William Gianelli
William Gianelli (born February 19, 1919) was United States Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) from 1981 to 1984.[1]
Biography
William Gianelli was born in Stockton, California on February 19, 1919.[2] He was educated at the University of California, Berkeley, receiving a B.S. in 1941.[3] He then served in the United States Army Corps of Engineers from 1941 to 1945, in the midst of World War II.[2] In this capacity, he was involved in building airfields, water supply facilities, and other construction projects at installations in Hawaii, Saipan, Okinawa, and Korea.[3] By the end of the war, he had attained the rank of Major.[3]
After the war, in January 1946, Gianelli took a job in the office of the State Engineer of California.[3] After ten years in that job, he left for the California Department of Water Resources, becoming staff engineer and special assistant to the director.[2] In 1959, he became district engineer for the CDWR's southern district.[2]
In 1960, Gianelli left government service and formed a consulting engineering firm, Gianelli & Murray.[2]
In January 1967, Governor of California Ronald Reagan appointed Gianelli as head of the California Department of Water Resources.[3] In that capacity, he oversaw the development of the California State Water Project.[3]
Gianelli again left government service in 1973, becoming a consulting engineer.[3] From 1973 to 1976, he served on the National Commission on Water Quality appointed by President of the United States Richard Nixon and chaired by Nelson Rockefeller.[2]
In 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated Gianelli as Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), and, after Senate Confirmation, he held this office from April 1981 until May 1984.[2] He was chairman of the Panama Canal Commission, the last four years under special Congressional Authorization.[4]
Gianelli continued to work as a consultant after leaving government service in 1984.[4] In 1997, he joined Dawson & Associates as an advisor on environmental permitting. He served there for more than a decade.
References
- ↑ William R. Gianelli; Malca Chall (1986). William R. Gianelli: The California State Department of Water Resources, 1967-1973. Regional Oral History Office, Bancroft Library, University of California,.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 President Reagan's Nomination of Gianelli as Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works)
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Water Resources - An Interview with William R. Gianelli
- 1 2 Profile from the Department of the Army
External links
- William R. Gianelli : The California State Department of Water Resources, 1967-1973 / an interview conducted by Malca Chall in 1985. Berkeley, Calif. : Regional Oral History Office, Bancroft Library, University of California, 1986
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Michael Blumenfeld |
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) April 1981 – May 1984 |
Succeeded by Robert K. Dawson |