Donald W. Banner (February 23, 1924 – January 29, 2006) was a United States Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks.

Early life and career

Banner was born in

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and served as a P-47 pilot during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was shot down over Italy, and held in a German

POW camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, an ...

until April 29, 1945. After the war, Banner attended

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

, graduating with a BSEE in 1948. He earned his Juris Doctor in 1952 from the

University of Detroit The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catho ...

. He later went on to earn his Master of Patent Law in 1958, and his

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in 1979 from the John Marshall Law School.

Political career

Banner was appointed to be U.S. Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks by both Presidents Nixon and

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, the only person to be so appointed by presidents of both political parties. He served in that office only during the Carter Administration from 1978 to 1979. After his time as Commissioner of Patents he entered private practice with the firm now known as Banner & Witcoff. He also served as director of the Patent Law Division at John Marshall Law School. He died on January 29, 2006, in

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References

1924 births 2006 deaths United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II United States Army Air Forces officers University of Detroit Mercy alumni Purdue University College of Engineering alumni American prisoners of war in World War II Lawyers who have represented the United States government World War II prisoners of war held by Germany United States Commissioners of Patents University of Illinois Chicago School of Law alumni {{US-gov-bio-stub