John Williams (September 1752July 22, 1806) was an American physician and politician from

Salem, New York Salem is a town in eastern Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 2,612 at the 2020 census. The town of Salem contains a hamlet also named Salem, former ...

. He was most notable for his service in the

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

from 1795 to 1799.

Life

Williams was born in

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. The town lies at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool from ...

Devonshire Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the wes ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in September 1752. He received a liberal education, studied medicine and surgery in

St. Thomas' Hospital St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS teaching hospital in Central London, England. Administratively part of the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, together with Guy's Hospital, Evelina London Children's Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospital a ...

, London, and served for one year as surgeon’s mate on an English man-of-war. He immigrated to America in 1773 and settled in New Perth, Charlotte County, New York (now

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada * Salem, Ontario, various places Germany * Salem, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality in the Bodensee district ** Salem Abbey (Reichskloster Salem), a monastery * Salem, Schleswig-Holstein Israel * Salem (B ...

, Washington County), where he engaged in an extensive medical practice. He married Susanna (Thomas) Turner, and they had four children. After the death of his first wife, he married Mrs. Mary Townley. Williams was a member of the

New York Provincial Congress The New York Provincial Congress (1775–1777) was a revolutionary provisional government formed by colonists in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a pro-American alternative to the more conservative New York General Assembly, and as a repla ...

in 1775; he was reelected and served until its dissolution in 1777. He was appointed surgeon of state militia forces in 1775. Williams was a named colonel of the Charlotte County militia regiment in 1776 and retained command throughout the Revolutionary War. He was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

from 1777 to 1779 when he was expelled for fraud and theft. One act of which he was accused was the submission of false muster and payrolls, which enabled him to draw government money for paying soldiers, but which he then kept. He was also accused of holding of courts-martial which were not authorized by militia regulations and fining soldiers who were found guilty, after which he withheld their salaries to pay the fines. He was later exonerated and resumed his political and military careers. He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

in 1781 and 1782, and again a member of the

from 1782 to 1794. Williams was appointed a member of the first board of regents of the

University of the State of New York The University of the State of New York (USNY, ) is the state governmental umbrella organization that oversees all educational institutions, including schools, libraries, and museums in New York State. It is governed by the Board of Regents. D ...

in 1784. He served as brigadier general of militia in 1786. During 1788 when the American people were debating whether their states should ratify the proposed

Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...

, Williams was an

Anti-Federalist The Anti-Federalists were a late-18th-century political movement that opposed the creation of a stronger U.S. federal government and which later opposed the ratification of the 1787 Constitution. The previous constitution, called the Articles ...

, meaning that he opposed the proposed Constitution. Williams is one of several people suspected of having written very influential Anti-Federalist essays under the pen name

Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC) was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, which was reta ...

. Williams was subsequently a delegate to the State ratification convention in 1788, where the Anti-Federalists failed to stop the Constitution, but succeeded in obtaining assurances that a Bill of Rights would be added. He was a member of the

Council of Appointment The Council of Appointment (sometimes also Council of Appointments) was a body of the Government of New York that existed from 1777 to 1822. History Under the New York Constitution of 1777, the Council of Appointment consisted of the Governor of ...

in 1789. In March 1789, Williams received a small number of votes running as a Democratic-Republican in the

5th District District 5, 5 District or 5th District may refer to: Europe * District 5 (Zürich) * District 5, Düsseldorf * V District, Turku * Districts of Malta#District 5, District 5, an electoral district of Malta * Districts of Malta#District 5 2, Distric ...

for Congress, but was defeated by Federalist Peter Silvester. In January 1793, Williams ran again as a Democratic-Republican for Congress, this time in the 9th District to which Washington County had been re-districted, but was defeated by Federalist James Gordon. In December 1794, Williams was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed l ...

to the

4th Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...

, and in December 1796 was re-elected as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

to the

5th United States Congress The 5th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Penns ...

, serving from March 4, 1795 to March 3, 1799. In April 1798, he ran for re-election as a Federalist in the 7th District to which Washington County had been re-districted, but was defeated by Democratic-Republican John Thompson. In April 1802, he ran for election again as a Federalist in the 12th District to which Washington County had been re-districted, but was defeated by Democratic-Republican David Thomas. He was a large landholder. He owned slaves. He was a promoter and director of a company organized to build the Erie Canal as a private enterprise, the project later being taken over and completed by the State, and a judge of the county court. Williams died in Salem on July 22, 1806; his interment was at Salem Revolutionary Cemetery. The Salem chapter of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

is named for Williams and Israel Harris.New York State Senate
Resolution J629-2009
Commending the Captain Israel Harris-General John Williams Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution upon the occasion of hosting its 2009 Good Citizens of the Year Awards, 2009

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, John 1752 births 1806 deaths People from Barnstaple British emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Members of the New York Provincial Congress Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state senators Expelled New York (state) state senators People from Salem, New York American militia generals New York (state) militiamen in the American Revolution Medical doctors from Devon Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves 18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 18th-century members of the New York State Legislature Candidates in the 1788–1789 United States elections Candidates in the 1793 United States elections

Life

See also

References

Further reading

External links