William Lee Knous
William Lee Knous | |
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Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado | |
In office 1954–1959 | |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Alfred Albert Arraj |
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado | |
In office April 7, 1950 – December 12, 1959 | |
Appointed by | Harry S. Truman |
Preceded by | John Foster Symes |
Succeeded by | Olin Hatfield Chilson |
31st Governor of Colorado | |
In office January 14, 1947 – April 15, 1950 | |
Lieutenant | Homer L. Pearson Walter Walford Johnson |
Preceded by | John Charles Vivian |
Succeeded by | Walter 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 February 2, 1889 Ouray, Colorado |
Died | December 12, 1959 Denver, Colorado | (aged 70)
Bildung | University of Colorado Law School (LL.B.) |
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 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. In the early 1870s, he moved from Iowa to Colorado, where he worked as a wagon boss and freighter that hauled supplies for the mining industry in Leadville. In Ouray, he mined and prospected before becoming the town marshal and undersheriff.[2]
He began working in the mines because it paid well. He played baseball and entered local boxing matches.[2] Knous received a Bachelor of Law degree in 1911 from the University of Colorado Law School with honors.[1][3]
Career
He entered private practice first in Quoray from 1911 to 1916, when he had fewer clients due to an economic downturn in the mining industry. He moved to Rochester, New York for one year and then returned to Colorado.[2] He then worked with the Moynihan-Hughes-Knous law firm in Montrose, where he became a mining and irrigation legal expert.[2][1] While in Montrose, he was Chamber of Commerce president and city attorney.[2] He was a deputy district attorney for Ouray County, Colorado from 1913 to 1918. 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][3]
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][3]
He was the 31st Governor of Colorado from 1947 to 1950.[1][3] 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 in Denver.[1]
Personal life
He was married to Julia Bain and had a son, William Lee Knous. [2] He married for a second time to Marie Grabow. He had three children.[1] He died of a heart attack in December 1959 and was buried at Fairmount Cemetery.[2][1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "William Lee Knous". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Colorado Governors: William Lee Knous" (PDF). Colorado government. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ^ a b c d William Lee Knous at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
External links
- 1889 births
- 1959 deaths
- Governors of Colorado
- Mayors of places in Colorado
- Colorado Supreme Court justices
- Colorado state senators
- Members of the Colorado House of Representatives
- Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
- United States district court judges appointed by Harry S. Truman
- 20th-century American judges
- University of Colorado alumni
- Colorado lawyers
- Colorado Democrats
- People from Ouray, Colorado
- People from Montrose, Colorado
- Chief Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court
- Democratic Party state governors of the United States