William H. Becker

William Henry Becker (August 26, 1909 – February 2, 1992) was a United States federal judge.

Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Becker received an LL.B. from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law in 1932. He was in private practice in Columbia, Missouri from 1932 to 1961, serving as special counsel to the Missouri Insurance Department from 1936 to 1944 and counsel to Governor Lloyd Stark in the Kansas City criminal investigation taking place from 1938 to 1939. He was a U.S. Naval Reserve Lieutenant from 1944 to 1945, remaining in the U.S. Naval Reserve until 1947. He was a special assistant to director of the Economic Stabilization Commission of the United States from 1945 to 1946, and a special commissioner for the Supreme Court of Missouri from 1954 to 1958.

On August 21, 1961, Becker was nominated by President John F. Kennedy to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri vacated by Albert A. Ridge. Becker was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 8, 1961, and received his commission on September 18, 1961. He served as chief judge from 1965 to 1977, assuming senior status on February 8, 1977, and serving in that capacity until his death, in Columbia, Missouri.

Sources

• William H. Becker at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.