Benjamin Williams (July 8, 1876 – February 11, 1957) was an American politician who served as

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

and the 58th

lieutenant governor of Vermont The lieutenant governor of Vermont is elected for a two-year term and chosen separately from the Governor of Vermont, governor. The Vermont lieutenant governor's main responsibilities include acting as governor when the governor is out of state o ...

Life and career

Williams was born in

Fair Haven, Vermont Fair Haven is a New England town, town in Rutland County, Vermont, Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,736 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Within the town is located the census-designated place of Fair Ha ...

on July 8, 1876. He graduated from

Norwich University Norwich University is a private university in Northfield, Vermont, United States. The university was founded in 1819 as the "American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy". It is the oldest of six senior military college, senior militar ...

and was an attorney, executive of the Vermont Marble Company, and President of the Proctor Trust Company. A Republican, Williams served as Proctor's

Town Clerk A clerk (pronounced "clark" /klɑːk/ in British and Australian English) is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in ma ...

from 1906 to 1918. From 1906 to 1908, he was Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs (chief assistant) to

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Fletcher D. Proctor. Williams served in the

from 1917 to 1921. In 1920, he was elected to the

Vermont State Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members elected from multi-member districts. Each senator represents at least 20,300 citizens. ...

, and served one term. In 1928, he returned to the Vermont House, and was chosen to serve as

. In

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...

, Williams was elected

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, serving from 1931 to 1933. Williams was an unsuccessful candidate for

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

, losing the Republican nomination to Charles M. Smith. Williams died in

Proctor Proctor (a variant of ''wikt:procurator, procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: # In law, a proctor is a historica ...

, on February 5, 1957, aged 80. He was buried in Fair Haven's West Street Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Benjamin 1876 births 1957 deaths Lieutenant governors of Vermont Norwich University alumni People from Fair Haven, Vermont People from Proctor, Vermont Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Vermont lawyers Republican Party Vermont state senators 20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly