William J. Haynes II ' 80
(Year Awarded--2005) William James Haynes II came to Davidson from Bossier City, Louisiana, in 1976, on an ROTC scholarship. An English major, he graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa, and a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. Jim was selected for Who’s Who Among College Students, and entered Harvard Law School after graduation. Jim married another Davidson graduate, Meg Campbell ’78.
Following law school, Jim clerked for U.S. District Court Judge James McMillan in Charlotte, North Carolina, for one year. He then entered the U.S. Army general counsel’s prestigious honors program. After a three year tour of active duty, Jim worked for Sutherland, Asbill and Brennan in Washington, D.C., before being named general counsel of the Army by President Bush in 1990.
Jim twice was a partner with one of the nation’s preeminent litigation firms, Jenner and Block, P.A., in Washington, DC. From 1996-1999, he served as general counsel for General Dynamics Corporation’s Marine Group. In May of 1998, Jim received an honorary LLD degree from Stetson University School of Law, and gave the commencement speech during that year’s ceremony. Jim also spent two months in 1998 doing volunteer legal work in Kazakhstan with a relief group called Mercy Corp.
Jim was appointed the General Counsel of the Department of Defense by President Bush in 2001. He is the chief legal officer of the Department of Defense and the legal adviser to the Secretary of Defense. Jim was also recently nominated by President Bush to a seat on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
In the midst of his successful professional career, Jim has remained loyal to Davidson. He has served as a Class Agent for the Annual Fund and is a member of the William Holt Terry Scholarship Board of Advisors. Recently, Jim was the keynote speaker for Parents Presidential Weekend in February 2005.
Because your long and distinguished career in service to our nation embodies the leadership and servanthood Davidson seeks to instill in her students, and because of your steadfast dedication to alma mater, the Davidson College Alumni Association honors you, William James Haynes, with the Distinguished Alumni Award on the occasion of the 25th Reunion of the Class of 1980, April 30, 2005.
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