James Robert Williams (December 27, 1850 – November 8, 1923) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. Born in

Carmi, Illinois Carmi is a city in and the county seat of White County, Illinois, United States, along the Little Wabash River, where the population was 5,240 at the 2010 census. History Carmi post office has been in operation since 1817, and then a WPA oil on ...

, Williams attended the common schools. He graduated from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

in 1875, where he was a member of

Phi Kappa Psi Phi Kappa Psi (), commonly known as Phi Psi, is an American collegiate social fraternity that was founded by William Henry Letterman and Charles Page Thomas Moore in Widow Letterman's home on the campus of Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pen ...

, and from the

Union College of Law Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is the law school of Northwestern University, a Private university, private research university. It is located on the university's Chicago campus. Northwestern Law has been ranked among the top 14, ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, in 1876. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1876 and returned home to practice in Carmi. He served as master in chancery from 1880-1882, and was a county judge of White County from 1882-1886. Williams was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Fifty-first Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

Richard W. Townshend Richard Wellington Townshend (April 30, 1840 – March 9, 1889) was a lawyer and U.S. Representative from Illinois. Born near Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Townshend moved to Washington, D.C., in 1846. He attended public and private schools. He mov ...

. He was reelected to the Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses and served from December 2, 1889, to March 3, 1895. Williams was a friend of

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running ...

. Because of their friendship, Bryan made a whistle-stop visit to Carmi in

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...

to give a presidential campaign speech. Williams was elected to the Fifty-sixth, Fifty-seventh, and Fifty-eighth Congresses (March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1905). In 1902, the Chicago Chronicle said he was being groomed for president. "Bob Williams for President" headlined the Chicago Evening Post on November 9, 1903. In 1903, Illinois Democrats nominated Williams for the United States Senate. He did not win but received a letter from Williams Jennings Bryan, who expressed an interest in talking with him about plans for 1904. In

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...

, his name was presented to the National Convention at St. Louis, Missouri, as a candidate for vice-president. Williams came in second place for the Democratic vice presidential nomination. In 1904, Williams was defeated in his bid for reelection by Pleasant T. Chapman. After his term in the House of Representatives, he resumed the practice of his profession. He died in

Loma Linda, California Loma Linda (Spanish for "Beautiful Hill") is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, that was incorporated in 1970. The population was 24,791 at the 2020 census, up from 23,261 at the 2010 census. The central area of the c ...

on November 8, 1923. He was interred in Maple Ridge Cemetery, Carmi, Illinois.

References

* ;Attribution

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, James Robert 1850 births 1923 deaths 1904 United States vice-presidential candidates People from Carmi, Illinois Indiana University Bloomington alumni Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois Sigma Alpha Epsilon members