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{{Short description|American judge}}
{{Short description|American judge}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox judge
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| honorific-prefix =
| name = William Lee Knous
| name = William Lee Knous
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| term_end = 1959
| term_end = 1959
| predecessor = ''Office established''
| predecessor = ''Office established''
| successor = [[Alfred Albert Arraj]]
| successor = [[Alfred A. Arraj]]
| office1 = Judge of the [[United States District Court for the District of Colorado]]
| office1 = Judge of the [[United States District Court for the District of Colorado]]
| term_start1 = April 7, 1950
| term_start1 = April 7, 1950
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| term_start2 = January 14, 1947
| term_start2 = January 14, 1947
| term_end2 = April 15, 1950
| term_end2 = April 15, 1950
| lieutenant2 = [[Homer L. Pearson]]<br>[[Walter Walford Johnson]]
| lieutenant2 = [[Homer L. Pearson]]<br/>[[Walter Walford Johnson]]
| predecessor2 = [[John Charles Vivian]]
| predecessor2 = [[John Charles Vivian]]
| successor2 = [[Walter Walford Johnson]]
| successor2 = [[Walter Walford Johnson]]
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| birth_name = William Lee Knous
| birth_name = William Lee Knous
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1889|02|02}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1889|02|02}}
| birth_place = [[Ouray, Colorado|Ouray]], [[Colorado]]
| birth_place = [[Ouray, Colorado|Ouray]], [[Colorado]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1959|12|12|1889|02|02}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1959|12|12|1889|02|02}}
| death_place = [[Denver]], [[Colorado]]
| death_place = [[Denver]], [[Colorado]], U.S.
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| nationality = American
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<!--Embedded templates / Footnotes-->
<!--Embedded templates / Footnotes-->
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}}
⚫
'''William Lee Knous''' (February 2, 1889 – December 12, 1959) was Chief Justice of the [[Colorado Supreme Court]], the 31st [[Governor of Colorado]] and a [[United States federal judge|United States District Judge]] of the [[United States District Court for the District of Colorado]].


⚫
'''William Lee Knous''' (February 2, 1889 – December 12, 1959) was an American attorney serving as Chief Justice of the [[Colorado Supreme Court]], the 31st [[Governor of Colorado]] and a [[United States federal judge|United States district judge]] of the [[United States District Court for the District of Colorado]].
==Education and career==


The [[National Governors Association]] states that he is the only person "to have occupied the highest seat in the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government" in Colorado.<ref name="NGA" />
Born on February 2, 1889, in [[Ouray, Colorado|Ouray]], [[Colorado]], Knous received a [[Bachelor of Laws]] in 1911 from the [[University of Colorado Law School]]. He entered private practice in [[Denver]], Colorado from 1911 to 1937. He was a deputy district attorney for [[Ouray County, Colorado|Ouray County]], Colorado from 1913 to 1918. He was the Mayor of [[Montrose, Colorado|Montrose]], Colorado from 1926 to 1930. He was a member of the [[Colorado House of Representatives]] from 1928 to 1930. He was a member of the [[Colorado Senate]] from 1930 to 1936, serving as President pro Tem from 1935 to 1936. He was a Justice of the [[Colorado Supreme Court]] from 1937 to 1947, serving as Chief Justice from 1946 to 1947. He was the 31st [[Governor of Colorado]] from 1947 to 1950.<ref name="auto">{{FJC Bio|1298|nid=1383416|name=William Lee Knous<!--(1889–1959)-->}}</ref>


==Early life and education==
==Federal judicial service==
Born on February 2, 1889, in [[Ouray, Colorado|Ouray]], [[Colorado]], he was the son of John F. Knous of [[Pennsylvania Dutch]] descent.<ref name="Col gov bio" /> His mother, Julia Bain,<ref name="Col gov bio" /> was of Irish and Scottish ancestry. Both parents descended from men who fought in the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]].<ref name="Logan">{{Cite book |last=Logan |first=James K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mct-ztnxWMkC&pg=PA60 |title=The Federal Courts of the Tenth Circuit: A History |year=1992 |publisher=U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit |pages=60–64 |language=en}}</ref> In the early 1870s, John Knous moved from Iowa to Colorado, where he worked as a wagon boss and freighter that hauled supplies for the mining industry in Leadville.<ref name="Col gov bio" /><ref name="Logan" /> In Ouray, he drove a stagecoach between Ouray and Silverton.<ref name="Logan" /> He also mined and prospected before becoming the town marshal and undersheriff.<ref name="Col gov bio">{{Cite web |url=https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/Knous.pdf |title=Colorado Governors: William Lee Knous |website=Colorado government |access-date=February 14, 2020}}</ref>


As a boy, William Knous began a lifelong interest in fishing and hunting. He graduated from Ouray High School, where he was the class valedictorian.<ref name="Logan" /> He began working in the mines because it paid well. He played semi-pro baseball and entered local boxing matches, from which he earned money for college.<ref name="Col gov bio" /><ref name="Logan" /> Knous received a [[Bachelor of Law]] degree with honors in 1911 from the [[University of Colorado Law School]].<ref name="NGA" /><ref name="auto" /> He was [[Admission to practice law|admitted to the bar]] in Colorado in 1911.<ref name="Col gov bio" />
⚫
Knous was nominated by President [[Harry S. Truman]] on March 1, 1950, to a seat on the [[United States District Court for the District of Colorado]] vacated by Judge [[John Foster Symes]]. He was confirmed by the [[United States Senate]] on April 4, 1950, and received his commission on April 7, 1950. He served as Chief Judge from 1954 to 1959. His service terminated on December 12, 1959, due to his death in Denver.<ref name="auto"/>

==Career==
[[File:William Lee Knous (CO).png|150px|thumb|left|Knous as governor.]]
Knous entered private practice first in Ouray from 1911 to 1916, when he had fewer clients due to an economic downturn in the mining industry. He was a deputy district attorney for [[Ouray County, Colorado|Ouray County]], Colorado from 1913 to 1918, except a portion of one year from 1916 to 1917 when he wrote for legal publications in [[Rochester, New York]]. Realizing his preference to live in the Rocky Mountains, he returned to Colorado.<ref name="Col gov bio" /><ref name="Logan" /> He then worked with the Moynihan-Hughes-Knous law firm in Montrose, where he became a mining and irrigation legal expert.<ref name="Col gov bio" /><ref name="NGA" /> He was the Mayor of [[Montrose, Colorado|Montrose]], Colorado from 1926 to 1930. He was a member of the [[Colorado House of Representatives]] from 1928 to 1930.<ref name="NGA" /><ref name="auto" /> A western conservative, he was interested in issues faced by cattle ranchers and water rights.<ref name="Logan" /> While in Montrose, he was the Chamber of Commerce president and city attorney.<ref name="Col gov bio" />

He was in private practice in [[Denver]], Colorado to 1937. He was a member of the [[Colorado Senate]] from 1930 to 1936, serving as President pro Tem from 1935 to 1936. He was a justice of the [[Colorado Supreme Court]] from 1937 to 1947, serving as chief justice from 1946 to 1947.<ref name="NGA" /><ref name="auto" /> He helped solve a major oil workers' strike and other national issues when he served on the [[National War Labor Board (1942–1945)|national War Labor Board]] during [[World War II]].<ref name="Logan" />

He was the 31st [[Governor of Colorado]] from 1947 to 1950.<ref name="NGA" /><ref name="auto">{{FJC Bio|1298|nid=1383416|name=William Lee Knous<!--(1889–1959)-->}}</ref> Under his administration, a bill was enacted to combat specific diseases and public health units were established. Support was increased for workmen's compensation and schools. The state system of accounts and controls was improved, and the general fund for the state increased to a significant surplus.<ref name="NGA" />

⚫
Knous was nominated by President [[Harry S. Truman]] on March 1, 1950, to a seat on the [[United States District Court for the District of Colorado]] vacated by Judge [[John Foster Symes]]. He was confirmed by the [[United States Senate]] on April 4, 1950, and received his commission on April 7, 1950. He served as Chief Judge from 1954 to 1959. His service terminated on December 12, 1959, due to his death.<ref name="NGA">{{Cite web |url=https://www.nga.org/governor/william-lee-knous/ |title=William Lee Knous |website=National Governors Association |access-date=February 14, 2020}}</ref>

==Personal life==
He eloped with Elsie Marie Grabow, a friend of his sister and a teacher, in 1916.<ref name="Logan" /> They had three sons, all of whom fought in [[World War II]].<ref name="Logan" />

* [[Robert Knous]] was a state senator and lieutenant governor of Colorado<ref name="Logan" />
* Merle Knous was a state district judge<ref name="Logan" />
* William Knous was a district attorney in Montrose<ref name="Logan" />

He died of a heart attack on December 12, 1959, and was buried at [[Fairmount Cemetery (Denver, Colorado)|Fairmount Cemetery]].<ref name="Col gov bio" /><ref name="NGA" /><ref name="FJC">{{Cite web |url=https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/knous-william-lee |title=William Lee Knous |website=Federal Justicial Center |access-date=February 14, 2020}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{FJC Bio|1298|nid=1383416|name=William Lee Knous<!--(1889–1959)-->}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/offic/gov.html The Governors of Colorado]
* [https://lawweb.colorado.edu/events/mediaDetails.jsp?id=6128 "The History of William Lee Knous"] (video)
* [http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/govs/knous.html The Governor William Lee Knous Collection at the Colorado State Archives]
* [https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/taxonomy/term/7677 Knous, William Lee, 1889-1959], Harry S. Truman Library
* {{Find a Grave|8740144}}
* {{Find a Grave|8740144}}


{{s-start}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Roy Best (prison warden)|Roy Best]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[Governor of Colorado]]|years=[[1946 Colorado gubernatorial election|1946]], [[1948 Colorado gubernatorial election|1948]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Walter Walford Johnson]]}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[John Charles Vivian]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[John Charles Vivian]]}}
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{{s-bef|before=Office established}}
{{s-bef|before=Office established}}
{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Chief Judge of the [[United States District Court for the District of Colorado]]}}|years=1954–1959}}
{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Chief Judge of the [[United States District Court for the District of Colorado]]}}|years=1954–1959}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Alfred Albert Arraj]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Alfred A. Arraj]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}


{{Governors of Colorado}}
{{Governors of Colorado}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:1889 births]]
[[Category:1889 births]]
[[Category:1959 deaths]]
[[Category:1959 deaths]]
[[Category:Governors of Colorado]]
[[Category:20th-century mayors of places in Colorado]]
[[Category:Democratic Party governors of Colorado]]
[[Category:Mayors of places in Colorado]]
[[Category:Mayors of places in Colorado]]
[[Category:Colorado Supreme Court justices]]
[[Category:Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court]]
[[Category:Colorado state senators]]
[[Category:Democratic Party Colorado state senators]]
[[Category:Members of the Colorado House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado]]
[[Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado]]
[[Category:United States district court judges appointed by Harry S. Truman]]
[[Category:United States district court judges appointed by Harry S. Truman]]
[[Category:20th-century American judges]]
[[Category:20th-century American judges]]
[[Category:University of Colorado alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:University of Colorado Law School alumni]]
[[Category:Colorado lawyers]]
[[Category:Colorado lawyers]]
[[Category:People from Ouray, Colorado]]
[[Category:People from Ouray, Colorado]]
[[Category:People from Montrose, Colorado]]
[[Category:People from Montrose, Colorado]]
[[Category:Chief Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court]]
[[Category:Chief Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court]]
[[Category:Burials at Fairmount Cemetery (Denver, Colorado)]]

Revision as of 21:56, 25 January 2024

William Lee Knous
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
In office
1954–1959
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byAlfred A. Arraj
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
In office
April 7, 1950 – December 12, 1959
Appointed byHarry S. Truman
Preceded byJohn Foster Symes
Succeeded byOlin Hatfield Chilson
31st Governor of Colorado
In office
January 14, 1947 – April 15, 1950
LieutenantHomer L. Pearson
Walter Walford Johnson
Preceded byJohn Charles Vivian
Succeeded byWalter Walford Johnson
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives
In office
1928-1930
Member of the Colorado Senate
In office
1930-1936
Personal details
Born
William Lee Knous

(1889-02-02)February 2, 1889
Ouray, Colorado, U.S.
DiedDecember 12, 1959(1959-12-12) (aged 70)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
BildungUniversity of Colorado Law School (LL.B.)

William Lee Knous (February 2, 1889 – December 12, 1959) was an American attorney serving as Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, the 31st Governor of Colorado and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.

The National Governors Association states that he is the only person "to have occupied the highest seat in the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government" in Colorado.[1]

Early life and education

Born on February 2, 1889, in Ouray, Colorado, he was the son of John F. Knous of Pennsylvania Dutch descent.[2] His mother, Julia Bain,[2] was of Irish and Scottish ancestry. Both parents descended from men who fought in the Revolutionary War.[3] In the early 1870s, John Knous moved from Iowa to Colorado, where he worked as a wagon boss and freighter that hauled supplies for the mining industry in Leadville.[2][3] In Ouray, he drove a stagecoach between Ouray and Silverton.[3] He also mined and prospected before becoming the town marshal and undersheriff.[2]

As a boy, William Knous began a lifelong interest in fishing and hunting. He graduated from Ouray High School, where he was the class valedictorian.[3] He began working in the mines because it paid well. He played semi-pro baseball and entered local boxing matches, from which he earned money for college.[2][3] Knous received a Bachelor of Law degree with honors in 1911 from the University of Colorado Law School.[1][4] He was admitted to the bar in Colorado in 1911.[2]

Career

Knous as governor.

Knous entered private practice first in Ouray from 1911 to 1916, when he had fewer clients due to an economic downturn in the mining industry. He was a deputy district attorney for Ouray County, Colorado from 1913 to 1918, except a portion of one year from 1916 to 1917 when he wrote for legal publications in Rochester, New York. Realizing his preference to live in the Rocky Mountains, he returned to Colorado.[2][3] He then worked with the Moynihan-Hughes-Knous law firm in Montrose, where he became a mining and irrigation legal expert.[2][1] He was the Mayor of Montrose, Colorado from 1926 to 1930. He was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 1928 to 1930.[1][4] A western conservative, he was interested in issues faced by cattle ranchers and water rights.[3] While in Montrose, he was the Chamber of Commerce president and city attorney.[2]

He was in private practice in Denver, Colorado to 1937. He was a member of the Colorado Senate from 1930 to 1936, serving as President pro Tem from 1935 to 1936. He was a justice of the Colorado Supreme Court from 1937 to 1947, serving as chief justice from 1946 to 1947.[1][4] He helped solve a major oil workers' strike and other national issues when he served on the national War Labor Board during World War II.[3]

He was the 31st Governor of Colorado from 1947 to 1950.[1][4] Under his administration, a bill was enacted to combat specific diseases and public health units were established. Support was increased for workmen's compensation and schools. The state system of accounts and controls was improved, and the general fund for the state increased to a significant surplus.[1]

Knous was nominated by President Harry S. Truman on March 1, 1950, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Colorado vacated by Judge John Foster Symes. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 4, 1950, and received his commission on April 7, 1950. He served as Chief Judge from 1954 to 1959. His service terminated on December 12, 1959, due to his death.[1]

Personal life

He eloped with Elsie Marie Grabow, a friend of his sister and a teacher, in 1916.[3] They had three sons, all of whom fought in World War II.[3]

  • Robert Knous was a state senator and lieutenant governor of Colorado[3]
  • Merle Knous was a state district judge[3]
  • William Knous was a district attorney in Montrose[3]

He died of a heart attack on December 12, 1959, and was buried at Fairmount Cemetery.[2][1][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "William Lee Knous". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Colorado Governors: William Lee Knous" (PDF). Colorado government. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Logan, James K. (1992). The Federal Courts of the Tenth Circuit: A History. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. pp. 60–64.
  4. ^ a b c d William Lee Knous at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  5. ^ "William Lee Knous". Federal Justicial Center. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Colorado
1946, 1948 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by 31st Governor of Colorado
1947–1950 		Succeeded by
Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
1950–1959 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Office established
 Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
1954–1959 		Succeeded by
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