William Lee Knous (February 2, 1889 – December 12, 1959) was an American attorney serving as Chief 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 ...

, the 31st

Governor of Colorado The governor of Colorado is the head of government of the U.S. state of Colorado. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The governor has the power to either app ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

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 ...

. The

National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the politi ...

states that he is the only person "to have occupied the highest seat in the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government" in Colorado.

Early life and education

Born on February 2, 1889, in Ouray,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, 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 wes ...

, he was the son of John F. Knous of

Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-sp ...

descent. His mother, Julia Bain, was of Irish and Scottish ancestry. Both parents descended from men who fought in the Revolutionary War. In the early 1870s, John Knous moved from Iowa to Colorado, where he worked as a wagon boss and freighter that hauled supplies for the mining industry in Leadville. In Ouray, he drove a stagecoach between Ouray and Silverton. He also mined and prospected before becoming the town marshal and undersheriff. As a boy, William Knous began a lifelong interest in fishing and hunting. He graduated from Ouray High School, where he was the class valedictorian. He began working in the mines because it paid well. He played semi-pro baseball and entered local boxing matches, from which he earned money for college. Knous received a

Bachelor of Law 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 Ch ...

degree with honors in 1911 from the

University of Colorado Law School The University of Colorado Law School is one of the professional graduate schools within the University of Colorado System. It is a public law school, with more than 500 students attending and working toward a Juris Doctor or Master of Laws, Mast ...

. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in Colorado in 1911.

Career

Knous entered private practice first in Ouray from 1911 to 1916, when he had fewer clients due to an economic downturn in the mining industry. He was a deputy district attorney for Ouray County, Colorado from 1913 to 1918, except a portion of one year from 1916 to 1917 when he wrote for legal publications in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located i ...

. Realizing his preference to live in the Rocky Mountains, he returned to Colorado. He then worked with the Moynihan-Hughes-Knous law firm in Montrose, where he became a mining and irrigation legal expert. He was the Mayor of Montrose, Colorado from 1926 to 1930. He was a member of the

Colorado House of Representatives The Colorado House of Representatives is the lower house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Colorado. The House is composed of 65 members from an equal number of constituent districts, with each distr ...

from 1928 to 1930. A western conservative, he was interested in issues faced by cattle ranchers and water rights. While in Montrose, he was the Chamber of Commerce president and city attorney. He was in private practice 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 United ...

, Colorado to 1937. He was a member of the

Colorado Senate The Colorado Senate is the upper house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Colorado. It is composed of 35 members elected from single-member districts, with each district having a population of about 123,0 ...

from 1930 to 1936, serving as President pro Tem from 1935 to 1936. He was a justice of the

from 1937 to 1947, serving as chief justice from 1946 to 1947. He helped solve a major oil workers' strike and other national issues when he served on the national War Labor Board during

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He was the 31st

from 1947 to 1950. Under his administration, a bill was enacted to combat specific diseases and public health units were established. Support was increased for workmen's compensation and schools. The state system of accounts and controls was improved, and the general fund for the state increased to a significant surplus. Knous was nominated by President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

on March 1, 1950 to a seat on the

vacated by Judge John Foster Symes. 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 ...

on April 4, 1950, and received his commission on April 7, 1950. He served as Chief Judge from 1954 to 1959. His service terminated on December 12, 1959, due to his death.

Personal life

He eloped with Elsie Marie Grabow, a friend of his sister and a teacher, in 1916. They had three sons, all of whom fought in

. * Robert Knous was a state senator and lieutenant governor of Colorado * Merle Knous was a state district judge * William Knous was a district attorney in Montrose He died of a heart attack on December 12, 1959 and was buried at Fairmount Cemetery.

References

External links

"The History of William Lee Knous"
(video)
Knous, William Lee, 1889-1959
Harry S. Truman Library * {{DEFAULTSORT:Knous, William Lee 1889 births 1959 deaths Democratic Party governors of Colorado Mayors of places in Colorado Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court Democratic Party Colorado state senators Democratic Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado United States district court judges appointed by Harry S. Truman 20th-century American judges University of Colorado alumni Colorado lawyers People from Ouray, Colorado People from Montrose, Colorado Chief Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court