Charles Grandison Williams (October 18, 1829 – March 30, 1892) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. He represented the state of Wisconsin for ten years in the United States House of Representatives, from 1873 to 1883, and was chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.[1]
Charles G. Williams | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee | |
| In office March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel S. Cox |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Gregg Curtin |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1883 | |
| Preceded by | Alexander Mitchell |
| Succeeded by | John Winans |
| President pro tempore of the Wisconsin Senate | |
| In office January 1, 1871 – January 1, 1873 | |
| Preceded by | David Taylor |
| Succeeded by | Henry L. Eaton |
| Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 17th district | |
| In office January 1, 1869 – January 1, 1873 | |
| Preceded by | S. J. Todd |
| Succeeded by | Horatio N. Davis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 18, 1829 Royalton, New York |
| Died | March 30, 1892 (aged 62) Watertown, South Dakota |
| Resting place | Oak Hill Cemetery Janesville, Wisconsin |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
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| Children |
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| Signature |  |
Biography
edit
Born in Royalton, New York, Williams pursued an academic course and studied law in Rochester, New York. He moved to Wisconsin in 1856, after the death of his first wife, and settled in Janesville, in Rock County.[1] He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Janesville, where he would form a law partnership with David Noggle and Henry A. Patterson.
He was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in 1868 and re-elected in 1870. He was chosen as President pro tempore of the Senate for the 1871 and 1872 sessions.[2] He was also a presidential elector for Ulysses S. Grant in the 1868 United States presidential election.[3]
In 1872, Williams was elected to represent Wisconsin's 1st congressional district, and was subsequently re-elected four times, serving from March 4, 1873, until March 3, 1883. In the 47th Congress (1881-1883), he served as chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
He was defeated in the 1882 election while seeking a sixth term in Congress. After his defeat, he was appointed register of the land office for the Dakota Territory, and moved to Watertown, Dakota Territory, where he remained for the rest of his life. He died there on March 30, 1892.[4]
He was interred at Oak Hill Cemetery in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Personal life and family
editHis first wife, Harriet Gregg, died in 1856.
His second wife was Mary M. Noggle, daughter Judge David Noggle, his early law partner and one of the founding fathers of Janesville. They had a daughter, Kate Anna Williams (born 1861), and a son, Ward David Williams (born September 4, 1864, and died March 28, 1926, in Baltimore, Maryland).
Electoral history
editWisconsin Senate (1868, 1870)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 8, 1870 | |||||
| Republican | Charles G. Williams | 3,402 | 75.05% | ||
| Independent Republican | E. P. King | 1,131 | 24.95% | ||
| Plurality | 2,271 | 50.10% | |||
| Total votes | 4,533 | 100.0% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
U.S. House of Representatives (1872, 1874, 1876)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 5, 1872 | |||||
| Republican | Charles G. Williams | 15,666 | 62.55% | +20.03% | |
| Liberal Republican | Ithamar Sloan | 9,380 | 37.45% | ||
| Plurality | 6,286 | 25.10% | +10.14% | ||
| Total votes | 25,046 | 100.0% | -13.06% | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 3, 1874 | |||||
| Republican | Charles G. Williams (incumbent) | 12,568 | 56.87% | −5.68% | |
| Democratic | Nicholas D. Fratt | 9,532 | 43.13% | ||
| Plurality | 3,036 | 13.74% | -11.36% | ||
| Total votes | 22,100 | 100.0% | -11.76% | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 7, 1876 | |||||
| Republican | Charles G. Williams (incumbent) | 18,206 | 59.33% | +2.47% | |
| Democratic | H. G. Winslow | 12,478 | 40.67% | ||
| Plurality | 5,728 | 18.67% | +4.93% | ||
| Total votes | 30,684 | 100.0% | +38.84% | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
U.S. House of Representatives (1878, 1880, 1882)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 5, 1878 | |||||
| Republican | Charles G. Williams (incumbent) | 14,629 | 59.52% | +0.19% | |
| Greenback | Charles H. Parker | 9,949 | 40.48% | ||
| Plurality | 4,680 | 19.04% | +0.37% | ||
| Total votes | 30,684 | 100.0% | -19.90% | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 2, 1880 | |||||
| Republican | Charles G. Williams (incumbent) | 19,014 | 61.74% | +2.22% | |
| Democratic | Clinton Babbitt | 11,782 | 38.26% | ||
| Plurality | 7,232 | 23.48% | +4.44% | ||
| Total votes | 30,796 | 100.0% | +25.30% | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 7, 1882 | |||||
| Democratic | John Winans | 12,307 | 46.66% | +8.40% | |
| Republican | Charles G. Williams (incumbent) | 11,853 | 44.94% | −16.81% | |
| Prohibition | Charles M. Blackman | 2,207 | 8.37% | ||
| Greenback | William L. Utley | 10 | 0.04% | ||
| Scattering | 1 | 0.00% | |||
| Plurality | 454 | 1.72% | -21.76% | ||
| Total votes | 26,378 | 100.0% | -14.35% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | 25.20% | |||
References
edit- ^ a b "Williams, Charles Grandison (1829-1892)". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ^ Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (2019). "Statistics and Reference: Historical lists" (PDF). Wisconsin Blue Book 2019-2020 (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. pp. 486–487. ISBN 978-1-7333817-0-3. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ^ "The Official Vote of the State on Presidential Electors". Semi-Weekly Wisconsin. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. December 5, 1868. p. 1. Retrieved July 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Paid Loving Tribute to Hon. C. G. Williams". Janesville Daily Gazette. Janesville, Wisconsin. April 2, 1892. p. 4. Retrieved July 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Official Directory: Wisconsin Legislature". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. 1871. p. 367. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ^ Turner, A. J., ed. (1874). "Official Directory: Congressional Delegation". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 444. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
- ^ Bashford, R. M., ed. (1876). "Official Directory: Congressional Delegation". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 446. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
- ^ Bashford, R. M., ed. (1878). "Official Directory: Members of Congress". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. pp. 450–451. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
- ^ Warner, Hans B., ed. (1880). "Biographical Sketches: Members of Congress". The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. pp. 491–492. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
- ^ Heg, J. E., ed. (1882). "Biographical Sketches: Members of Congress". The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 521. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
- ^ Heg, J. E., ed. (1883). "Election Statistics". The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 521. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
External links
edit- United States Congress. "Charles G. Williams (id: W000492)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Charles Grandison Williams at Find a Grave