Reuel Williams

Reuel Williams

Reuel Williams (born June 2, 1783 in Hallowell , Maine , †  July 25, 1862 in Augusta , Maine) was an American politician ( Democratic Party ) who represented the state of Maine in the US Senate .

Reuel Williams was born in what is now Maine, the son of Seth Williams and Zelphia Ingraham. He attended Hallowell Academy and then studied law , whereupon he was admitted to the bar in 1804 and began to practice in Augusta. From 1812 he was a member of the Massachusetts General Court as a representative of the District of Maine ; After the state of Maine was split off from Massachusetts in 1820, he became a member of the Maine Legislature , in which he remained until 1829. He served further terms in parliament of his state in 1832 and 1848. In 1831 he served as Commissioner of Public Buildings of Maine. In the presidential election of 1836 he sat in the Electoral College , which elected the Democratic candidate Martin Van Buren as US president .

After the resignation of US Senator Ether Shepley , Williams won the by-election for his mandate in 1837. On March 4, 1837, he replaced Judah Dana, who had been Shepley's successor, in Congress . Among other things, he became chairman of the naval committee there. On February 15, 1843, Williams announced his resignation from the Senate. He retired from politics and took over the management of a railway company, which he held for twelve years. Reuel Williams died on July 25, 1862 in Augusta and was buried in his family's cemetery on the banks of the Kennebec River . His son Joseph (1812-1896) was governor of Maine from 1857 to 1858 .

Web links

• Reuel Williams in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Reuel Williams in the database of Find a Grave (English)