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Robert Williams (Mississippi politician)

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Robert Williams
4th Adjutant General of North Carolina
In office
1812–1821
Appointed byWilliam Hawkins
Preceded byCalvin Jones
Succeeded byBeverly Daniel
Grand Master of the
Grand Lodge of North Carolina and Tennessee
In office
November 29, 1811 – November 26, 1814
Preceded byBenjamin Smith
Succeeded byJohn L. Taylor (as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina)
3rd Governor of the Mississippi Territory
In office
March 1, 1805 – March 7, 1809
PresidentThomas Jefferson
Preceded byWilliam C. C. Claiborne
Succeeded byDavid Holmes
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 3rd district
In office
March 4, 1797 – March 3, 1803
Preceded byJesse Franklin
Succeeded byWilliam Kennedy
Personal details
Born(1773-07-12)July 12, 1773
Surry County, North Carolina, US
DiedJanuary 25, 1836(1836-01-25) (aged 62)
Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, US
Resting placeOuachita Parish, Louisiana, US
Political partyDemocratic-Republican
Spouse
Elizabeth Winston
(m. 1790; died 1814)
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
BranchNorth Carolina Militia
RankBrigadier-General
WarsWar of 1812

Robert Williams (July 12, 1773 – January 25, 1836) was an American politician who served as the fourth adjutant general of North Carolina from 1812 to 1821. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, he previously served as the third governor of Mississippi Territory from 1805 to 1809 under President Thomas Jefferson and represented North Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1797 to 1803.

Early life and education

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Robert Williams was born was born on July 12, 1773, in Surry County, North Carolina, where his family had significant political power. Since no public schools existed at the time, he received a private education appropriate to his class. He read law, and was admitted to the North Carolina bar.[1]

Early career

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In 1796, although barely legal age, Williams was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives, and he served three terms, 1797 to 1803.[2] In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson appointed Williams to the federal commission empowered to determine the legitimacy of land claims in the recently acquired Mississippi Territory.[3] In May 1805 Jefferson appointed him governor, and he served until the end of Jefferson's term in March 1809. During the War of 1812, he served in the militia as the adjutant general of North Carolina.

Later life and death

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After the 1814 death of his wife in Washington, Mississippi, Williams moved to a plantation near Monroe, Louisiana, which he called Bon Aire. He operated Bon Aire until his death in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, on January 25, 1836.[4] 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.[5]

Personal life

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Williams' brother Lewis served as a Congressman from North Carolina, and his brother John served in the United States Senate from Tennessee. His cousin Marmaduke Williams also represented North Carolina in the U.S. House.

References

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  1. ^ Rowland, Dunbar (1912). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Nashville, TN: Brandon Printing Company. p. 22.
  2. ^ Rowland, Dunbar (1907). Mississippi: Comprising Sketches of Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Volume 2. Atlanta, GA: Southern Historical Publishing Company. p. 973.
  3. ^ Niles, Hezekiah (August 19, 1826). "Members of Congress, Appointed to Office". Niles' Weekly Register. Washington, DC. p. 427.
  4. ^ Sumners, Cecil (1980). The Governors of Mississippi. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing. p. 38. ISBN 9780882892375.
  5. ^ Sierichs, Bill (March 29, 1983). "Tombstones Shed Light on Past". Monroe-West Monroe News-Star (via Ancestry.com). Monroe, LA.

Further reading

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[edit]
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina's 3rd congressional district
1797–1803
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Mississippi Territory
1805–1809
Succeeded by
Masonic offices
Preceded by Grand Master of the
Grand Lodge of North Carolina and Tennessee

1811–1814
Succeeded byas Grand Master of the
Grand Lodge of North Carolina
Military offices
Preceded by Adjutant General of North Carolina
1812–1821
Succeeded by
Beverly Daniel