William J. Donovan

Bill Donovan
Bill Donovan
United States Ambassador to Thailand
	In office; September 4, 1953 – August 21, 1954
President	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded by	Edwin F. Stanton
Succeeded by	John Peurifoy
Director of the Office of Strategic Services
	In office; June 13, 1942 – October 1, 1945
President	Franklin D. Roosevelt; Harry S. Truman
Preceded by	Himself (as Coordinator of Information)
Succeeded by	John Magruder (as Director of the Strategic Services Unit)
Coordinator of Information
	In office; July 11, 1941 – June 13, 1942
President	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Himself (as Director of the Office of Strategic Services)
Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division
	In office; 1926–1927
President	Calvin Coolidge
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	John Lord O'Brian
Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division
	In office; 1924–1925
President	Calvin Coolidge
Preceded by	Earl J. Davis
United States Attorney for the Western District of New York
	In office; 1922–1924
President	Warren G. Harding
Preceded by	Stephen T. Lockwood
Succeeded by	Thomas Penney Jr.
Personal details
Born	William Joseph Donovan; January 1, 1883; Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Died	February 8, 1959 (aged 76); Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery
Party	Republican
Education	Niagara University; Columbia University (BA, LLB)
Civilian awards	National Security Medal; Freedom Award;
Nickname	"Wild Bill"
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army New York National Guard; Army Reserve; ; Office of the Coordinator of Information; Office of Strategic Services;
Years of service	1912–1917 (National Guard); 1917–1919 (active); 1919–1941 (reserve); 1941–1945 (active);
Rank	Major General
Commands	1st Battalion, 165th Infantry Regiment; 165th Infantry Regiment; 301st Cavalry Regiment;
Battles/wars	Pancho Villa Expedition; World War I Champagne-Marne; Aisne-Marne; St. Mihiel; Meuse-Argonne; Defensive Sector; ; Russian Civil War Allied intervention; ; World War II American Theater; Asiatic-Pacific Theater; Mediterranean and Middle East theatre; European theatre; ;
Military awards	Medal of Honor; Distinguished Service Cross; Army Distinguished Service Medal (2); Silver Star; Purple Heart (3);

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William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan (January 1, 1883 – February 8, 1959) was an American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat. He is best known for serving as the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the Bureau of Intelligence and Research and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), during World War II. He is regarded as the founding father of the CIA, and a statue of him stands in the lobby of the CIA headquarters building in Langley, Virginia.

A veteran of World War I, Donovan is believed to be the only person to have been awarded all four of the following decorations: the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, and the National Security Medal. He is also a recipient of the Silver Star and Purple Heart, as well as decorations from a number of other nations for his service during both World Wars.