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WILLIAM B. McKESSON
District Attorney

1956-1964

District Attorney William B. McKesson

William B. McKesson

The Board of Supervisors named William B. McKesson, 61, a Superior Court judge assigned to Juvenile Court, District Attorney upon Ernest Roll’s death in 1956. McKesson graduated from USC Law School, had been a deputy county counsel and was active in several organizations involving juvenile justice, prior to taking the bench. When McKesson was appointed DA, the Los Angeles Examiner listed his plans to strengthen the office’s Juvenile Bureau, to have only the "highest caliber men" handle the complaint department, and appoint more experienced prosecutors to handle preliminary hearings instead of using them as a training ground for young deputies.

McKesson served until 1964, when the fiscal year budget had grown to $3,261,760, more than triple the budget of ten years previous. The staff numbered 429, including 146 deputy district attorneys who prosecuted 54% of the felony cases in California.