American Founding Father, politician and judge (1731?1799)
John Williams
(March 14, 1731 ? October 10, 1799), born in Surry County, North Carolina, was a
Founding Father of the United States
and signer of its
Articles of Confederation
. He was one of the founders of the
University of North Carolina
. During the
American Revolutionary War
, Williams was a colonel in the North Carolina militia. In 1777 and 1778, he was a member of the
North Carolina House of Commons
and served as
speaker of the House
. Williams was a member of the
Continental Congress
in 1778 and 1779.
Willams served as a
superior court
judge both during the colonial era and after the new state of
North Carolina
was established in 1776. Sitting alongside other superior court judges as part of a Court of Conference (forerunner to the
North Carolina Supreme Court
), Williams heard the landmark case,
Bayard v. Singleton
, which announced the principle of
judicial review
on the state level before
Marbury v. Madison
did so on the federal level.
[1]
[2]
Family and political career
[
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]
Williams was born on March 14, 1731, in
Hanover County, Virginia
, the son of John Williams Sr and Mary Keeling. He married Mary Womack. They had 6 children, John Williams III, William Williams and Mary (Williams) Farra, Charles, William, Nathaniel who married Elizabeth Keeling, half-sister to the mother of
George Washington
, and Agatha who married Col.
Robert Burton
of
Granville County, North Carolina
. Was also married to Agnes Bullock 12 Nov 1759 ? Granville, North Carolina, USA
Revolutionary War
[
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]
Williams was commissioned on September 9, 1775, as a lieutenant colonel under Col. James Thackston in the Orange County Minutemen Regiment. Both men participated in the
Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge
on February 27, 1776. All
minutemen
regiments were disbanded on April 10, 1776.
[3]
He was a colonel and commandant of the
9th North Carolina Regiment
of the
North Carolina Line
from 1776 to 1778.
[3]
Death and legacy
[
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]
Williams died on October 10, 1799. The town of
Williamsboro, North Carolina
, for which he donated the land, is named for Williams.
[4]
Williams was a first cousin and law partner of Judge
Richard Henderson
.
Notes
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]
External links
[
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]
- United States Congress.
"John Williams (id: W000515)"
.
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
.
- Samuel A. Ashe, ed., Biographical History of North Carolina, vol. 3 (1905).
- Ranck, George Washington (1901).
Boonesborough; its founding, pioneer struggles, Indian experiences, Transylvania days, and revolutionary annals
. Louisville, Ky., J. P. Morton & company
. Retrieved
January 4,
2013
.
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Delaware
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North Carolina
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