William Steger
Encyclopedia
William Merritt "Bill" Steger (August 22, 1920 – June 4, 2006) handled some 15,000 cases in a career spanning 35 years as a U.S. District Court judge
for the Eastern District of Texas
, based in Tyler
. U.S. President Richard M. Nixon appointed Steger to the bench in 1970. Steger was a former chairman of the Texas Republican Party
and his party's unsuccessful nominee for governor of Texas
in 1960 and for the Third District U.S. House seat in 1962. Earlier, in 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower
named him a U.S. Attorney.
and graduated from Woodrow Wilson
High School
there in 1938. He attended Baylor University
in Waco
from 1938 to 1941.
After Pearl Harbor
was bombed, Steger left Baylor to volunteer for the Army Air Corps
. He was commissioned a second lieutenant
and received his pilot
’s wings in November 1942. He flew fifty-six combat missions piloting British Spitfire aircraft in the Tunis
ian, Sicilian
, and Italian
campaigns. In recognition for his bravery as a fighter pilot in World War II
, Steger received the Air Medal
and four Oak Leaf Clusters and attained the rank of captain. Upon returning from overseas until his discharge from the Army in 1947, Steger served as a test pilot in an experimental program to test the first ever military jet aircraft
.
After his military service, Steger returned to Dallas and in 1948 married the former Ann Hollandsworth. He enrolled in the Southern Methodist University
Law School and received his law
degree in 1950. After graduation, he opened his law practice in Longview
.
, which met in Chicago
. Thereafter, President Eisenhower named Steger as the United States Attorney
for the Eastern District of Texas. This appointment brought him and Mrs. Steger to Tyler, where he served as U.S. attorney until his resignation in 1959. Steger then joined the Tyler law firm of Wilson, Miller, Spivey, and Steger, where he practiced law until 1970. During his years of private practice in Tyler, he continued to remain active in Republican politics.
The Texas GOP nominated Steger as its candidate for governor in 1960. Though he was handily defeated by Democratic
Governor Price Daniel
, he polled sufficient votes to allow the Republican Party to hold its first presidential primary in Texas in 1964, rather than selecting delegates in caucuses, as had been the custom. Daniel received 1,637,755 votes (72.8 percent) to Steger's 612,963 ballots (27.2 percent). In the Democratic primary for what turned out to have been his last term as governor, Daniel defeated Jack Cox
, an oil equipment executive from Houston
, who would thereafter switch parties and become the 1962 Republican gubernatorial nominee.
In 1961, Steger became president of the Smith County Republican Men’s Club. In 1962, he challenged veteran Democrat Lindley Garrison Beckworth for the Fifth District seat in the United States House of Representatives
. In a narrow loss, Steger received 24,803 votes (48 percent) to Beckworth's 26,915 (52 percent).
Steger was also a Republican presidential elector in 1964, but the Johnson-Humphrey
slate easily won Texas that year. In 1966, Steger was elected to the State Republican Executive Committee. In 1967, he was appointed subcommittee chairman of the Texas Republican Task Force on Crime and Law Enforcement. He was a delegate to the 1968 Republican National Convention
, which met in Miami Beach
, and he was reelected to the State Republican Executive Committee that same year.
In 1969, Steger served as chairman of the Rules Committee at the state Republican Party convention, and later that year was elected state party chairman. He served through the 1970 elections, which were keenly disappointing to the state GOP.
During his tenure on the bench Judge Steger presided over many noteworthy cases. In 1975, for instance, he held that a private hospital, although it received some state and federal financial support, could establish policies denying use of its facilities for elective abortions. In 1980, he presided over one of the first cases that applied the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (“RICO”) to obtain the conviction of numerous Gregg County officials for offenses ranging from solicitation of murder
to facilitation of gambling
.
In 1983, Judge Steger presided over United States v. Rex Cauble, another significant case involving the RICO statute. At the trial of that case, a jury convicted Cauble of masterminding an organization known as the “Cowboy Mafia” that imported tons of marijuana into the United States from South America
.
In 1986, he tried United States v. DKG, Inc., a precedent-setting case, which involved the forfeiture of property purchased with funds derived from illegal narcotics transactions. As a result of that conviction, the government seized properties which were subsequently auctioned for more than $10 million and deposited in the U.S. Treasury.
In 1995, Judge Steger named Bryan Hughes
, then a recent graduate of Baylor Law School
, as his briefing attorney. In 2003, Hughes, a lawyer in Mineola
, began service as a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives
from District 5.
Steger died on June 4, 2006, and was interred at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Tyler. The William M. Steger Federal Building and United States Courthouse was named in his honor later that year.
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
for the Eastern District of Texas
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas is the Federal district court with jurisdiction over the eastern part of Texas and is a part of the Fifth Circuit. The court's headquarters are in Tyler, Texas and has five subdivision offices in Beaumont, Lufkin, Marshall,...
, based in Tyler
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
. U.S. President Richard M. Nixon appointed Steger to the bench in 1970. Steger was a former chairman of the Texas Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and his party's unsuccessful nominee for governor of Texas
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
in 1960 and for the Third District U.S. House seat in 1962. Earlier, in 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
named him a U.S. Attorney.
Early years, education, and military service
Steger was born to Merritt Steger and the former Lottie Reese in DallasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
and graduated from Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
there in 1938. He attended Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
in Waco
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
from 1938 to 1941.
After Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
was bombed, Steger left Baylor to volunteer for the Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
. He was commissioned a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
and received his pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
’s wings in November 1942. He flew fifty-six combat missions piloting British Spitfire aircraft in the Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
ian, Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, and Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
campaigns. In recognition for his bravery as a fighter pilot in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Steger received the Air Medal
Air Medal
The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
and four Oak Leaf Clusters and attained the rank of captain. Upon returning from overseas until his discharge from the Army in 1947, Steger served as a test pilot in an experimental program to test the first ever military jet aircraft
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
.
After his military service, Steger returned to Dallas and in 1948 married the former Ann Hollandsworth. He enrolled in the Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
Law School and received his law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
degree in 1950. After graduation, he opened his law practice in Longview
Longview, Texas
Longview is a city in Gregg and Harrison Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 80,455. Most of the city is located in Gregg County, of which it is the county seat; only a small part extends into the western part of neighboring Harrison County. It is...
.
Republican political activities
In Longview, Steger became involved in various Republican activities. He was chairman of the Eisenhower-Nixon campaign in East Texas and was a delegate to the 1952 Republican National ConventionRepublican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
, which met in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Thereafter, President Eisenhower named Steger as the United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the Eastern District of Texas. This appointment brought him and Mrs. Steger to Tyler, where he served as U.S. attorney until his resignation in 1959. Steger then joined the Tyler law firm of Wilson, Miller, Spivey, and Steger, where he practiced law until 1970. During his years of private practice in Tyler, he continued to remain active in Republican politics.
The Texas GOP nominated Steger as its candidate for governor in 1960. Though he was handily defeated by Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Governor Price Daniel
Price Daniel
Marion Price Daniel, Sr. , was a Democratic U.S. Senator and the 38th Governor of the state of Texas. He was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to be a member of the National Security Council, Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness, and Assistant to the President for Federal-State...
, he polled sufficient votes to allow the Republican Party to hold its first presidential primary in Texas in 1964, rather than selecting delegates in caucuses, as had been the custom. Daniel received 1,637,755 votes (72.8 percent) to Steger's 612,963 ballots (27.2 percent). In the Democratic primary for what turned out to have been his last term as governor, Daniel defeated Jack Cox
Jack Cox (Texas)
Jack M. Cox was an oil equipment executive from Houston and the 1962 Republican gubernatorial nominee in the state of Texas.-Early years:...
, an oil equipment executive from Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, who would thereafter switch parties and become the 1962 Republican gubernatorial nominee.
In 1961, Steger became president of the Smith County Republican Men’s Club. In 1962, he challenged veteran Democrat Lindley Garrison Beckworth for the Fifth District seat in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. In a narrow loss, Steger received 24,803 votes (48 percent) to Beckworth's 26,915 (52 percent).
Steger was also a Republican presidential elector in 1964, but the Johnson-Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
slate easily won Texas that year. In 1966, Steger was elected to the State Republican Executive Committee. In 1967, he was appointed subcommittee chairman of the Texas Republican Task Force on Crime and Law Enforcement. He was a delegate to the 1968 Republican National Convention
1968 Republican National Convention
The 1968 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States was held in at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Dade County, Florida, from August 5 to August 8, 1968....
, which met in Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
, and he was reelected to the State Republican Executive Committee that same year.
In 1969, Steger served as chairman of the Rules Committee at the state Republican Party convention, and later that year was elected state party chairman. He served through the 1970 elections, which were keenly disappointing to the state GOP.
Tenure on the federal bench
In December 1970, President Nixon appointed Steger to the Tyler-based judgeship, which he held for the remaining thirty-five years of his life.During his tenure on the bench Judge Steger presided over many noteworthy cases. In 1975, for instance, he held that a private hospital, although it received some state and federal financial support, could establish policies denying use of its facilities for elective abortions. In 1980, he presided over one of the first cases that applied the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (“RICO”) to obtain the conviction of numerous Gregg County officials for offenses ranging from solicitation of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
to facilitation of gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
.
In 1983, Judge Steger presided over United States v. Rex Cauble, another significant case involving the RICO statute. At the trial of that case, a jury convicted Cauble of masterminding an organization known as the “Cowboy Mafia” that imported tons of marijuana into the United States from South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
In 1986, he tried United States v. DKG, Inc., a precedent-setting case, which involved the forfeiture of property purchased with funds derived from illegal narcotics transactions. As a result of that conviction, the government seized properties which were subsequently auctioned for more than $10 million and deposited in the U.S. Treasury.
In 1995, Judge Steger named Bryan Hughes
Bryan Hughes (Texas politician)
Douglas Bryan Hughes, known as Bryan Hughes , is an attorney in Mineola, Texas, who has been since 2003 a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 5, which includes Camp, Harrison, Upshur, and Wood counties in the northeastern section of his state.-Background:Hughes...
, then a recent graduate of Baylor Law School
Baylor Law School
Founded in 1857, Baylor Law School is the oldest law school in Texas and has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1931 and a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1938. Baylor Law School is affiliated with Baylor University and located in Waco, Texas...
, as his briefing attorney. In 2003, Hughes, a lawyer in Mineola
Mineola, Texas
Mineola is a city in Wood County, Texas, United States. It lies at the junction of U.S. highways 69 and 80, eighty miles east of Dallas in southwestern Wood County...
, began service as a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
from District 5.
Steger died on June 4, 2006, and was interred at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Tyler. The William M. Steger Federal Building and United States Courthouse was named in his honor later that year.