Search results
From that day on, ‘Wild Bill’ stuck. Donovan professed annoyance with the nickname because it ran counter to the quiet, intense image he wanted to project. But Ruth [his wife] knew that deep down he loved it.”. As a leader, Donovan demanded excellence from the troops in his battalion, but always led by example, on and off the battlefield.
William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan KBE (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.
There are references to “Wild Bill” Donovan in the American press during World War I, but no record of that nickname in the Columbia College yearbooks, student newspaper, or sports journals. The 1905 Columbia yearbook, called him “quiet or always making a fuss,” and he won prestigious speaking award and was voted second best looking man in his class.
The voice of an anonymous soldier in the back responded, “But hell, we aren’t as wild as you are, Bill.” From that day on, the nickname “Wild Bill” stuck. Donovan publically expressed annoyance at the name because it ran counter to the cool, careful image he wanted to cultivate, but his wife, Ruth, said that deep down he loved it. On ...
Donovan, greatly admired by his men, was heroic in combat, wounded many times. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and his country’s highest decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor. He was promoted to colonel and given command of the regiment. During his wartime service, he was given the nickname “Wild Bill,” a moniker he ...
Mar 15, 2017 · Donovan was born in Buffalo, N.Y., to Irish immigrant parents on New Year’s Day 1883. He acquired his lifelong nickname, “Wild Bill,” as a standout quarterback at Columbia University. He graduated from Columbia Law School in 1907, a classmate of future U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
People also ask
Why did Donovan get a nickname 'Wild Bill'?
Why did Donovan have a nickname?
Who was Wild Bill Donovan?
Why did Bill Donovan return to America?
When others called him Wild Bill from then on, it was said he was annoyed by it, as it painted his stoic and confident image in the wrong light. However, his wife, Ruth, was convinced that deep down inside he loved it. His nickname didn’t fade over time — he continued to prove to others that this unorthodox leader had a wild side to him.
