This Day in History: January 1, 1883

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On January 1, 1883, Major General Willliam "Wild Bill" Donovan is born in Buffalo, New York. Donovan attended Niagara University before transferring to Columbia University where he earned a degree in law. In 1911, Donovan formed his own law firm in New York and the following year helped to form and command a cavalry unit within the New York National Guard, which itself would be mobilized for the Punitive Expedition lead by General John Pershing against Pancho Villa in Mexico. As a major in the US Army, Donovan would command a battalion within the 165th Infantry Regiment. His leadership and bravery under fire earned Donovan multiple awards, including the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. It was in these same actions that his men bestowed upon him the nickname "Wild Bill." In 1919, Donovan became one of the founding members of the American Legion before returning the United States as a colonel. During the 1920s, he returned to a career in law which would see him serve as US Attorney for the Western District of New York and an Assistant Attorney General under President Calvin Coolidge's administration. In 1932, Donovan ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor of the state of New York as a Republican, losing to Democrat candidate Herbert Lehman. Over the course of the 1930s, Donovan traveled across the globe, either for personal reasons or at the request of the government. These travels would give him vital insight and connections that would prove valuable in the coming years.

With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the United States and President Franklin D. Roosevelt began to prepare for the possibility of an American entry to the war. Assisting this effort was Roosevelt's naming Donovan as the Coordinator of Information, an office tasked with intelligence gathering and production of propaganda. The following year, the agency was reformed and strengthened as the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) with Donovan at its head. Donovan would use his knowledge, skills, and contacts in every theater of the war, providing the Allies with vital information on the enemy, aiding resistance groups, and sabotaging enemy resources and infrastructure. Donovan himself would even take part in the invasions of Salerno, Anzio, Normandy, and the French Riviera. Donovan and the OSS would also provide vital information and resources for the prosecution of Nazi war criminals in the Nuremberg trials.

After the war, Donovan returned once more to practicing law. However, the OSS was soon disbanded by President Harry Truman, who saw little need for the agency after the war and opted to replace with a weaker department called the Central Intelligence Group. Donovan did not take kindly to this and began lobbying Congress to create a stronger intelligence agency (what would become the Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA), fearing that a weak agency would give the Soviet Union an incredible advantage during the early days of the Cold War. Truman and Donovan soon became enemies, particularly after Truman discovered that Donovan was secretly aiding the CIA by feeding them information he had gained from his own contacts in Europe. Donovan would later campaign for General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower during the 1952 presidential elections. Though he had hoped to be appointed as head of the CIA by Eisenhower, Donovan was instead appointed Ambassador to Thailand, serving from 1953 until his resignation in 1954. He would once again return his career in law as well as pursuing humanitarian efforts upon his return to the United States.

On February 8, 1959, Major General William "Wild Bill" Donovan passed away from complications from vascular dementia in Washington, D.C. One of the most important individuals in the creation of the CIA, he is a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame. "Wild Bill" Donovan also currently holds the distinction of being the only person to have received all four of the highest awards given by the United States (the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, and the National Security Medal). Other decorations awarded to Major General Donovan include but are not limited to the Silver Star, the Purple Heart with two oak leaf clusters, the Mexican Border Service Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Arrowhead device and two silver and one bronze campaign stars, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with Arrowhead device and two bronze campaign stars, and the French Legion d'honneur and Croix de guerre with Palm and Silver Star.

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