Robert Williams (

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1770January 25, 1836) was Governor of the Mississippi Territory from 1805 to 1809.

Biography

Robert Williams was born in Surry County, North Carolina. Sources vary on his birth year, with some listing 1768 or 1770 or 1773. He received a liberal private education, studied law, and became an attorney. In 1796 Williams was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

to the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, and he served three terms, 1797 to 1803. In 1803 President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

appointed Williams to the federal commission empowered to determine the legitimacy of land claims in the recently acquired Mississippi Territory. In May 1805 Jefferson appointed him

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, and he served until the end of Jefferson's term in March 1809. During his term as governor, Williams became unpopular as the result of a dispute with territorial secretary

Cowles Mead Cowles Mead (October 18, 1776 – May 17, 1844) was a United States representative from Georgia. Born in Virginia, he received an English education and became a private practice lawyer. He presented credentials as a member-elect to the 9th Uni ...

, with each accusing the other of having been sympathetic to

Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...

's alleged conspiracy. After leaving office, Williams lived in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

and

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and operated

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

s, also serving during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

adjutant general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

of the North Carolina militia. After the 1814 death of his wife in

Washington, Mississippi Washington is an unincorporated community in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Located along the lower Mississippi, east of Natchez, it was the second and longest-serving capital of the Mississippi Territory. History This area along t ...

, Williams moved to a plantation near

Monroe, Louisiana Monroe (historically french: Poste-du-Ouachita) is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and parish seat of Ouachita Parish. With a 2020 census-tabulated population of 47,702, it is the principal city of the Monroe metropolita ...

, which he called Bon Aire. He operated Bon Aire until his death in

Ouachita Parish, Louisiana Ouachita Parish (French: ''Paroisse d'Ouachita'') is located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 160,368. The parish seat is Monroe. The parish was formed in 1807. Ouachita Parish ...

, on January 25, 1836. He was buried at Bon Aire, but the exact location of the grave is not known. It is the present-day site of the Baptist Children's Home and Sellers Baptist Maternity Home in Monroe. Robert Williams' brother

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

served as a Congressman from North Carolina, and his brother

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

served in the

United States Senate 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 pow ...

from Tennessee. His cousin

Marmaduke Williams Marmaduke Williams (April 6, 1774 – October 29, 1850) was a Democratic-Republican U.S. Congressman from North Carolina from 1803 to 1809. Born in Caswell County, North Carolina, Williams studied law and was admitted to the North Carolina bar. ...

also represented North Carolina in the U.S. House.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Robert 18th-century births 1836 deaths People from Surry County, North Carolina People from Washington, Mississippi People from Ouachita Parish, Louisiana Mississippi Democratic-Republicans Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina Governors of Mississippi Territory American militiamen in the War of 1812 American militia generals Burials in Louisiana de:Robert Williams (Politiker)