William Pope

From Usgs

Current revision as of 05:52, 10 May 2008

William Pope (b. 1958) is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving there since 2011, former United States Senator from the Rocky Mountains, and a retired Commander of the United States Navy.

William Pope was born outside of Boise, Idaho in 1958. His father was a dairy rancher, and his mother a homemaker. He is the youngest of 2 brothers and 1 sister, and attended high school at Bishop Kelly High School in Boise, a catholic school, where he played 3 years of Varsity football as Tight End/Defensive Back. Pope was involved in after school activities, and is an Eagle Scout.

After graduating from Bishop Kelly, Pope enrolled at the University of Idaho on a Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and went on to the University of Idaho college of Law where he obtained his law degree. After completion of law school, Pope received a direct commission into the United States Navy.

The Senator began his Navy career as a Trial Counsel and eventually Senior Defense Counsel at the Naval Legal Service Office in Mayport Florida. After this tour, Pope took assignment as a Legislative Liaison Attorney with the Navy’s Office of Legislative Affairs in Washington D.C. From there Pope, reported as the Executive Officer of Naval Service Office Northwest in Bremerton Washington. Following that assignment, the Senator reported as the Fleet Judge Advocate, Seventh Fleet, located in Yokosuka, Japan where he also earned his Surface Warfare rating. His final duty assignment before retiring from the Navy as a Commander, Pope served as Special Counsel to the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington D.C. His Navy decorations include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, and Navy Achievement Medal.

Following his retirement from the Navy, Pope was appointed as the Deputy Attorney General for the State of Idaho overseeing the Idaho State Tax Commission, and after serving in that capacity was elected as the Attorney General for the State of Idaho. After his term as Attorney General, the Senator ran a successful bid and was elected as the Mayor of the City of Boise, where he served one and one half terms before running in the 2006 elections as Senator for the Rocky Mountains in the United States Senate.

In 2011, Washington D.C. was attacked by terrorists. One of their targets was the Supreme Court building. The mortar attack killed Associate Justices Franklin Desanyu and John Paul Stevens. William Pope was nominated to replace Justice Desanyu, Michael Backer was nominated to replace Justice Stevens. Pope was referred by the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously, and confirmed unanimously some five weeks after the attack.

The Senator is married to his wife Lindsey, who he married in 1981. They have four children: Samantha, Jonathan, Zach, and Brittney, as well as two grandchildren: Alyssa and Ryan.