intelligence service, he declined any role in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which was created in 1947. He served as U.S. ambassador to Thailand in 1953–54.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Donovan, William (Bill) Joseph — (1883 1959)    William (Bill) Donovan was born in Buffalo, New York. He attended St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute, Niagara University, and Columbia University, where he graduated with an A.B. in 1905 and an LL.B. in 1907. He initially worked as… …   Historical Dictionary of the Roosevelt–Truman Era

  • Donovan, William Joseph — 1883–1959    ‘Wild Bill’ Donovan was a US lawyer who was head of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services), the forerunner of the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency). In 1940 Donovan was the unofficial observer for the Secretary of the Navy, KNOX, in… …   Who’s Who in World War Two

  • Donovan,William Joseph — Don·o·van (dŏnʹə vən), William Joseph. Known as “Wild Bill.” 1883 1959. American army officer and public official who founded and directed (1942 1945) the Office of Strategic Services, an intelligence gathering agency that was a forerunner of the …   Universalium

  • William Donovan — William J. Donovan William Joseph Donovan (* 1. Januar 1883 in Buffalo; † 8. Februar 1959 in Washington D.C.) war seit 1941 Geheimdienst Koordinator im Stab von Präsident Franklin D. Roosevelt, danach von 1942 bis 1945 Leiter des O …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Joseph Donovan — William J. Donovan William Joseph Donovan (* 1. Januar 1883 in Buffalo, New York; † 8. Februar 1959 in Washington D.C.) war ein US amerikanischer Jurist und Geheimdienst Mitarbeiter. Ab 1941 war er Geheimdienst Koordinator im Stab von …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Donovan (Begriffsklärung) — Donovan ist der Vorname von z. B.: Donovan Bailey (* 1967), kanadischer Leichtathlet Donovan McNabb (* 1976), US amerikanischer American Football Spieler Donovan Slijngard (* 1987), niederländischer Fußballspieler sowie der Künstlername von… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Donovan — may refer to:*William Edward Donovan (1876 ndash; 1923), pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball *William Joseph Donovan (1883 ndash; 1959), American soldier, lawyer and intelligence officer, best remembered as wartime head of the Office of… …   Wikipedia

  • William Joseph Donovan — Nacionalidad estad …   Wikipedia Español

  • William J. Donovan — For the baseball pitcher and manager, see Bill Donovan. William Joseph Donovan    …   Wikipedia

  • William Edward Donovan — For other uses, see Bill Donovan, William Donovan, or Wild Bill . Infobox MLB retired bgcolor1=#bd5d29 bgcolor2=#003366 textcolor1=white textcolor2=white name=Bill Donovan width = 250px position=Pitcher birthdate=October 13, 1876 city… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”