William J. Donovan
U.S. Army soldier during WWII, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat, head of the OSS (1883-1959) · United States · On the map · Politicians · Died at 76
William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan 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.
William J. Donovan is read about 467 times a day, in 26 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 10 November 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 112 days, one point a day.
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Lieutenant Colonel William J. Donovan in uniform, September 6, 1918
General John J. Pershing decorates Brigadier General Douglas MacArthur (third from left) with the Distinguished Service Cross in late 1918. Major General Charles T. Menoher (furthest left) reads out the citation while Colonel George E. Leach (fourth from left) and Lieutenant Colonel William J. Donovan (right) await their decorations.
Medal of Honor presented to Donovan, in the collection of the CIA Museum
Donovan in 1924, during his time with the Department of Justice
Dick Ellis, with whom Donovan met frequently
Donovan (left), Director of the OSS, and Colonel William H. Jackson in April 1945
Donovan, during his time as ambassadorAwards
About this person
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.
