Jump to content

William Thaddeus Coleman III

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Thaddeus Coleman III
Coleman in 1995
General Counsel of the Army
In office
1994–1999
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byWilliam J. Haynes II
Succeeded byCharles A. Blanchard
Personal details
Born1947 (age 76–77)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Spouse
Allegra Saenz Coleman
(m. 2003)
Children2 biological, 4 stepchildren
Parent(s)William Thaddeus Coleman Jr.
Lovida Hardin
EducationWilliams College (BA)
Yale University (JD)
ProfessionLawyer

William Thaddeus Coleman III (born 1947) is an American lawyer who served as General Counsel of the Army during the Clinton administration.

Biography

[edit]

Coleman was born in Boston on April 20, 1947, the son of William Thaddeus Coleman Jr. and his wife Lovida.[1] He was educated at Williams College (B.A., 1970), and Yale Law School (J.D., 1973).[2][3] During his first year at law school, he was befriended by fellow law student Bill Clinton and the two were roommates during their second year of law school.[4] After completing law school, he served as a clerk for federal District Judge Edward T. Gignoux.[3]

Coleman was admitted to the bar of Georgia in 1974.[2] In the 1990s, when Bill Clinton became President of the United States, he appointed Coleman General Counsel of the Army.[5] Coleman was the subject of a minor scandal in 1997 when he was accused of sexual harassment.[6] An investigation into the allegations by the Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense later concluded that, while Coleman had told some off-color jokes, he had not committed sexual harassment.[7]

Coleman married his wife, Allegra Saenz Coleman, in 2003, and together the couple have two children: William Thaddeus Coleman IV and Amadeus Alexander-Browne Coleman.[8] He also has four stepchildren.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ William T. Coleman with Donald T. Bliss, Counsel for the Situation: Shaping the Law to Realize America's Promise (Brookings Institution, 2010), p. 75
  2. ^ a b Profile from Lawyers.com
  3. ^ a b c "Nominations Before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Second Session, 103d Congress: Hearings Before the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate". Vol. 103, no. 873. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1994. pp. 515–517. ISBN 978-0-16-046386-0.
  4. ^ Robert E. Levin, Bill Clinton: The Inside Story (S.P.I. Books, 1992), p. 88
  5. ^ Tamara Loomis, "Did Affirmative Action Really Hinder Clarence Thomas?", Law.com, June 2, 2008
  6. ^ Associated Press, "Latest scandals involve an Army lawyer, admiral", May 31, 1997
  7. ^ Times Wires Reports, "Army's Top Lawyer Cleared of Charges", March 28, 1998
  8. ^ Profile of Allegra Saenz Coleman as Contributing Writer of Impact Times magazine
Government offices
Preceded by General Counsel of the Army
1994 – ca. 1999
Succeeded by