Harold Putnam Williams (October 2, 1882, in

Foxboro, Massachusetts Foxborough is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, about southwest of Boston, northeast of Providence, Rhode Island and about northwest of Cape Cod. Foxborough is part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 18,618 at ...

– August 6, 1963) was an American attorney and judge who served as the

United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (in case citations, D. Mass.) is the federal district court whose territorial jurisdiction is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The first court session was held ...

from 1925 to 1926 and as an associate justice of the

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the court of last resort, highest court in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the di ...

from 1947 to 1962.

Early life

Williams was born on October 2, 1882, in

, to Fred H. Williams, a lawyer and member of the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

, and Julia Annette (Blake) Williams. Williams grew up in Foxboro and

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

. He graduated from

Brookline High School Brookline High School is a four-year public high school in the town of Brookline, Massachusetts. It is a part of Public Schools of Brookline. The Headmaster is Anthony Meyer who holds a Master of Education in Teaching and Curriculum from Harvard ...

in 1899,

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1903, and

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1906.

Attorney

Williams began his legal career as a lawyer with Walter I. Badger in Boston. He then went to work with his father. In 1918, Williams was appointed Assistant District Attorney for the Southeastern District (consisting of

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

and

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

Counties). In this role he assisted District Attorney Frederick G. Katzmann in the prosecution of Ferdinando Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. In 1922 he was elected District Attorney. In December 1924 Williams was appointed United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts by President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

. Williams' appointment satisfied both

Wets and dries During the 1980s, members of the moderate wing of the British Conservative Party who opposed some of the more hard-line policies of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher were often referred to by their opponents as "wets". Thatcher coined the usage in ...

as the drys felt that he would enforce the prohibition laws and the wets supported his confirmation because he was not endorsed by the

Anti-Saloon League The Anti-Saloon League (now known as the ''American Council on Addiction and Alcohol Problems'') is an organization of the temperance movement that lobbied for prohibition in the United States in the early 20th century. Founded in 1893 in Oberl ...

Judge

Williams resigned as U.S. Attorney in 1926 after he was appointed Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court. He remained on the Superior Court until August 13, 1947, when he was appointed by Governor

Robert F. Bradford Robert Fiske Bradford (December 15, 1902 – March 18, 1983) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as the List of Governors of Massachusetts, 57th Governor of Massachusetts, from 1947 to 1949. Early years Robert Fiske Bra ...

to serve on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Personal life

On September 9, 1911, Williams married Mary Harriet Culp of

Brooklyn, Connecticut Brooklyn is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,450 at the 2020 census. The town center village is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place. The district of East Brooklyn is listed ...

. They had one son, Harold P. Williams, Jr. Williams served in many offices in Brookline including Town Moderator and member of the Board of Trustees of the Public Library. Williams was a member of the

Congregational church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

, the

freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, the

American Law Institute The American Law Institute (ALI) is a research and advocacy group of judges, lawyers, and legal scholars established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of United States common law and its adaptation to changing social needs. ...

, the

Massachusetts Bar Association The Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA) is a voluntary, non-profit bar association in Massachusetts with a headquarters on West Street in Boston's Downtown Crossing. The MBA also has a Western Massachusetts office. The purpose of the MBA is t ...

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Alpha Epsilon (), commonly known as SAE, is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is t ...

, the

Harvard Club of Boston The Harvard Club of Boston is a private social club located in Boston, Massachusetts. Its membership is open to alumni and associates of Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, and Fletcher School of Law and ...

, the

Union Club of Boston __NOTOC__ The Union Club of Boston, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest gentlemen's clubs in the United States. It is located on Beacon Hill, adjacent to the Massachusetts State House. The clubhouse at No. 7 and No. 8 Park Street was origi ...

, the

Brae Burn Country Club Brae Burn Country Club is a golf course located in West Newton, Massachusetts. Designed by Donald Ross, Brae Burn has hosted seven USGA Championships, including the 1919 U.S. Open, and 1928 U.S. Amateur. Brae Burn is most noted for its diabolica ...

, and the Grange. Williams' hobbies included golf and traveling.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Harold P. 1882 births 1963 deaths Harvard Law School alumni Justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court People from Foxborough, Massachusetts Lawyers from Brookline, Massachusetts United States Attorneys for the District of Massachusetts 20th-century American judges People from Millis, Massachusetts Brookline High School alumni Harvard College alumni Massachusetts Superior Court justices