William Knowland

William Fife Knowland (June 26, 1908 – February 23, 1974) was an American politician, newspaper publisher, and Republican Party leader. He was a U.S. Senator representing California from 1945 to 1959. He was Senate Majority Leader from August 1953 to January 1955 after the death of Robert A. Taft. In 1958, he made a failed run for Governor of California.

On February 23, 1974, Knowland shot himself in the head at his summer home near Guerneville, California at the age of 65. He died owing over $900,000 to banks and impatient mobsters.Montgomery and Johnson,  One Step from the White House: The Rise and Fall of Senator William F. Knowland (1998) pp 283-305

References

Other websites
 Retrieved on 2008-02-09

Oakland Tribune Archives
William F. Knowland Papers Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
Knowland Family California at Political Graveyard
William Knowland Political History
Oral history interview 

Category:1908 births
Category:1974 deaths
Category:Suicides by firearm in the United States
Category:Anti-communists
Category:American Methodists
Category:Minority leaders of the United States Senate
Category:Majority leaders of the United States Senate
Category:American military personnel of World War II
Category:Politicians who committed suicide
Category:United States senators from California
Category:Businesspeople from Oakland, California
Category:Politicians from Oakland, California
Category:Republican Party (United States) politicians