Every generation has its heroes, unfortunately only a few of these heroes are remembered for long. One of these brave people is Wild Bill Donovan. While not many modern Americans have heard of this man, other than passing comments, he had a tremendous impact on our country that still influences our lives. Donovan has demonstrated time and again his unwavering devotion to the United States and its people, and we are forever grateful. Our hero was born on New Year's Day 1883, he was a second generation American as his grandparents had all emigrated from Ireland. They initially moved to Canada, but after a short period of time they decided to move to Buffalo, New York. Known as O'Donovan in their homeland, they became known as Donovan after moving to America. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Young Bill had a fairly normal childhood, his father, Timothy P. Donovan, was a middle class man known for being hard working and determined, he worked for a railroad and eventually tried to start a career more political, but was unsuccessful in his efforts. Anna Letitia Tish, Bill Donovan's mother, did not have a career but was known for her good etiquette and big dreams. Only five of his children survived to adulthood, Bill Donovan being the eldest son. He attended two schools, St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute and Niagara University, before earning his bachelor's degree in art. While in college Donovan became quite popular. He was on the university's rowing team and was a star football player, it was during his football years that he supposedly first earned the title of "wild" account for his playing tactics. In 1905, his senior year, he was also voted one of the most “modest” and “handsome” boys in his class. These early results point to his later demonstration of determination and interpersonal skills that helped him be so successful in his life. . However, not to be discouraged by his father's previous failure to become more politically involved, Donovan decided to pursue a career in law and studied at Columbia Law School for two years. Once he graduated, Donovan worked for another two years at a respected law firm before starting a successful private law practice and becoming a well-known attorney. However, Donovan wanted to do more than simply be a lawyer and began studying military and combat strategies, as well as taking acting lessons from an ancient famous actress named Eleanor Robson. In 1912 he helped found a troop called the New York National Guard that helped guard the Mexican-American border. Not long after, in 1914, he married Ruth Rumsey, a native of his hometown of Buffalo. They had two children, David born in 1915 and Patricia in 1917, but Patricia later had an accident and died at the age of 23. Donovan's travels and influence around the world began in 1916 when he tried to convince Britain and Germany to allow shipments to several other European countries. . The same year he was promoted to Major and returned to Buffalo to join the 69th Regiment. Since most of the soldiers in this regiment were of Irish descent, they were known as the "Fighting Irish", their regiment was later renamed the 165th, and a film was made about them several years later. Already strong international tensions had actually exploded by 1914, when World War I began, but the United States did not officially enter the war until 1917. This war was particularly brutal indue to trench fighting techniques and Donovan was wounded several times but continued to be a strong example to his men. During the battle many rank and file soldiers chose to cover their insignia but he chose to keep his in the open telling his soldiers, "They can't hit me and they won't hit you!" His courage and unfailing bravery in battle caused his old college nickname of "Wild Bill" to resurface and solidify. By the time the war ended in 1918, Donovan had been promoted to colonel in addition to receiving the title Colonel's Congressional Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, and two Purple Hearts, making him one of the most decorated heroes of the war. While he had certainly played a role in our country before the war, he was now recognized as a loyal and honest man and slowly but surely began to rise through the ranks. His status continued to grow between the wars as he continued his legal career and became a highly successful Wall Street lawyer. In 1922 he became the United States Attorney for the Western District of New York and earned a reputation as an ardent fighter against crime and alcohol. A year after receiving his new assignment, his agents discovered and confiscated large quantities of illegal liquor. These drinks belonged to the upper classes of society who had decided that they were exempt from alcohol restrictions. This was a particularly difficult time for Donovan as he faced threats to his life and home, as well as internal turmoil with his wife and law partner over his unyielding stance on issues relating to illegal drinks. He became known for his inspiring arguments before the supreme court, but when he decided to run for governor of New York in 1932 he proved unsuccessful. The personal charm that had carried him thus far did not extend into the direct spotlight, and his disorganized campaign collapsed around him. By the time of World War II, Donovan was deeply entrenched in the American government. Although he had not won the previous elections, he was very popular among both ordinary people and government officials. He was known as a hard-working, passionate and caring person with high moral standards. His hard work between the wars began to pay off as he became deeply involved in international affairs. Although he made it clear that he was no friend of Hitler, Mussolini or Stalin, he was allowed to visit the Italian front and speak to several leading figures in Nazi Germany. Roosevelt also forgave him for campaign brutality due to his foreign ties and political popularity which had grown significantly thanks to the film The Fighting 69th which told the story of his regiment's World War I days. As Donovan and Roosevelt grew closer, he was given increasingly important tasks. One of the most important assignments he received was to become an emissary to Britain. During this period he met several high-ranking officials including Winston Churchill and King George VI. Over time he was given unrestricted access to all of Britain's confidential information and became so popular among the British that he was asked to become the new US ambassador, although this request was rejected. Aside from the British, Donovan was asked to review the American navy in the Pacific and tried to convince several Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries to oppose Germany. He also began to hang out with spies and became particularly friendly with one named 'Intrepid', so much so that after a while people called them Big and Little Bill. Meanwhile, the.