William D. Ruckelshaus

William Doyle Ruckelshaus
Acting Director
April 30, 1973 - July 9, 1973

William Doyle Ruckelshaus served as Acting Director of the FBI between April 1973 and July 1973.

Mr. Ruckelshaus was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on July 24, 1932. He graduated cum laude from Princeton University in 1957 with a Bachelor of Arts. In 1960, Harvard University awarded him a J.D. and Mr. Ruckelshaus entered private practice in Indiana. After serving in a number of state offices, Mr. Ruckelshaus was appointed to the Department of Justice and, in 1970, became the first administrator of the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He served in the EPA until his appointment as Acting Director. After Director Kelley was confirmed, Mr. Ruckelshaus returned to private practice. In 1983, he returned to Washington as the fifth administrator of the EPA and served there until 1985.

Directors, Then and Now

- Robert S. Mueller, III, 2001-Present
- Thomas J. Pickard, 2001
- Louis J. Freeh, 1993-2001
- Floyd I. Clarke, 1993
- William S. Sessions, 1987-1993
- John E. Otto, 1987
- William H. Webster, 1978-1987
- James B. Adams, 1978
- Clarence M. Kelley, 1973-1978
- William D. Ruckelshaus, 1973
- L. Patrick Gray, 1972-1973
- J. Edgar Hoover, 1924-1972
- William J. Burns, 1921-1924
- William J. Flynn, 1919-1921
- William E. Allen, 1919
- Alexander B. Bielaski, 1912-1919
- Stanley W. Finch, 1908-1912

‪The FBI Director:
Background on the Position‬

‪Since its beginning in 1908, the FBI has been led by a single individual. At first called "Chief," this leader has been titled "Director" since the term of William Flynn (1919-1921). The FBI Director has answered directly to the attorney general since the 1920s.‬ ‪Under the Omnibus Crime Control Act and Safe Streets Act of 1968, Public Law 90-3351, the Director is appointed by the U.S. President and confirmed by the Senate. On October 15, 1976, in reaction to the extraordinary 48-year term of J. Edgar Hoover, Congress passed Public Law 94-503, limiting the FBI Director to a single term of no longer than 10 years. ‪Details