Ben T. Williams (1910 – 1982) was a justice of the

Oklahoma Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is a court of appeal for non-criminal cases, one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and leads the judiciary of Oklahoma, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma.

from 1953 to 1982. He served as chief justice twice, in 1961-62 and in 1975-76. He lived in Oklahoma City, and also maintained a home in

Pauls Valley, Oklahoma Pauls Valley is a city in and the county seat of Garvin County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 5,992 at the 2020 census, a decline of 3.2 percent from the figure of 6,187 in 2010. It was settled by and named for Smith Paul, a North ...

."Williams To Resign High Court." NewsOK, December 1, 1981.
Accessed May 3, 2107. Williams was born in

Johnson County, Texas Johnson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 179,927. Its county seat is Cleburne. Johnson County is named for Middleton Johnson, a Texas Ranger, soldier, and politician. Johnson Co ...

, and later moved to

Garvin County, Oklahoma Garvin County is a county in south-central Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 27,576. Its county seat is Pauls Valley. In 1906, delegates to Constitution Convention formed Garvin County from part of the Chickas ...

. He earned a bachelor's degree from the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

, then earned his law degree from the

University of Oklahoma College of Law The University of Oklahoma College of Law is the professional graduate law school of the University of Oklahoma. It is located on the University's campus in Norman, Oklahoma. The College of Law was founded in 1909 by a resolution of the OU Boar ...

. After receiving his law degree, he became the city attorney for

Stratford, Oklahoma Stratford is a town in Garvin County, Oklahoma, United States. Prior to Oklahoma statehood in 1907, the town existed under different names and was in the Chickasaw Nation in a geographic region known as Indian Territory. Peach orchards abound in ...

, then became the Garvin County judge for four years. He was elected District Judge in 1938, a position he held for 14 years, before he was appointed Associate Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 1952, and served two terms as chief justice. He also was a part-time instructor at the

Oklahoma City University School of Law Oklahoma City University School of Law, also known as OCU Law, is the law school of Oklahoma City University. OCU Law is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and was founded in 1907. OCU Law was located in the Sarkeys Law Center on the southwest side ...

. Williams was on the bench when an infamous corruption scandal broke in July 1964. A U.S. attorney alleged that he had a witness who had witnessed a payoff of Oklahoma Supreme Court justices in 1957. The Oklahoma Bar Association investigated the allegation, and completely exonerated Williams and six other justices. Disciplinary action was recommended against two other justices."Clear All But Two Judges in Bribe Charge." ''Chicago Tribune''. February 28, 1965.
Accessed May 4, 2017. Williams had announced in December 1981 that he would retire on January 31, 1982, but died on January 11, 1982. He had been hospitalized for 48 days at Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. He was survived by his widow, Ruth, and son, Ben T. Williams, Jr."State Court Justice Dies." NewsOK. January 12, 1982.
Accessed January 12, 1982. Williams' widow, Ruth T. Williams (née Turner) died on June 23, 1991, in Dallas, Texas. Her obituary named her surviving son and daughter-in-law, Ben, Jr. and Jane Williams, and three grandsons, as well as another son, Laurence Thompson Williams, who had predeceased her."Ruth Turner (Mrs. Ben T.) Williams." NewsOK. June 26, 1991.
Accessed May 4, 2017.

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Ben T. Justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court People from Johnson County, Texas People from Garvin County, Oklahoma People from Pauls Valley, Oklahoma People from Oklahoma City 1910 births 1982 deaths University of Oklahoma College of Law alumni 20th-century American judges