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When Justice Douglas, a native of the central Washington city of Yakima,
retired from the United States Supreme Court in 1975, he had served the court
for 37 years, longer than any other Justice in history. Over half of the cases
ever considered by the Supreme Court were heard while Justice Douglas held his
seat.
In a 1969 newspaperIn a 1969 newspaper interview, Justice Douglas was asked to name the single
greatest problem facing the nation. He replied, "The disappearance of the
university in the scholastic sense of the word." It is fitting that a
college which promotes scholastic excellence should bear Douglas' name. Chief
Justice Earl Warren said that Douglas possessed "the nearest thing to
genius I've ever seen." This genius was coupled with curiosity and varied
interests, many of which are reflected in his legal decisions. The Douglas
Honors College encourages intellectual breadth, academic curiosity, and the
fusion of scholarship and everyday life that Justice Douglas personified.
The Life of William O. Douglas
1898 William Orville Douglas is born to the Reverend William and Julia
Douglas in Maine, Minnesota, on October 16.
1901 Three year old "Orville" is stricken with polio. Family
moves to Estrella, California.
1903 Family moves to Cleveland, Washington.
1904 Reverend Douglas dies. Family moves to Yakima.
1916 Graduates from Yakima High School as class valedictorian and is awarded
a partial scholarship from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington.
1920 Graduates Phi Beta Kappa from Whitman. Begins teaching English and
Latin at Yakima High School.
1922 Enters Columbia Law School in New York City.
1923 Marries Mildred Riddle, a co-worker at Yakima High School.
1925 Graduates second in his class from Columbia. Begins professional career
at Wall Street law firm of Cravath, deGersdorff, Swaine, and Wood. Teaches at
Columbia on the side.
1926 Briefly returns to Yakima to practice law.
1927 Returns to New York to begin teaching full-time at Columbia Law School.
1928 Accepts a teaching position at Yale University.
1934 Accepts a position with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
1936 Appointed commissioner of the SEC.
1937 Appointed chairman of the SEC, replacing Joseph Kennedy.
1939 Appointed to United States Supreme Court by President Franklin D.
Roosevelt to fill the position vacated by Justice Louis D. Brandeis.
1940 Considered by F.D.R. as vice-presidential nominee.
1941 Julia Douglas, his mother, dies.
1944 Again considered for vice-presidential nomination by F.D.R.
1948 Declines invitation of President Harry S. Truman to run for
vice-president.
1949 Horseback-riding accident results in twenty three broken ribs and
nearly ends Douglas' life.
1952 Considered for Democratic presidential nomination but refuses to run.
1953 Divorces Mildred.
1954 Marries Mercedes Hester Davidson.
Organizes 189-mile hike along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath to protest a
proposed highway along the route; the hike is successful and highway plans are
abandoned.
1958 Organizes hike along a secluded and pristine section of beach in
Olympic National Park to protest a proposed roadway into the area; the hike is
successful and plans are abandoned. Arthur Douglas, his brother, dies.
1963 Divorces Mercedes. Marries Joan Martin.
1966 Divorces Joan. Marries Cathleen Heffernan.
1970 An attempt to impeach Justice William O. Douglas is organized by
Representative Gerald Ford.
1974 Suffers a stroke on December 31.
1975 Retires from the Supreme Court on November 12, after more than
thirty-six years of service.
1980 Dies at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on
January 19.
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