William "Wild Bill" Langer was a prominent American lawyer and politician from North Dakota, where he was an infamous character, bouncing back from a scandal that forced him out of the governor's office and into multiple trials.
21 Facts About William Langer
2.
William Langer was the 17th and 21st governor of North Dakota from 1932 to 1934 and from 1937 to 1939.
3.
William Langer was born on September 30,1886, near Casselton, Dakota Territory, to German-Americans Frank and Mary William Langer.
4.
William Langer's Catholic father, Frank Langer, was a member of the first legislature of the state of North Dakota.
5.
William Langer, who spoke German fluently, was valedictorian of Casselton High School upon graduation in 1904.
6.
William Langer obtained a bachelor of laws from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, but was too young upon graduation to practice law.
7.
William Langer therefore continued his undergraduate education at Columbia, where he graduated at the top of his class in 1910.
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In 1914, William Langer was appointed state's attorney of Morton County and was one of a few non-farmers on the Nonpartisan League Republican 1916 state ticket.
9.
William Langer was elected state attorney general as the newly formed NPL party swept to victory in the 1916 election, but soon clashed with the party's founder and mercurial leader Arthur C Townley.
10.
William Langer's break with the NPL leadership was a reflection of the infighting that limited the party's eventual influence on North Dakota politics.
11.
William Langer eventually mended his rift with the NPL and was elected governor of North Dakota in 1932.
12.
William Langer gathered with about ten friends, declared martial law in Bismarck, and barricaded himself in the governor's mansion until the Supreme Court would meet with him.
13.
William Langer eventually relented, and Olson served the remainder of Langer's term as governor.
14.
Miller, following a recusal motion by William Langer, refused to step down as judge in the first retrial, which resulted in a hung jury.
15.
Between the second and third trials, Lanier filed charges against William Langer for committing perjury in his recusal motion against Miller.
16.
William Langer was adamant about implementing affordable healthcare for everyone.
17.
William Langer was one of seven senators to oppose full US entry into the United Nations.
18.
In September 1950, Langer filibustered to prevent the override of President Harry S Truman's veto of the McCarran Internal Security Act for five hours before collapsing.
19.
In 1951, Langer lobbied John J McCloy, the US High Commissioner for Germany, to grant a reprieve to Martin Sandberger, a high-ranking SS official who had been convicted of crimes against humanity and war crimes for his role in the mass murder of Jews and others in Estonia during the Holocaust.
20.
William Langer voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
21.
William Langer was the last US senator to lie in state in the Senate Chamber until Robert Byrd of West Virginia in 2010.