Frank J. Donner was a lawyer, journalist, historian, and civil libertarian who was best known for his research and writings on government surveillance and the use of informers. Born in 1911 in Brooklyn, he received his undergraduate education and a master's degree in history (1934) from the University of Wisconsin. He obtained a law degree from Columbia University in 1937. Donner began his legal career as a staff attorney for the National Labor Relations Board (1940-1943) and went on to serve as counsel for the Congress of Industrial Organizations and the United Steel Workers of America, before going into private practice in 1947. Donner's firms specialized in defending targets of government investigations, serving as counsel for many defendants in front of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. In the 1950s, Donner became an author, publishing articles on the use of informers and violations of civil liberties. He published three books in his career, The Un-Americans (1961), The Age of Surveillance (1980), and Protectors of Privilege (1990). During the 1960s, Donner served as general counsel for the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America while also maintaining a private practice. From 1971 until his death in 1993, he was director of the ACLU Project on Political Surveillance, which was housed at the Yale Law School. Frank Donner died on June 10, 1993.
From the description of Frank J. Donner papers, 1897-1992 (inclusive). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702154375
