POLITICIAN

William J. Donovan

1883 - 1959

Photo of William J. Donovan

Icon of person William J. Donovan

William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan (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. 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. A decorated veteran of World War I, Donovan is believed to be the only person to have been awarded all four of the following prestigious decorations: the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, and the National Security Medal. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of William J. Donovan has received more than 1,283,809 page views. His biography is available in 26 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 23 in 2019). William J. Donovan is the 12,684th most popular politician (down from 11,946th in 2019), the 5,053rd most popular biography from United States (down from 4,982nd in 2019) and the 329th most popular American Politician.

Memorability Metrics

  • 1.3M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 50.54

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 26

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 2.62

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.85

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among POLITICIANS

Among politicians, William J. Donovan ranks 12,684 out of 19,576. Before him are Braslav, Duke of Lower Pannonia, Maximilian von Montgelas, Marc Forné Molné, Ali Zeidan, Álvaro Arzú, and Mithridates II of Commagene. After him are Nilde Iotti, Cearl of Mercia, Nofret II, Paek Nam-sun, Alice Weidel, and Gaius Valerius Flaccus.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1883, William J. Donovan ranks 164. Before him are Trần Trọng Kim, Pavel Filonov, Sylvanus Morley, Thubten Choekyi Nyima, 9th Panchen Lama, Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, and Hjalmar Bergman. After him are Alfred Saalwächter, Max Fleischer, Abel Bonnard, Charles Demuth, Şemsettin Günaltay, and Pedro Parages. Among people deceased in 1959, William J. Donovan ranks 110. Before him are Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda, Max Gerson, Carl Enckell, William D. Leahy, Lipót Fejér, and Kathryn Adams. After him are Albert Namatjira, Carlos Viegas Gago Coutinho, Heleno de Freitas, Mutara III Rudahigwa, Edmund Goulding, and Pierre Frieden.

Others Born in 1883

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Others Deceased in 1959

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In United States

Among people born in United States, William J. Donovan ranks 5,053 out of 20,380. Before him are Don Felder (1947), Peter Sarsgaard (1971), Jeanne Crain (1925), Ethel Merman (1908), Ethel Catherwood (1908), and Don Bragg (1935). After him are Carl Spaatz (1891), Bob King (1906), Barry Commoner (1917), Arthur Blake (1872), Randy Crawford (1952), and Rockwell Kent (1882).

Others born in United States

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Among POLITICIANS In United States

Among politicians born in United States, William J. Donovan ranks 329. Before him are Walter Isaacson (1952), Daniel Morgan (1736), Eddie Lawson (1958), George Read (1733), Henry Paulson (1946), and Edward Stettinius Jr. (1900). After him are Daniel Webster (1782), Hunter Biden (1970), Brent Scowcroft (1925), Andrew Mellon (1855), Pat Buchanan (1938), and Stephen Allen Benson (1816).

American born Politicians

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