G. Mennen Williams

G. Mennen Williams (left) with Israel's Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion (1959)

Gerhard Mennen "Soapy" Williams (born February 23, 1911 in Detroit , Michigan ; †  February 2, 1988 ibid) was an American lawyer and politician and from 1949 to 1961 the 41st  governor of the state of Michigan.

Early years and political advancement

Mennen Williams received a good education. He first attended the Salisbury School in Connecticut and then until 1933 Princeton University . In 1936 he graduated from the University of Michigan with a law degree in 1936. Between 1936 and 1941 he worked as an attorney with the law firm Griffiths, Williams and Griffiths . During the Second World War he was in the US Navy and was used in the South Pacific.

Williams had been a member of the Democratic Party since he graduated from law school , although his family has traditionally had strong Republican ties . Williams received his first public office in 1946 when he became deputy head of the Office of Price Administration . In 1947 he became a member of a commission for the control of alcohol regulations ( Liquor Control Commission ). On November 2, 1948, Williams was elected the new governor of his state against incumbent Kim Sigler .

Michigan governor

Mennen Williams took up his new office on January 1, 1949. He managed to be confirmed in each of the following years. In total, he was able to complete six consecutive two-year terms as governor. He was in office until January 2, 1961. During these twelve years the state's educational system was improved. Teachers' salaries have increased, schools have been expanded and curricula improved. A marketing program for agriculture has also been adopted. Special commissions were established to deal with issues such as aging, sexual harassment and adolescent behavior.

During Williams' tenure, the Mackinac Bridge was completed, which connects the two peninsulas of the state of Michigan. In 1952, 1956 and 1960 Williams was a delegate to the respective Democratic National Conventions . At the party conference in 1960, John F. Kennedy was nominated as a presidential candidate. Williams' last term as governor was overshadowed by violent clashes with the Republicans, who had a majority in both houses of the Michigan legislature . Because of these differences, Williams waived another candidacy for governor in 1960.

Another résumé

Even after the end of his governorship, Williams remained politically active. Between 1961 and 1966 he was Secretary of State for African Affairs ( Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs ) in the United States Department of State . In 1966 he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the US Senate . From 1968 to 1969 he was the United States Ambassador to the Philippines for a few months . In 1970 he served as a judge on the Michigan Supreme Court . He was a member of this court until 1987. Since 1983 he was its chairman ( Chief Justice ). Mennen Williams died on February 2, 1988. He was married to Nancy Lace, with whom he had three children.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 2, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.
• Thomas J. Noer: Soapy: A Biography of G. Mennen Williams . University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor 2005.
• G. Mennen Williams , in: Internationales Biographisches Archiv 31/1966 from July 25, 1966, in the Munzinger archive ( beginning of article freely available)

Web links

• G. Mennen Williams in nndb (English)
• Williams at the National Governors Association (English)
• G. Mennen Williams in the database of Find a Grave (English)