William Edward Doyle (February 5, 1911 – May 2, 1986) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (in case citations, 10th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Colorado * District of Kansas * Dist ...

and previously was a United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the District of Colorado The United States District Court for the District of Colorado (in case citations, D. Colo. or D. Col.) is a federal court in the Tenth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are ap ...

and a justice of the

Colorado Supreme Court The Colorado Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in Denver, the Court consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. Powers and duties Appellate jurisdiction Discretionary appeals The Court p ...

Education and career

He was born in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

and attended West High School, where he was an All City football player. He received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of cou ...

in 1937 and an Artium Baccalaureus degree from the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado syst ...

in 1940. He served as 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 ...

of Denver from 1938 to 1941, before entering private practice in Denver from 1941 to 1943. He was in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

from 1943 to 1945. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he was a

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

serving in the

North African North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and European campaigns and was commissioned as a lieutenant after the war. Holloway Jr. William J. (presenter
"Resolution In Memoriam of The Honorable William E. Doyle"
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, July 30, 1987, page 5. He returned to private practice in Denver from 1946 to 1958, and also served as chief deputy district attorney of Denver from 1948 to 1952. He was a judge of the Colorado District Court from 1948 to 1949. He was a justice of the

from 1959 to 1961.

Federal judicial service

Doyle was nominated by President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

on September 14, 1961, to the

, to a new seat authorized by 75 Stat. 80. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on September 21, 1961, and received his commission on September 22, 1961. His service terminated on May 17, 1971, due to elevation to the Tenth Circuit. Doyle was nominated by President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

on March 25, 1971, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

Alfred P. Murrah Alfred Paul Murrah (October 27, 1904 – October 30, 1975) was a United States federal judge, United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United S ...

. He was confirmed by the Senate on April 21, 1971, and received his commission on April 26, 1971. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on December 28, 1984. His service terminated on May 2, 1986, due to his death in Denver.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doyle, William Edward 1911 births 1986 deaths Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado United States district court judges appointed by John F. Kennedy 20th-century American judges Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit United States court of appeals judges appointed by Richard Nixon University of Colorado alumni George Washington University Law School alumni Lawyers from Denver United States Army officers United States Army personnel of World War II District attorneys in Colorado