William Newsom | |
|---|---|
 Newsomc. 1975 | |
| Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal, First District | |
| In office May 1, 1978 – September 29, 1995 | |
| Appointed by | Jerry Brown |
| Succeeded by | Douglas Swager |
| Judge of the Placer CountySuperior Court | |
| In office August 5, 1975 – May 1, 1978 | |
| Appointed by | Jerry Brown |
| Succeeded by | Wayne Wylie |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Alfred Newsom III (1934-02-15)February 15, 1934 |
| Died | December 12, 2018(2018-12-12) (aged 84) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingGavin |
| Education | University of San Francisco (BA) Stanford University (JD) |
| Occupation | Judge, lawyer |
William Alfred Newsom III (February 15, 1934 – December 12, 2018) was an Americanjudge, administrator of theGetty family trust, and the father ofCalifornia GovernorGavin Newsom.[1][2]
Newsom was born inSan Francisco, California, the son of Christine Anne (née Brennan) and William A. Newsom II. All of his friends and family referred to him as Bill. A native San Franciscan, Newsom's father ranPat Brown's campaign forSan Francisco district attorney. Brown later becameGovernor of California.[3]
Newsom's late sister Barbara was once married toRon Pelosi, brother-in-law of U.S. RepresentativeNancy Pelosi. Newsom was a close friend ofGordon Getty, son of oil tycoonJ. Paul Getty, who lived in his house during the 1940s while attending St. Ignatius Catholic prep school in San Francisco.[2]
Newsom went tothe University of San Francisco, followed byStanford Law School and was admitted to theCalifornia Bar in 1962.
He worked as a legaladviser to the Italian division ofGetty Oil and then as atax attorney for theGetty family. Newsom helped to deliver theransom money for the release ofJohn Paul Getty III.[4]
In 1967, he married Tessa Menzies, and had two children (including Gavin) beforedivorcing her after five years.[3] In 1968, he ran unsuccessfully against California State SenatorMilton Marks, a popularRepublican.[3] Newsom was alsocorporate counsel and aboard member for Trans-International Computer Investment Corporation (TCI), which handled classified government contracts, for which Newsom was issued aNational Security Clearance. TCI went bankrupt in 1971 after what the Sacramento District Attorney called "the biggest stock fraud in California history". For most of 1969 and 1970, Newsom traveled acrossEurope alongside formerSS security service memberOtto von Bolschwing who had been brought to the U.S. by theCIA underOperation Paperclip and appointed TCI'spresident by Getty due to his formerNazi intelligence connections and their value in obtaining defense technology contracts. Newsom referred to von Bolschwing as "suave", "plausible", and "world weary".[5]
In 1975,Jerry Brown appointed Newsom to theSuperior Court bench inAuburn (Placer County) and later to the stateCourt of Appeal in San Francisco, where he served until his retirement in 1995.[3] In this role he ruled on several prominent cases including the right of privacy for people withHIV, the liability of theSan Francisco 49ers for a player's injury and ruled against the prestigiousBohemian Club's ban on employing women.[6] An advocate ofrehabilitative justice, Newsom was also part of a panel of judges which ruled that the perpetrators of the1976 Chowchilla mass kidnapping and live burial would be eligible for parole.[7]
Newsom served as afinancial advisor for the Getty family businesses. He directly managed theGordon P. Getty FamilyTrust, which is estimated at more than $2 billion.[2] The trust earns about 2 percent a year resulting in approximately $40 million in annual income.[3] He screened potential investments and made recommendations onreal estate,stocks,bonds, and other ventures. "I make my living working for Gordon Getty", Newsom said in 2003.[2]
Newsom was a keenenvironmentalist and served on the boards of both theSierra Club Foundation and theEnvironmental Defense Fund.[6] He helped to found the Mountain Lion Preservation Foundation and was also a member ofEarth Justice.[7] He was also an advocate forotters and had one as a pet.[8] During his judicial career he had had to curb his advocacy forenvironmental protection to maintain his professional neutrality.[6] Newsom was also a keen walker and would take Gavinbackpacking along therivers of California.[6] He had a large collection of books and would often read while in the bathtub.[7]
Newsom was married to Tessa in 1966 and their son Gavin was born the next year; a daughter, Hilary Newsom Callan, followed in 1968. Newsom was divorced shortly afterwards and Tessa died in 2002 at the age of 55 from breast cancer.[7] In 2004 he administered the oath of office to Gavin upon his appointment as mayor of San Francisco.[6]
Newsom died ofulcerative colitis at his home in San Francisco on December 12, 2018, at the age of 84, over a month after his son Gavin waselected governor.[9]
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