William O. Douglas

William O. Douglas, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from April 17, 1939, to November 12, 1975, was born at the Maine Presbyterian Church manse one and one-half miles north of Phelps on October 16, 1898. He was the son of the Rev. and Mrs. William Douglas, and his mother was the former Julia Fisk. His father served as minister of the Maine Presbyterian Church. At the time of his retirement in 1975, Douglas had served longer on the Supreme Court than any of his predecessors. He was a strong defender of the Bill of Rights and championed the constitutional causes of the underprivileged. Douglas loved nature and spent much of his free time traveling the world, exploring, and writing of the beauty of the out-of-doors.

Minnesota · United States