William C. Doran (December 21, 1884 – January 23, 1965)Rites Held for Retired Judge W. C. Doran
, ''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (January 26, 1965), Pt. II, p. 2.$500,000 Estate Left By Judge
, ''Los Angeles Evening Citizen News'' (March 4, 1965), p. B-8. was an associate justice of the

California Court of Appeal The California Courts of Appeal are the state intermediate appellate courts in the U.S. state of California. The state is geographically divided along county lines into six appellate districts.

, Second Appellate District, Division 1, from October 14, 1935, until 1958.

Biography

Born in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, Doran moved to California at the age of 12.Courts information of the State of California
He received his law degree from the

University of Southern California Law School The USC Gould School of Law, located in Los Angeles, California, is the law school of the University of Southern California. The oldest law school in the Southwestern United States, USC Law traces its beginnings to 1896 and became affiliated with ...

in 1907 and was admitted to the bar in July of that year. He was a deputy

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

in Los Angeles County from 1910 to 1917 and chief deputy from 1917 to 1923. In 1921, Doran assisted with the prosecution of

Fatty Arbuckle Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle (; March 24, 1887 – June 29, 1933) was an American silent film actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. He started at the Selig Polyscope Company and eventually moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked w ...

for the rape and murder of

Virginia Rappe Virginia Caroline Rappe (; July 7, 1891 – September 9, 1921) was an American model and silent film actress. Working mostly in bit parts, Rappe died after attending a party with actor Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, who was accused of manslaughter a ...

."Injury With Ice Now Believed Rappe Death Cause", ''The Pomona Bulletin'' (September 22, 1921), p. 1. Doran also played a key role in the Ku Klux Klan raid in Inglewood, California, that precipitated the outlawing of the Klan in the state.Albert Nathan,
Klan Records Show Leader Planned Night Raid; Incriminating Papers to Be Given Woolwine; Documents Covering Ku Klux Plots Will be Presented New Grand Jury to be Drawn Today; Victim of Masked Mob Says He Was Flogged by Klansmen; City Council Acts to Oust Members of Klan; Fresno District Attorney Obtains Evidence Here Against Ku Klux in His County
, ''Los Angeles Times'' (April 29, 1922), section 1, p. 1-2.Klansmen Indicted; Forty-Three Are Accused; Grand Jury Action Based on the Inglewood Raid; Chiefs Named; Men Will Surrender This Morning, Says Attorney; Will Give Bond
, ''Los Angeles Times'' (June 8, 1922), section 1, p. 1. In 1923, Doran was made a judge of the

Los Angeles County Superior Court The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, is the California superior court with jurisdiction over Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States. The ...

, a position he held from January 2, 1923 to October 13, 1935. In 1935, Doran was elevated by Governor

Frank Merriam Frank Finley Merriam (December 22, 1865 – April 25, 1955) was an American Republican politician who served as the 28th governor of California from June 2, 1934 until January 2, 1939. Assuming the governorship at the height of the Great Depress ...

to a seat on the California District Court of Appeal.

Personal life and death

Doran and his wife, Juanita, had two sons, William E. and John (nicknamed Jack). Doran died at his home in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, at the age of 80, having experienced a lengthy period of disability due to a series of strokes. Following his death, Doran's estate was estimated to be worth $500,000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doran, William C. 1884 births 1965 deaths Judges of the California Courts of Appeal USC Gould School of Law alumni 20th-century American judges

Biography

Personal life and death

See also

References