"General" Thomas Hansford Williams (May 18, 1828 – February 28, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as the Attorney General of California, 1858 to 1862; and was the seventh person to hold that office.

Personal information

Williams was born on May 18, 1828, in Monticello, Wayne County,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. His father was

Sherrod Williams Sherrod Williams (1804–1876) was an American politician and lawyer. He served as a United States House of Representatives from Kentucky; and as a Kentucky Member of Congress. Biography Sherrod Williams was born in 1804 in Pulaski County, ...

a politician from Kentucky. His brother was George E. Williams (1835–1899), a member of the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

15th District, from 1873 to 1875. Williams had a son of the same name who sometimes went by "Tom", his son lived from 1859 to 1915, and was the president of the California Jockey Club.

Career

Williams came to California on horseback in either 1850 or 1852, during the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

. He practiced law in the towns of Coloma and Placerville. From 1858 to 1862, he was the California State Attorney General. His nickname "General" came from serving as the attorney general. Upon becoming

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, Williams quickly became involved in corporate oversight especially because of the first acts to be passed by California legislatures. These initial acts placed regulations on corporations and businesses. Williams focused much of his efforts in helping the controller in tax litigation. However, Williams later regretted his strong interest in tax litigation due to the excessive increase in taxes imposed on his personal office. He owned many farming properties in California, and he was a co-founder and partner in the farming business, "Williams and Bixler".

Death

Williams died of heart disease on February 28, 1886, in San Francisco, and was buried at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

. He was reinterred at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma, California.

References

External links

Brief biography, from the California Attorney General
1828 births 1886 deaths California Attorneys General People from Monticello, Kentucky 19th-century American politicians Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (San Francisco) Burials at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park People from Placerville, California People of the California Gold Rush {{california-politician-stub