George Henry Williams
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| George Henry Williams | |
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| In office December 14, 1871 – April 25, 1875 |
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| Preceded by | Amos T. Akerman |
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| Succeeded by | Edwards Pierrepont |
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| Born | March 23, 1823 New Lebanon, New York, USA |
| Died | April 10, 1910 (aged 87) Portland, Oregon, USA |
| Political party | Republican |
| Profession | Lawyer, Judge, Politician |
George Henry Williams (March 23, 1823–April 4, 1910) was an American judge and statesman.
Born in New Lebanon, New York, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1844. He moved to Iowa and worked as a lawyer in Fort Madison, Iowa Territory. In 1847, he was elected Judge of the First Judicial District of Iowa. He was a presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1852.
He was named Chief Justice of Oregon Territory in 1853 and served until 1857. As a presiding judge while riding circuit, Williams presided over the Holmes v. Ford case that freed a slave family since slavery was illegal in the territory. Later he was a member of the Oregon constitutional convention that was held before the establishment of Oregon as a U.S. state. He was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Republican from Oregon in 1865 and served until 1871. In 1871 he was a member of the commission to settle the Alabama claims from the Treaty of Washington.
On December 14, 1871, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed him Attorney General of the United States. Williams was nominated to be Chief Justice of the United States in 1873, but he later withdrew from consideration. He resigned as Attorney General in 1875, and then declined an offer from Grant to become the U.S. minister to Spain.
George Williams campaigned for the election of Rutherford B. Hayes as President in 1876, and established a law practice in Portland, Oregon.
He was the mayor of Portland, Oregon, from 1902 to 1905.
He died in 1910 in Portland and is buried at River View Cemetery in that city.
[edit] References
| Preceded by Thomas Nelson |
5th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court 1853-1858 |
Succeeded by Aaron E. Wait |
| Preceded by Thomas Nelson |
3rd Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court 1853-1858 |
Succeeded by Aaron E. Wait |
| Preceded by Benjamin F. Harding |
United States Senator (Class 2) from Oregon 1865–1871 Served alongside: James W. Nesmith, Henry W. Corbett |
Succeeded by James K. Kelly |
| Preceded by Amos T. Akerman |
United States Attorney General 1871-1875 |
Succeeded by Edwards Pierrepont |
| Preceded by Henry S. Rowe |
Mayor of Portland, Oregon 1902-1905 |
Succeeded by Harry Lane |
| United States Attorneys General |  |
|---|---|
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