William J. Brennan

U.S. Supreme Court justice from 1956 to 1990
Person human Q717401
William J. Brennan
Press Enter · cited answer in seconds

William J. Brennan

Summary

William J. Brennan is a human[1]. Born in Newark[2], he… he was born on +1906-04-25T00:00:00Z[3]. He passed away in Washington, D.C.[4]. He died on +1997-07-24T00:00:00Z[5]. He worked as a lawyer[6], judge[7], politician[8], and jurist[9]. He ranks in the top 0.67% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (844 views/month, #6,745 of 1,000,298).[10]

Key Facts

  • William J. Brennan was born in Newark[2].
  • William J. Brennan died in Washington, D.C.[4].
  • William J. Brennan was born on +1906-04-25T00:00:00Z[3].
  • William J. Brennan died on +1997-07-24T00:00:00Z[5].
  • William J. Brennan is buried at Arlington National Cemetery[11].
  • Among William J. Brennan's spouses was Marjorie Leonard[12].
  • William J. Brennan held citizenship in United States[13].
  • William J. Brennan worked as a lawyer[6].
  • William J. Brennan worked as a judge[7].
  • William J. Brennan's professions included politician[8].
  • William J. Brennan's professions included jurist[9].
  • William J. Brennan's field of work was law[14].
  • William J. Brennan's field of work was justice and judicial activities[15].
  • William J. Brennan held the position of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States[16].
  • Among William J. Brennan's employers was Georgetown University[17].
  • William J. Brennan was employed by Georgetown University Law Center[18].
  • William J. Brennan's education included a stint at Harvard Law School[19].
  • William J. Brennan's education included a stint at The Wharton School[20].
  • William J. Brennan received the Presidential Medal of Freedom[21].
  • William J. Brennan received the Four Freedoms Award – Freedom Medal[22].
  • William J. Brennan received the New Jersey Hall of Fame[23].
  • William J. Brennan received the Laetare Medal[24].
  • William J. Brennan received the honorary doctor of the University of Miami[25].
  • William J. Brennan was a member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences[26].
  • William J. Brennan's image is recorded as US Supreme Court Justice William Brennan - 1972 official portrait.jpg[27].

Body

Origins and Family

William J. Brennan was born in Newark[2]. He was born on +1906-04-25T00:00:00Z[3].

Education

Educated at Harvard Law School[19], a graduate school[28], in United States[29], founded in 1817[30] and The Wharton School[20], a private university[31], in United States[32], founded in 1881[33], headquartered in Philadelphia[34].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include lawyer[6], judge[7], politician[8], and jurist[9]. Fields of work include law[14], an academic discipline[35] and justice and judicial activities[15], an economic activity[36]. Employers include Georgetown University[17], a private university[37], in United States[38], founded in 1789[39], headquartered in Washington, D.C.[40] and Georgetown University Law Center[18], a law school[41], in United States[42], founded in 1870[43]. William J. Brennan held the position of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States[16].

Recognition

Awards received include Presidential Medal of Freedom[21], an award[44], in United States[45], founded in 1963[46]; Four Freedoms Award – Freedom Medal[22], an award[47], in United States[48], founded in 1982[49]; New Jersey Hall of Fame[23], an award[50], in United States[51], founded in 2008[52]; Laetare Medal[24], a religion-related award[53], in United States[54], founded in 1883[55]; and honorary doctor of the University of Miami[25], an award[56], in United States[57].

Personal Life

Among William J. Brennan's spouses was Marjorie Leonard[12]. He was affiliated with the Democratic Party[58].

Death and Burial

William J. Brennan died on +1997-07-24T00:00:00Z[5]. He died in Washington, D.C.[4]. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery[11].

Works and Contributions

Things named for William J. Brennan include William J. Brennan Award[59], an award[60].

Why It Matters

William J. Brennan ranks in the top 0.67% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (844 views/month, #6,745 of 1,000,298).[10] He has Wikipedia articles in 11 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[61] He is known by 23 alternative names across languages and contexts.[62]

Works attributed to him include New York Times Co. v. Sullivan[63], a decision of the Supreme Court of the United States[64], in United States[65], written by him[66]. Entities named for him include William J. Brennan Award[59], an award[60].

FAQs

Where was William J. Brennan born?

William J. Brennan's place of birth was Newark[2].

Where did William J. Brennan die?

William J. Brennan passed away in Washington, D.C.[4].

Who was William J. Brennan married to?

William J. Brennan's spouses include Marjorie Leonard[12].

What did William J. Brennan do for work?

William J. Brennan worked as lawyer[6], judge[7], politician[8], and jurist[9].

Where did William J. Brennan go to school?

William J. Brennan was educated at Harvard Law School[19] and The Wharton School[20].

What awards did William J. Brennan receive?

Honors received include Presidential Medal of Freedom[21], Four Freedoms Award – Freedom Medal[22], New Jersey Hall of Fame[23], and Laetare Medal[24].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [27] . wikidata.org.
  2. [2] . wikidata.org.
  3. [4] . wikidata.org.
  4. [12] . wikidata.org.
  5. [13] . wikidata.org.
  6. [16] . wikidata.org.
  7. [19] . wikidata.org.
  8. [20] . wikidata.org.
  9. [14] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  10. [15] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  11. [58] . wikidata.org.
  12. [6] . wikidata.org.
  13. [7] . wikidata.org.
  14. [8] . wikidata.org.
  15. [9] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  16. [17] . wikidata.org.
  17. [18] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  18. [11] . ancexplorer.army.mil. ancexplorer.army.mil. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  19. [21] . crsreports.congress.gov. crsreports.congress.gov. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  20. [22] . wikidata.org.
  21. [23] . njhalloffame.org. njhalloffame.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  22. [24] . laetare.nd.edu. laetare.nd.edu. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  23. [25] . commencement.miami.edu. commencement.miami.edu. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  24. [26] . wikidata.org.
  25. [3] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  26. [5] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [63] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [59] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [54] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [55] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [56] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [57] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [64] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [65] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  33. [66] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  34. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [10] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [61] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [62] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). William J. Brennan. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-j-brennan
MLA “William J. Brennan.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 10 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-j-brennan.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_william-j-brennan_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{William J. Brennan}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-j-brennan}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): William J. Brennan — https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-j-brennan (retrieved 2026-04-10)

Canonical URL: https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-j-brennan · Last refreshed:

Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 4w ago · MariuszRokin · 2026-04-30 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Member of political party Democratic Party
    Aliases
    Award received Presidential Medal of Freedom, Four Freedoms Award – Freedom Medal, New Jersey Hall of Fame +2
    Citizenship
    + 27 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P3368]]: 1299506, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/257026|batch #257026]]"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.