Education and career
Born in Mendota, Illinois and raised in East St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from Central Catholic High School. He joined the army in 1943 and served in the 394th Field Artillery Battalion in Europe during World War II. He was discharged in 1946, then received a Bachelor of Laws from the Saint Louis University School of Law in 1950. He was in private practice in Granite City, Illinois from 1950 to 1968, and was a circuit judge in Madison County, Illinois from 1968 to 1979.Federal judicial service
On July 31, 1979, Beatty was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois created by 93 Stat. 6. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 4, 1979, and received his commission on October 5, 1979. He assumed senior status on November 9, 1992, serving in that capacity until his death, on July 22, 2001, in Edwardsville, Illinois.References
Sources
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beatty, William L. 1925 births 2001 deaths Saint Louis University alumni Illinois state court judges Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois United States district court judges appointed by Jimmy Carter 20th-century American judges United States Army personnel of World War II