William P. Jaeger Jr. passed away on June 2, 2014, in Twin Falls after a year-long illness. He was 88 years old. He was born in Berkeley, Calif., and graduated from U.C. Berkeley. After service as a U.S. naval officer in World War ll, Bill received a law degree from Hastings in 1951. He married Lila F. Fletcher and soon began a three-year stint as chief aide to Senate Majority Leader William F. Knowland in Washington, D.C., where his lifelong love of policy issues was formed. Upon retuning to Oakland, he joined a law firm, specializing in trust, estate and tax law as well as serving as city attorney for Piedmont, Calif., and president of his family’s oil company in Wyoming.
In the early 1970s, he was founding partner of Freemark Abbey and Rutherford Hill Wineries. After Lila’s death in 2001, Bill married the former Beverly Harris and began a new chapter of his life with her in Bellevue, Idaho. He remained active in the Bohemian Club, returning regularly to The Grove. He served as an overseer of the Hoover Institute and belonged to The Valley Club.
Bill is survived by many family members. His passing is an enormous loss to all who knew him.
Donations in Bill’s memory may be sent to the Claremont Institute, 937 W. Roothill Blvd., Claremont, CA 91711 or the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley.