Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Nangle received an Associate of Arts degree from Harris Teachers College (now Harris–Stowe State University) in 1941, a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Missouri in 1943, and a Juris Doctor from Washington University School of Law in 1948.
He was in the United States Army Reserve as a Captain in the JAG Corps from 1946 to 1971.
[1] Nangle was nominated by President Richard Nixon on June 13, 1973, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri vacated by Judge William H. Webster.
Nangle served in that capacity until his death on August 24, 2008, in Savannah, Georgia.
Nangle moved to Savannah in 1990 immediately after taking senior status and sat with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia until just a few months before his death.