Reuel Williams (June 2, 1783July 25, 1862) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a U.S. Senator from

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

from 1837 to 1843.

Early life and career

Born in Hallowell,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

to Seth Williams and Zilpha Ingraham, he attended Hallowell Academy, and went on to study law. He was admitted to the bar in 1804, commencing practice in

Augusta, Maine Augusta is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Maine. The city's population was 18,899 at the 2020 United States census, making it the List of cities in Maine, 12th-most populous city in Maine, and third ...

Political career

He was a member of the

Maine Legislature The Maine State Legislature is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral body composed of the lower house Maine House of Representatives and the upper house Maine Senate. ...

, in the two houses of the legislature, from 1812 to 1829 and again in 1832 and 1848. He was commissioner of public buildings in 1831. He served as a presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1836. In 1837, he was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Ether Shepley and served from March 4, 1837, to February 15, 1843, when he resigned. While in the Senate he served as chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Naval Affairs.

Private life

He was also the manager of the Kennebec and Portland Railroad for 12 years. He died in Augusta, aged 79, and was interred in his family's cemetery on the banks of the

Kennebec River The Kennebec River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Kinəpékʷihtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 30, 2011 natural river within the U.S. state of Ma ...

in Augusta. In 1807, he married Sarah Lowell Cony, daughter of Judge Daniel Cony of Maine. Their son, Joseph H. Williams, also a politician, was elected Governor of Maine. Their daughter, Jane E. Williams, married Unitarian minister and author Sylvester Judd on August 31, 1841; they had three children. Another daughter, Helen A. Williams, married John Taylor Gilman originally of

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a New England town, town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. Its population was 16,049 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county ...

. After his death, she was remarried to Charles H. Bell of Exeter, New Hampshire. He died in Augusta, aged 79, and was interred in his family's cemetery on the banks of the

in Augusta.

References

*Poor, John A. ''Memoir of Hon. Reuel Williams, Prepared for the Maine Historical Society.'' Cambridge, Massachusetts: Priv. print. H.O. Houghton and Company, 1864
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Retrieved May 3, 2008 1783 births 1862 deaths Politicians from Augusta, Maine Politicians from Hallowell, Maine Democratic Party Maine state senators Democratic Party members of the Maine House of Representatives Democratic Party United States senators from Maine Maine lawyers 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the Maine Legislature {{Maine-MESenate-stub