Alexander S. Williams
| Alexander Williams | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
July 9, 1839 Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Died | March 25, 1917 (aged 77) Manhattan, New York, United States |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery |
| Residence | 8 West 95th Street |
| Nationality | Canadian-American |
| Other names | Alex Williams Clubber Williams Czar of the Tenderloin |
| Occupation | Police officer |
| Employer | New York City Police Department |
| Known for | NYPD police inspector in charge of the Tenderloin and Gas House districts during the 1870s and 1880s; one of several police officials implicated of corruption by the Lexow Committee. |
| Home town | New York City, New York |
| Children | 2 sons |
Alexander S. Williams (July 9, 1839 – March 25, 1917) was an American law enforcement officer and police inspector for the New York City Police Department. One of the more colorful yet controversial figures of the NYPD, popularly known as "Clubber Williams" or "Czar of the Tenderloin", he oversaw the Tenderloin and Gas House districts as well as breaking up a number of the city's street gangs, most notably, the Gas House Gang in 1871. He, along with William "Big Bill" Devery and Thomas F. Byrnes, were among several senior NYPD officials implicated by the Lexow Committee during the 1890s.
Alexander S. Williams was born in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada on July 9, 1839. His father was a native of Nova Scotia and his mother was Scottish. He emigrated to the United States as a child and was apprenticed as a ship's carpenter for the New York-based shipbuilding firm W.H. Webb & Co. for several years. As a young man, he visited several countries including Mexico and Japan among others. He was reportedly the first Westerner to lay the keel of a sailing ship in Japan. Returning to the United States, he was employed by the government and was engaged in raising a sunken ship off the coast of Florida.
Williams officially joined the New York Police Department on August 23, 1866. According to popular lore, Williams originally approached NYPD Police Commissioner John Bergen at the Metropolitan Police Headquarters to personally request a commission as a patrolman. Bergen however, without any way to confirm his identity, pointed this fact out remarking that "You may be a convict from Sing Sing for all I know". Williams angrily told the commissioner he could keep the job and stormed out of his office. Impressed with Williams show of force, he sent for Williams to be brought back and was immediately given a position as a patrolman.
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