Reuel Williams (June 2, 1783July 25, 1862) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a

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

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

from 1837 to 1843.

Early life and career

Born in

Hallowell, Maine Hallowell is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,570 at the 2020 census. Popular with tourists, Hallowell is noted for its culture and old architecture. Hallowell is included in the Augusta, Maine, micropolita ...

to Seth Williams and Zilpha Ingraham, he attended Hallowell Academy, and went on to study law. He was admitted to the bar in 1804, commencing practice in

Augusta, Maine Augusta is the capital of the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Kennebec County. The city's population was 18,899 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth-most populous city in Maine, and third-least populous state capital in the Un ...

Political career

He was a member of the

Maine Legislature The Maine Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. It is a bicameral body composed of the lower house Maine House of Representatives and the upper house Maine Senate. The Legislature convenes at the State House in Aug ...

, in the two houses of the legislature, from 1812 to 1829 and again in 1832 and 1848. He was commissioner of public buildings in 1831. He served as a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

on the Democratic ticket in 1836. In 1837, he 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 United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

Ether Shepley Ether Shepley (November 2, 1789January 15, 1877) was an Politics of the United States, American politician. Shepley, a United States Democratic-Republican Party, Democratic-Republican, served in the Maine House of Representatives, Maine State H ...

and served from March 4, 1837, to February 15, 1843, when he resigned. While in the Senate he served as chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Naval Affairs.

Private life

He was also the manager of the Kennebec & Portland Railroad for 12 years. He died in Augusta, aged 79, and was interred in his family's cemetery on the banks of the

Kennebec River The Kennebec River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Kinəpékʷihtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 30, 2011 river within the U.S. state of Maine. It ri ...

in Augusta. His son, Joseph H. Williams, also a politician, was elected

Governor of Maine The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive. The current governor of Maine is Ja ...

. Daughter, Jane E. Williams, married Unitarian minister and author

Sylvester Judd Sylvester Judd (July 23, 1813 – January 26, 1853) was a Unitarian minister and an American novelist. Biography Sylvester Judd III was born on July 23, 1813, in Westhampton, Massachusetts to Sylvester Judd II and Apphia Hall, a daughter of Aaro ...

on August 31, 1841; they had three children. Daughter Helen A. Williams married

John Taylor Gilman John Taylor Gilman (December 19, 1753September 1, 1828) was a farmer, shipbuilder and statesman from Exeter, New Hampshire. He represented New Hampshire in the Continental Congress in 1782–1783 and was the fifth governor of New Hampshire for 1 ...

originally of

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

. After his death, she was remarried to Charles H. Bell of Exeter, New Hampshire. He died in Augusta, aged 79, and was interred in his family's cemetery on the banks of the

in Augusta.

References

*Poor, John A. ''Memoir of Hon. Reuel Williams, Prepared for the Maine Historical Society.'' Cambridge, Massachusetts: Priv. print. H.O. Houghton and Company, 1864
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Retrieved May 3, 2008 1783 births 1862 deaths Politicians from Augusta, Maine People from Hallowell, Maine Democratic Party Maine state senators Democratic Party members of the Maine House of Representatives Democratic Party United States senators from Maine Maine lawyers 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers {{Maine-politician-stub