William Cook Hanson
Appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 and confirmed by voice vote, William Cook Hanson was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. He earned a law degree from University of Iowa College of Law in 1935. He previously served on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1909–1995
- Appointed by
- John F. Kennedy, 1962
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of Iowa 1933 · University of Iowa College of Law 1935
- Succeeded by
- Donald Eugene O'Brien
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Northern District of Iowa | Kennedy (D) | Voice vote |
| 1962 | Southern District of Iowa | Kennedy (D) | Voice vote |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.
Confirmation vote
Voice vote
The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.
Education
| University of Iowa | B.A. | 1933 |
| University of Iowa College of Law | J.D. | 1935 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Hanson authored 120 published opinions for the court (1962–1991). Most cited: Alsager v. District Court of Polk Cty., Iowa (173 citations).
A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included. Counts and rankings are objective and recomputable: how we count. We describe the record, not the judge.
Recent & notable rulings
| Year | Case | Citation | Cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Alsager v. District Court of Polk Cty., Iowa | 406 F. Supp. 10 | 173 |
| 1976 | Stamus v. Leonhardt | 414 F. Supp. 439 | 75 |
| 1965 | United States v. Luros | 243 F. Supp. 160 | 54 |
| 1978 | Smith v. Brewer | 444 F. Supp. 482 | 41 |
| 1981 | Sedco International, S. A. v. Cory | 522 F. Supp. 254 | 35 |
| 1973 | Peter Kiewit Sons' Co. v. Iowa Southern Utilities Co. | 355 F. Supp. 376 | 35 |
| 1973 | Getter v. R. G. Dickinson & Co. | 366 F. Supp. 559 | 32 |
| 1970 | Sims v. Colfax Community School District | 307 F. Supp. 485 | 29 |
| 1973 | Iowa Electric Light & Power Co. v. Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co. | 360 F. Supp. 25 | 28 |
| 1974 | Williams v. Brewer | 375 F. Supp. 170 | 26 |
| 1972 | Webb v. Lake Mills Community School District | 344 F. Supp. 791 | 26 |
| 1971 | Quad-City Community News Service, Inc. v. Jebens | 334 F. Supp. 8 | 26 |
| 1979 | Shaw v. Kruidenier | 470 F. Supp. 1375 | 25 |
| 1972 | Federal Deposit Ins. Corp. v. National Surety Corp. | 345 F. Supp. 885 | 23 |
| 1972 | Lathrop v. Brewer | 340 F. Supp. 873 | 23 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 120 authored opinions in our data. “Cited” is inbound citations across the CourtListener corpus. Case links open the ruling’s full text (CourtListener) or its page here; read the methodology and verify against the primary source.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed William Cook Hanson?
- President John F. Kennedy appointed William Cook Hanson to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa in 1962.
- Was William Cook Hanson appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- William Cook Hanson was appointed by President John F. Kennedy, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was William Cook Hanson's confirmation vote?
- William Cook Hanson was confirmed by voice vote on July 13, 1962. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was William Cook Hanson on?
- William Cook Hanson was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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32 years on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).