Chester Sidney Williams (1907–1992) was an American

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

and writer who wrote extensively about education and freedoms. Williams received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. He worked as a representative of the Convention des Etudiants from 1928-1929. From 1930-1931 he was the Executive Secretary for the

National Student Federation of America The National Student Federation of America or NSFA was an association of student government founded in 1925.Altbach, Philip G. (1997) ''Student Politics in America: A Historical Analysis''. Piscataway, NJ, Transaction Publishers. p.40 It was the f ...

. He was a lecturer for adult education forums (1932–1934); Assistant to the U.S. Commission of Education (1934–1936); and Assistant Administrator of Federal Forum Program (1936–1941) under John W. Studebaker.Guide to the Chester S. Williams papers at the University of Oregon.
/ref> Williams' work with education on the national level did not end there. From 1941-1942, he was Director of Adult Civic Education for the

U.S. Office of Education The Office of Education, at times known as the Department of Education and the Bureau of Education, was a small unit in the Federal Government of the United States within the U.S. Department of the Interior from 1867 to 1972. It is now separated ...

. For a year during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he worked in England for the

Office of War Information The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a United States government agency created during World War II. The OWI operated from June 1942 until September 1945. Through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and other ...

in charge of distributing educational programs abroad. When he returned to the United States he worked as Chief of Educational Programs for the

United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) was an international relief agency, largely dominated by the United States but representing 44 nations. Founded in November 1943, it was dissolved in September 1948. it became part o ...

and at the Office of War Information, Overseas branch in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

After the war he continued his work with the

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and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

until 1952, when he became President of World Information, Inc. During the 1940s and 1950s he wrote articles and books about various aspects of education and freedom. After 1952 Williams' work with the U.S. government stopped. He then began working in earnest in the private sector. He started various private businesses and did public relations work for other companies and non-profit agencies. Among these were Hill and Knowlton, Inc., Gaynor and Ducas, Inc.,

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more than ...

International Rescue Committee The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 as the International Relief Association, at the request of Albert Einstein, and changing its name in 19 ...

Hudson Institute The Hudson Institute is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1961 in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, by futurist, military strategist, and systems theorist Herman Kahn and his colleagues at the RAND Corporat ...

, and

Freedom House Freedom House is a non-profit, majority U.S. government funded organization in Washington, D.C., that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights. Freedom House was founded in October 1941, and Wendell Wil ...

. Even after his official retirement in 1968 he continued to be involved in community affairs, he even hosted radio and television

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...

Works

*''Ways of Dictatorship'', by Chester S. Williams (Row, Peterson and Company - 1941) *''Voices of Democracy: A Handbook for Teachers, Speakers, and Writers'' by Bernard Molohon and Chester S. Williams *''Fair trial'', (Our freedoms series, editor...John W. Studebaker) by Chester S Williams (Unknown Binding - 1941) *''Religious liberty'', (Our freedoms series) by Chester S Williams (Unknown Binding - 1941) *''My Land of Liberty: Freedoms all Americans Defend'', Chester S. Williams, ed. Racine, WI: Whitman Publishing Co. 1941. *''Liberty of the press'', (California State series) by Chester S Williams (Unknown Binding - 1947) *''Freedom answers communism'', by Chester S Williams (Unknown Binding - 1954) *''How progressive is John Dewey's philosophy of education?'' (University of Wichita bulletin) by Chester S Williams (Unknown Binding - 1959)

References

* www.journals.uchicago.edu/AJE/journal/issues/v111n3/111302/111302.web.pdf * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Chester Sidney 1907 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American educators American education writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers People of the United States Office of War Information