George Howard Williams (December 1, 1871November 25, 1963) was an American politician and attorney from

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, he served as

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from

from 1925 to 1926, completing the term of Selden P. Spencer following the latter's death.

Early life

George H. Williams was born in

California, Missouri California is a city in and the county seat of Moniteau County, Missouri, United States. The 2010 census has the population at 4,278. California is the third largest city in the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area, as well as ...

to John Morrow and Alice Gray (Howard) Williams. His father was heavily involved in state and local politics, serving as a member of the

Missouri Senate The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 174,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

, a prosecuting attorney, and circuit judge. Following his graduation from California High School in 1889, George Williams attended college preparatory classes at

Drury College Drury University, formerly Drury College and originally Springfield College, is a private university in Springfield, Missouri. The university's mission statement describes itself as "church-related". It enrolls about 1,700 undergraduate and grad ...

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

. He then attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, earning his degree in 1894. After Princeton George Williams taught for a short time at California High School while also studying law and clerking at his father's law office. He went on to further study at

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

, receiving his

LLB Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the China, People's Republic ...

in 1897. Williams was admitted to the Missouri Bar the same year, at which time he established a law practice in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

In June, 1900 Williams married Harriet Chase Stewart, daughter of prominent St. Louis attorney Alphonso Stewart and granddaughter of

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

Civil War General

Alexander P. Stewart Alexander Peter Stewart (October 2, 1821 – August 30, 1908) was a career United States Army officer, college professor, and a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He fought in many of the most significant bat ...

. The couple had two sons. In 1902 Williams joined the law firm of his father-in-law.

Politics

George Williams, long involved in Missouri Republican politics, was appointed a circuit court judge for the St. Louis region in 1906, a position he held until 1912. In that position he was a key player in developing a new juvenile code for Missouri, and took a strong interest in bettering the lives of children that lasted even after he left the court. As chair of the St. Louis Board of Children's Guardians, he helped establish Bellefontaine Farms, a home for troubled, orphaned, and abandoned children. In 1922 Williams was named as a delegate to the Missouri Constitutional Convention, where his acumen for business law proved especially valuable. The convention allowed Williams to gain some name recognition around the state as well as he chaired several important committees. In 1923, in appreciation for his service,

Missouri Valley College Missouri Valley College is a private college that is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Marshall, Missouri. The college was founded in 1889 and supports 40 academic majors and an enrollment close to 1,500 students. Misso ...

awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. With the unexpected death of Senator Selden Spencer in May, 1925 George H. Williams was tapped by Missouri Governor Sam Baker to fill the remaining eighteen months of Spencer's term until the 1926 general election. As senator, Williams served as chairman of the Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses, and as a member of the Committee on Private Land Claims. George Williams defeated two fellow Republicans, David M. Proctor and Blodgdett Priest, with 56-percent of the vote to win the August 1926 U.S. Senate primary. However, in the November general election he lost to Democratic challenger Harry B. Hawes 52-percent to 48-percent.

Later life

Following his senate defeat, George Williams returned to his St. Louis law practice until 1943 when he retired and moved to

Matson, Missouri Matson is an unincorporated community in southern St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. It is located approximately three miles south of Defiance on Route 94 The following highways are numbered 94: International * European route E94 ...

. Long interested in state and national history, Williams led an effort to preserve a St. Charles County, Missouri farm once owned by

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...

. The effort was a success, with

Lindenwood University Lindenwood University is a private university in St. Charles, Missouri. Founded in 1827 by George Champlin Sibley and Mary Easton Sibley as The Lindenwood School for Girls, it is the second-oldest higher-education institution west of the Missis ...

now owning and operating the Historic Daniel Boone Home and Heritage Center near

Defiance, Missouri Defiance is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Saint Charles County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 159. History Defiance was struck hard in the Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, ...

. During his life George Williams was a financial backer of several colleges and universities, including his alma maters Drury College and Princeton as well as Westminster College and

College of the Ozarks College of the Ozarks is a private Christian college in Point Lookout, Missouri. The college has an enrollment of 1,426 and over 30 academic majors in Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science programs.https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/college ...

In 1950, George Williams moved once again, to

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

, where he died on November 25, 1963. He is buried in the Masonic Cemetery in California, Missouri.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, George H. 1871 births 1963 deaths Republican Party United States senators from Missouri Missouri Republicans Drury University alumni Princeton University alumni Washington University School of Law alumni People from California, Missouri Missouri lawyers Washington University in St. Louis alumni