George
Henry Williams was
born in New Lebanon, New York, on 26th March, 1823. He studied law
and was admitted to the bar in 1844 and worked as a lawyer in Fort
Madison, Iowa. Williams was appointed judge of the first judicial
district of Iowa (1847-1852) and chief justice of the Territory of
Oregon (1853-1857).
A member of the Republican Party,
Williams was elected to Congress in 1864 and became a leading figure
in the group that became known as the Radical
Republicans. Williams was highly critical of President Andrew
Johnson and voted for his impeachment in 1868.
President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Williams
as his Attorney General (1872-75). He was also nominated as Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court but his
name was later withdrawn. George Henry Williams, who served as mayor
of Portland, Oregon (1902-05), died on 4th April, 1910.
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