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William O. Douglas Collection, 1920-1980 (bulk 1939-1975)

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Douglas, William O. (William Orville)
Title
William O. Douglas Collection
Dates
1920-1980 (bulk 1939-1975) (inclusive)
1939-1975 (bulk)
Quantity
20.25 linear feet, (21 boxes)
Collection Number
WCMss.048
Summary
The William O. Douglas Collection contains the former Supreme Court Justice's research materials, reports to Congress, book manuscripts, published articles, law practice records, correspondence with friends and associates, and materials relating to his association with Whitman College.
Repository
Whitman College and Northwest Archives
Whitman College and Northwest Archives
Penrose Library, Room 130
345 Boyer Avenue
Walla Walla, WA
99362
Telephone: 5095275922
Fax: 5095264785
archives@whitman.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Douglas was born in Maine Township, Minnesota. His family moved to California, and then Cleveland, Washington. His father died in Portland, Oregon in 1904, when he was only six years old. In 1916, Douglas won a scholarship to Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. He taught at Yakima High School for two years before attending Columbia University Law School, graduating in 1925. After practicing law and teaching at Columbia and later Yale University, he joined the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, becoming Chairman in 1937. He finally was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Supreme Court in 1939.

During his tenure on the bench, Justice Douglas achieved a number of records and distinctions. Along with the longevity record, he also established the records for the most opinions written, the most dissents written, the most speeches given, and the most books authored by any member of the Supreme Court. He also achieved a few less savory records, such as the most wives (four), the most divorces while on the bench (three), and the most attempts at impeachment (three). None of these records have been surpassed.

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Content Description

The William O. Douglas Collection includes speeches, research materials, correspondence, postcards, forestry management, reports to Congress, invitations, book manuscripts, publications, newspaper clippings, contracts, law practice records, articles and magazines about conservation, correspondence with Len Jansen, and materials collected by Whitman College staff.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

This collection was donated to the Whitman College and Northwest Archives in multiple accruals between 1991 and 1998. Donors include Leonard F. Jansen, David Danelski, and Jerry Cundiff. Additional material was collected by Whtiman College. Accession numbers associated with this collection include retro-0053, retro-0482, and 2010-004.

Processing Note

In 2019, this collection was condensed to ensure that the material was properly stabilized.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Personal Names

Corporate Names

William Huntington
2010

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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