William E. Williams

William E. Williams on an election poster

William Elza Williams (born May 5, 1857 in Detroit , Pike County , Illinois , †  September 13, 1921 in Pittsfield , Illinois) was an American politician . Between 1899 and 1901 and again from 1913 to 1917 he represented the state of Illinois in the US House of Representatives .

Career

William Williams attended the public schools of his home country and then the Illinois College in Jacksonville . After a subsequent law degree and his license to practice law in 1880, he began to work in Detroit and Pittsfield in this profession. Between 1886 and 1892 he was a prosecutor in the local Pike County. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Democratic Party . He became a member of the Pittsfield City Council and Education Committee. In 1903 he became the legal representative of the Chicago Tram Company .

In the congressional election of 1898 Williams was elected to the United States House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the 16th  constituency of Illinois , where he succeeded William H. Hinrichsen on March 4, 1899 . By March 3, 1901, he completed a term in Congress . After that he practiced as a lawyer again. In 1912 Williams was re-elected to Congress in the newly established and state-wide 27th District, where he spent two more terms after being re-elected between March 4, 1913 and March 3, 1917. During this time the 16th and 17th amendments were ratified. In 1916 he was not re-elected.

After the end of his time in the US House of Representatives, William Williams worked again as a lawyer. He died in Pittsfield on September 13, 1921.

Web links

• William E. Williams in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• William E. Williams in the database of Find a Grave (English)