Thomas Sutler Williams (February 14, 1872 – April 5, 1940) was a

United States 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 ...

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 ...

and a

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the Court of Claims.

Education and career

Born on February 14, 1872, in

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Fl ...

, Williams attended the Willis district school, Louisville High School and then graduated in 1896 from Austin College in Effingham, Illinois. He entered private practice in Louisville, Illinois from 1896 to 1915. He was city attorney of Louisville, Illinois from 1897 to 1899. He was a member of the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

from 1899 to 1901. He was Mayor of Louisville, Illinois from 1907 to 1909. He was a prosecutor for Clay County from 1908 to 1915. He became the owner and publisher of the Clay County Republican in Louisville, Illinois in 1920. He moved to

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...

, Saline County, Illinois in 1926.

Congressional service

Williams was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

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 ...

of the

64th United States Congress The 64th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1915, to M ...

and to the seven succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1915, until his resignation November 11, 1929. He was Chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Commerce for the

66th United States Congress The 66th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1919, to Ma ...

Federal judicial service

Williams was nominated by President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

on October 17, 1929, to a seat on the Court of Claims (later the United States Court of Claims) vacated by Judge Nicholas J. Sinnott. He was confirmed by 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 ...

on November 1, 1929, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on April 5, 1940, due to his death in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He was interred in Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Williams v. United States

While a judge, Williams' salary was reduced by the Legislative Appropriation Act of June 30, 1932, which was part of Congress's efforts to economize the costs of government during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. Williams sued the federal government, claiming that his salary could not be reduced because Section 1 of

Article III of the United States Constitution Article Three of the United States Constitution establishes the judicial branch of the U.S. federal government. Under Article Three, the judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court of the United States, as well as lower courts created by United ...

forbids it. The Supreme Court ruled on ''Williams v. United States'' in 1933, deciding that the Court of Claims was an

Article I Article One may refer to: Legal codes * Article One of the United States Constitution, pertaining to the powers of the United States Congress * Article One of the Constitution of India, pertaining to the federal nature of the republic Other us ...

, or legislative, court and that therefore Congress had the authority to reduce the salaries of the judges of the Court of Claims.Williams v. United States,

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Thomas Sutler 1872 births 1940 deaths Mayors of places in Illinois Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Louisville, Illinois People from Harrisburg, Illinois Judges of the United States Court of Claims United States Article I federal judges appointed by Herbert Hoover 20th-century American judges Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois