Ransome Judson Williams (January 4, 1892January 7, 1970) was the 102nd governor of South Carolina from 1945 to 1947.

Biography

Born in Cope, South Carolina, he graduated from the

Medical University of South Carolina The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is a public medical school in Charleston, South Carolina. It opened in 1824 as a small private college aimed at training physicians and has since established hospitals and medical facilities acros ...

in Charleston and became employed as a

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

. He married Virginia Faith Allen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joel Isham Allen, on October 11, 1916. His political career began when he was first elected to the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seatin ...

and served from 1931 to 1932. In 1943, he was elected the 75th

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 ...

of South Carolina and when

Olin Johnston Olin DeWitt Talmadge Johnston (November 9, 1896April 18, 1965) was an American politician from the US state of South Carolina. He served as the 98th governor of South Carolina, from 1935 to 1939 and again from 1943 to 1945. He represented the st ...

resigned from the Governorship in 1945, Williams became the 102nd Governor of South Carolina. Williams sought re-election in 1946, but never had much popular support and finished a distant third to the eventual winner,

Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Before his 49 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South ...

. After the end of his term in 1947, he served as a trustee for numerous state colleges and died on January 7, 1970. A supporter of labor rights, during his time as governor Williams obtained legislation providing for the extension of retirement privileges to all city, county and state employees, and presided over various reforms in other areas such as health and welfare.Herald-Journal 13 Aug 1946
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References

External links

NGA Biography of Ransome Judson Williams
1892 births 1970 deaths People from Orangeburg County, South Carolina Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Democratic Party governors of South Carolina University of South Carolina trustees Medical University of South Carolina alumni 20th-century American pharmacists 20th-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly {{SouthCarolina-politician-stub