John R. Williams (May 4, 1782 – October 20, 1854) was an American soldier, merchant, and politician who is best known for serving as the first

mayor of Detroit, Michigan This is a list of mayors of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. See History of Detroit, Michigan#1805 fire and city incorporation, History of Detroit, Michigan, for more information about the history of the incorporation of the city. The current mayor i ...

, after the city's reincorporation. In total, he served as Detroit's mayor for five other terms. He also was a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the " British Band", cros ...

Early life and education

Born in Detroit, he was baptized as John Williams (he later adopted the "R" in his name to distinguish himself from another John Williams who was living in Detroit at the time). His parents were Thomas Williams and Cecile Campeau, of Detroit's

Campau family The Campau family of Detroit, Michigan, was established when brothers Michel and Jacques Campau settled in Detroit, Michigan in 1707 and 1708, respectively. Jacques, Joseph Campau, and Barnabé Campau are among the Barons of Detroit, according to R ...

. His father, who had been active in civic and political affairs, died before December 12, 1785, at which time Joseph Campeau (which he generally spelled Campau) leased a house to Cecile (widow of Thomas Williams) that was located north of the Detroit River and adjacent to Joseph Campau's property. His mother married Jaques Leson in 1790 and lived in what is now St. Clair County, Michigan. Cecile died on June 24, 1805, and was buried in the St. Anne's church cemetery. Raised in his mother's French Canadian community, he spoke and wrote fluently in both French and English.

Personal life

Williams married Mary Mott, one of his cousins, in 1804. She was the daughter of Gershom Mott, who served during the Revolutionary War, and Elizabeth Williams, who was the sister of Thomas Williams from Albany. The couple had ten children together. One of them,

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

General Thomas Williams, was killed in action during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

at the Battle of Baton Rouge in 1862.

Career

Military and business career

Williams served in the Territorial Militia from 1796 to 1799 at Fort Marsac in

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. Upon leaving the army, he returned to Detroit and joined his uncle,

Joseph Campau Joseph Campau (February 20, 1769 – May 13, 1863) was among the leading citizens and wealthiest landowners in Detroit, Michigan, at the beginning of the 19th century. Campau had three trading posts and a store in Detroit until the early 1800s. He ...

, in his successful mercantile business. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, Williams again served in the

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

, this time as the captain of an

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

company.

Political life

After the end of the war, Williams was appointed Associate Justice of the County Court for Michigan in 1815. He went on to serve as a County Commissioner and Adjutant General of the Territory, and at his death was the senior Major General of the state militia. In 1824, Williams wrote the City Charter and served as the first official mayor of the City of Detroit. He was also elected and served as the fourth and thirteenth mayor in 1830 and 1844–1846, respectively. Besides serving as mayor, Williams was a landowner, merchant, and bank president during his lifetime. He served as one of the first trustees of the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, was president of the

Detroit Board of Education Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is a school district that covers all of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States and high school students in the insular city of Highland Park. The district, which replaced the original Detr ...

, and was a delegate to the first Michigan Constitutional Convention. In 1831, Willams and Joseph Campau started the ''Democratic Free Press'' newspaper, which became the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

''. Mary died on January 18, 1830. Williams died at the age of seventy-two on October 20, 1854. He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

at Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit. Today, a street in

metropolitan Detroit The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. State of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and its surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the ...

bears his name. "John R" Street was named while John R. Williams was still living, which is atypical to the way most roads obtain their name. In fact, Williams gave the road its name himself.

References