William Williamson (October 7, 1875 – July 15, 1972) was an American teacher, a lawyer, a and judge who served as a U.S. Representative from

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

from 1921 to 1933. He was the last U.S. Representative from the third district of South Dakota.

Biography

William Williamson was born near New Sharon in

Mahaska County, Iowa Mahaska County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,190. The county seat is Oskaloosa. Mahaska County comprises the Oskaloosa, IA Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Mahaska County ...

to the Norwegian immigrants Vilum Vilumson Halleland and Maren Ingebretsdatter Erland, who had left their homeplace in Skjold near

Haugesund Haugesund () is a municipality on the North Sea in Rogaland county, Norway. While the population is greater in the neighboring Karmøy municipality, the main commercial and economic centre of the Haugaland region in northern Rogaland and southern ...

in 1872. As an adult, William Williamson did comprehend, but was not a fluent speaker of Norwegian. In 1882, he moved with his parents to Plankinton, Aurora County, South Dakota. He married Clara Victoria Dice, a German-American.

Education

He attended public school for his elementary education. In 1903 he graduated from the

University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship univ ...

at Vermillion and then in 1905 from the

University of South Dakota School of Law The University of South Dakota School of Law also known as University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law or USD Law in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, is a professional school of the University of South Dakota and the only law school in ...

Career

He did not take the bar exam as he was admitted to the bar in 1905 under

diploma privilege In the United States, the diploma privilege is a method for lawyers to be admitted to the bar (i.e. authorized to practice law) without taking a bar examination. Wisconsin is the only jurisdiction that currently allows diploma privilege as an alt ...

. He began his law practice in Oacoma, South Dakota in

Lyman County Lyman County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,718. Its county seat is Kennebec. Lyman County was created by the Dakota Territorial Legislature on January 8, 1873, but was not o ...

in that same year. He was a co-founder (along with his brother) of Murdo Coyote and the Prairie Sun. From 1905 to 1911 he was

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal tria ...

of Lyman County. From 1911 until 1921 he served as court circuit judge for the 11th judicial district From March 1921 to March 1933 he was elected as a Republican to Congress (five succeeding terms). In 1912 he was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

and served as Chairman on the Committee on Expenditures in the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

for the 68th and 69th Congresses; and Committee on Expenditures in Executive Departments for the 70th and 71st Congresses;

Post political career

He resumed his law practice in Rapid City, and was special assistant

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 ...

of South Dakota also being assigned as

general counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

for the

Public Utilities Commission In the United States, it is a governing body of a utility. In Canada, it is a utility, not a regulatory body. Canada In Canada, a public utilities commission (PUC) is a public utility owned and operated by a municipal or local government under t ...

1939–1951. He also served the Department of Insurance of South Dakota. During the years of 1929 to 1972 he was a member of the

Mount Rushmore Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore (Lakota: ''Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe'', or Six Grandfathers) in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota ...

National Memorial Commission.

Death

He died on July 15, 1972 in Custer, South Dakota. He is buried in Pine Lawn Cemetery, Rapid City, South Dakota.Find-A-Grave
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References

External links

William Williamson Papers at Special Collections and Archives at The University of South Dakota, Vermillion
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, William 1875 births 1972 deaths People from Mahaska County, Iowa People from Aurora County, South Dakota Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota