George Howard Williams (December 1, 1871November 25, 1963) was an American politician and attorney from

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. A Republican, he served as

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

from

from 1925 to 1926, completing the term of Selden P. Spencer following the latter's death.

Early life

George H. Williams was born in

California, Missouri California is a city in and the county seat of Moniteau County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 4,498. It is the largest city in Moniteau County and the third largest city in the Jefferson City metropolitan ar ...

to John Morrow and Alice Gray (Howard) Williams. His father was heavily involved in state and local politics, serving as a member of the

Missouri Senate The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 181,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

, a prosecuting attorney, and circuit judge. Following his graduation from California High School in 1889, George Williams attended college preparatory classes at

Drury College Drury University, formerly Drury College and originally Springfield College, is a private university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. The university's mission statement describes itself as "church-related". It enrolls about 1,590 undergr ...

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

. He then attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, earning his degree in 1894. After Princeton George Williams taught for a short time at California High School while also studying law and clerking at his father's law office. He went on to further study at

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

, receiving his

LLB A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

in 1897. Williams was admitted to the Missouri Bar the same year, at which time he established a law practice in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

In June, 1900 Williams married Harriet Chase Stewart, daughter of prominent St. Louis attorney Alphonso Stewart and granddaughter of

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

Civil War General Alexander P. Stewart. The couple had two sons. In 1902 Williams joined the law firm of his father-in-law.

Politics

George Williams, long involved in Missouri Republican politics, was appointed a circuit court judge for the St. Louis region in 1906, a position he held until 1912. In that position he was a key player in developing a new juvenile code for Missouri, and took a strong interest in bettering the lives of children that lasted even after he left the court. As chair of the St. Louis Board of Children's Guardians, he helped establish Bellefontaine Farms, a home for troubled, orphaned, and abandoned children. In 1922 Williams was named as a delegate to the Missouri Constitutional Convention, where his acumen for business law proved especially valuable. The convention allowed Williams to gain some name recognition around the state as well as he chaired several important committees. In 1923, in appreciation for his service,

Missouri Valley College Missouri Valley College is a private college that is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Marshall, Missouri, United States. The college was founded in 1889 and supports 40 academic majors and an enrollment close to 1,500 ...

awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. With the unexpected death of Senator Selden Spencer in May, 1925 George H. Williams was tapped by Missouri Governor Sam Baker to fill the remaining eighteen months of Spencer's term until the 1926 general election. As senator, Williams served as chairman of the Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses, and as a member of the Committee on Private Land Claims. George Williams defeated two fellow Republicans, David M. Proctor and Blodgdett Priest, with 56-percent of the vote to win the August 1926 U.S. Senate primary. However, in the November general election he lost to Democratic challenger Harry B. Hawes 52-percent to 48-percent.

Later life

Following his senate defeat, George Williams returned to his St. Louis law practice until 1943 when he retired and moved to

Matson, Missouri Matson is an unincorporated community in southern St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. It is located approximately three miles south of Defiance on Route 94 and is near the Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Cen ...

. Long interested in state and national history, Williams led an effort to preserve a

St. Charles County, Missouri St. Charles County is located in the central eastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 405,262, making it Missouri's third-most populous county (United States), county. Its ...

farm once owned by

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (, 1734September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyo ...

. The effort was a success, with

Lindenwood University Lindenwood University is a private university in St. Charles, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1832 by George Champlin Sibley and Mary Easton Sibley as The Lindenwood School for Girls, it is the second-oldest higher-education institution wes ...

now owning and operating the Historic Daniel Boone Home and Heritage Center near

Defiance, Missouri Defiance is an unincorporated community and census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only ...

. During his life George Williams was a financial backer of several colleges and universities, including his alma maters Drury College and Princeton as well as Westminster College and

College of the Ozarks College of the Ozarks is a Private college, private Christian college in Point Lookout, Missouri, United States. The college has an enrollment of 1,426 and over 30 academic majors in Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science programs. The colleg ...

In 1950, George Williams moved once again, to

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...

, where he died on November 25, 1963. He is buried in the Masonic Cemetery in California, Missouri.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, George H. 1871 births 1963 deaths Republican Party United States senators from Missouri Missouri Republicans Drury University alumni Princeton University alumni Washington University School of Law alumni People from California, Missouri People from Ladue, Missouri Missouri lawyers Washington University in St. Louis alumni 20th-century United States senators