William Joseph Casey (1913–1987) was an American lawyer, jurist, and government official who served as Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) from 1981 to 1987 under President Ronald Reagan. Born in the Elmhurst section of Queens, New York, and raised in a Roman Catholic family in Bellmore, New York, he graduated from Fordham University with a B.S. in 1934 and pursued graduate studies at Catholic University of America. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Naval Reserve under William J. Donovan in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), coordinating with French Resistance forces for the Normandy invasion and liberation of France, earning the Bronze Star. After the war, his career spanned law, business, and government, including roles as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under President Nixon and Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs. As DCI, he oversaw the U.S. Intelligence Community during the Cold War, directing aggressive covert operations against the Soviet bloc, including support for anti-communist movements in Afghanistan, Central America, and Eastern Europe. His tenure was marked by controversy, particularly his key involvement in the Iran-Contra affair, where he recommended that Congress not be informed of the secret arms sales to Iran and the funding of Nicaraguan Contras in violation of congressional restrictions; he denied direct knowledge of these activities before his death from a malignant brain tumor in 1987, dying before he could fully testify on the matter.