William L. Hungate | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Senior Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri | |
| In office October 1, 1991 – June 30, 1992 | |
| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri | |
| In office September 26, 1979 – October 1, 1991 | |
| Appointed by | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Seat established by 92 Stat. 1629 |
| Succeeded by | Carol E. Jackson |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMissouri's9th district | |
| In office November 3, 1964 – January 3, 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Clarence Cannon |
| Succeeded by | Harold Volkmer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Leonard Hungate (1922-12-14)December 14, 1922 |
| Died | June 22, 2007(2007-06-22) (aged 84) Chesterfield,Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Missouri (AB) Harvard Law School (LLB) |
William Leonard Hungate (December 14, 1922 – June 22, 2007) was aUnited States representative fromMissouri from November 3, 1964 (special election upon the death of CongressmanClarence Cannon), to January 3, 1977, representing the Ninth Congressional District. Following his retirement from theUnited States House of Representatives, Hungate was appointed to serve as aUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in 1979 by PresidentJimmy Carter, where he served until his retirement in 1992. He is also the father of musicianDavid Hungate.
Hungate was born inBenton,Illinois, on December 14, 1922, and graduated from Bowling Green High School inBowling Green,Missouri, in 1940. He initially attended theUniversity of Michigan, transferring to theUniversity of Missouri inColumbia, Missouri, receiving anArtium Baccalaureus degree in 1943. He received hisBachelor of Laws in 1948 fromHarvard Law School.[1] In 1969, he was awarded aDoctor of Jurisprudence degree fromHarvard Law School.[2]
Hungate served in theUnited States Army from 1943 to 1946, where he received theCombat Infantryman Badge, 3Battle stars, andBronze Star. He served inEngland,France andGermany throughoutWorld War II.[1]
Hungate was admitted to theMissouri bar in 1948 and theIllinois Bar in 1949 and immediately entered private law practice inTroy, Missouri, from 1948 to 1968. He was then elected prosecuting attorney ofLincoln County, Missouri, serving from 1951 to 1956. From 1958 to 1964, he served as a Missouri Special Assistant Attorney General. OnNovember 3, 1964, he was elected as a Democrat simultaneously to the88th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of RepresentativeClarence Cannon, and to the89th Congress. He was reelected to the five succeeding Congresses, serving until January 3, 1977.[1] Hungate voted in favor of theVoting Rights Act of 1965 but againstCivil Rights Act of 1968.[3][4]
Hungate was a member of theHouse Judiciary Committee. He participated in the 1974impeachment process against Richard Nixon, and sponsored the secondarticle ofimpeachment againstNixon charging him withabuse of power. Later that same year, as chairman of the Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on criminal justice, he led the congressional review of thepresidential pardon of Nixon by Nixon's successor,Gerald Ford.[5]
Lamenting that politics had gone "from the age of Camelot, where all things were possible, to the age of Watergate, when all things were suspect," Hungate chose not to run for re-election to the95th Congress in 1976.[5] He was succeeded byHarold Volkmer.[1]
Hungate was nominated by PresidentJimmy Carter on May 17, 1979, to theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, to a new seat created by 92 Stat. 1629. He was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on September 25, 1979, and received his commission on September 26, 1979. He assumedsenior status on October 1, 1991. His service was terminated on June 30, 1992, due to retirement.[2] As District Judge, Hungate presided over theSt. Louis public schooldesegregation case, and was instrumental in designing a voluntary desegregation plan for the St. Louis City and County School Districts.[6]
One of the most significant findings by Hungate in the St. Louis desegregation case was, with respect to schoolsegregation in St. Louis City and County, the "State of Missouri, which prior to 1954 mandated school segregation, never took any effective steps to dismantle the dual system it had compelled by constitution, statutory law, practice and policy."Liddell et al. v. Bd. of Ed. of City of St. Louis, et al., 491 F.Supp. 351, 357, (E.D. Mo. 1980)aff'd, 667 F.2d 643 (8th Cir.),cert. denied, 454 U.S. 1081 (1981). He concluded that "the State defendants stand before the Court as primary constitutional wrongdoers who have abdicated their remedial duty. Their efforts to pass the buck among themselves and other state instrumentalities must be rejected."Id. at 359.[7][8]
During his retirement, he was the author ofItWasn't Funny at the Time, a collection of photographs and anecdotes from his college years, World War II, life in congress and during his judgeship, published in 1994; andGlimpses of Politics (Red, White & Blue Jokes), published in 1996.[9]
Hungate was hospitalized on June 6, 2007, at St. Luke's Hospital inChesterfield, Missouri for ahematoma that was likely caused by a fall at his home. He died on June 22, 2007, while inintensive care at St. Luke's Hospital. He was survived by his wife, Dorothy; a son,David (who was the original bass player for the rock bandToto); a daughter, Katie Wood; and four grandchildren.[10]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMissouri's 9th congressional district 1964–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by Seat established by 92 Stat. 1629 | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri 1979–1991 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
