John Williams (politician, 1778)

John Williams

John Williams (born January 29, 1778 in Surry County , North Carolina , † August 10, 1837 in Knoxville , Tennessee ) was an American soldier , diplomat and politician ( Democratic Republican Party ), who represented the state of Tennessee in the US Senate represented.

Life

Williams studied law in Salisbury and began his career as a lawyer in Knox County in 1803 . He took part in battles against the Indians during the British-American War and rose to the rank of colonel . He was also involved in the First Seminole War in Florida and later, under General Andrew Jackson, in the Creek War in Alabama .

When George W. Campbell stepped down from the Senate to serve as Secretary of the Treasury , Jesse Wharton was named acting successor. Wharton was a member of the Senate from March 17, 1814 to October 10, 1815, before he was replaced by Williams, who won the by-election. He was chairman of the Senate Committee on Military Affairs in 1816 and 1817 . In 1817 he was elected to the Senate for a full term. He chose to run for re-election in 1823, but this time he lost to Andrew Jackson.

As the first chargé d'affaires, he represented the interests of the USA in the Central American Confederation from May 3, 1826 to December 1, 1826 . He then returned to Tennessee and was elected to the State Senate in 1827 , a member of which he was until 1828.

Williams was the brother of Lewis Williams and Robert Williams and the cousin of Marmaduke Williams , all North Carolina congressmen. He is buried in the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Knoxville.

Web links

• John Williams in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• John Williams in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• John Williams at The Political Graveyard