John Skelton Williams (July 6, 1865 – November 4, 1926) was a
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
Comptroller of the Currency from 1914 to 1921 and the first president of the
Seaboard Air Line Railway.
Biography
John Skelton Williams was a leading
southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
financier. He served as the Comptroller of the Currency under President
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
from 1914 to 1921 after serving as Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury. Previously, he had organized the Seaboard Air Line Railway into a single company, and served as its president from 1900 to 1903.
Williams was Comptroller throughout
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Under his leadership, the agency worked closely with the War Finance Corporation, which was established in 1918 to provide credit to businesses, including banks, to promote the war effort. During William's term, legislation was passed allowing the consolidation of two or more banks. A segregationist, he imposed segregation on the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ended promotions for black workers.
References
Further reading
*
John Moody and George Kibbe Turner (1911). "The Masters of Capital in America," ''McClure's Magazine'', Vol. XXXVI, No. 3.
*
Garet Garrett (1920)
"The Whirling Pyramid,"''The New Republic'', November 3.
External links
Nomination of John Skelton Williams. Hearing before the Committee on Banking and CurrencyThe Soul in the DollarBiographical/Historical Information, John Skelton Williams Papers, University of Virginia Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, John Skelton
1865 births
1926 deaths
United States Comptrollers of the Currency
Comptrollers in the United States
Woodrow Wilson administration personnel