Joseph R. Williams
| Joseph Rickelson Williams | |
|---|---|
Joseph R. Williams, President Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, 1857–1859
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| (Acting) 14th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan | |
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In office April 3, 1861 – June 15, 1861 (death) |
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| Governor | Austin Blair |
| Preceded by | James M. Birney |
| Succeeded by | Henry T. Backus |
| Member of the Michigan Senate | |
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In office 1860 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 14, 1808 Taunton, Massachusetts, US |
| Died | June 15, 1861 (aged 52) Constantine, Michigan, US |
| Political party |
Whig Republican Party |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Rowland Langdon Williams |
| Children | Charlotte Langdon Williams Kumler Sibyl Williams Hamilto Rebecca Williams Cooper |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Profession | Farmer Attorney Newspaper Publisher Politician |
Joseph Rickelson Williams (November 14, 1808 – June 15, 1861) was an American politician, a Republican Michigan Senate Senator, and 14th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan. He was also the first president for the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first Land-Grant Institution to be established in the United States and now one of the largest universities in the United States,Michigan State University.
Williams was born in Taunton, Massachusetts, attended Sandwich Academy where he studied under Luther Lincoln, and graduated from Harvard in 1831 with distinguished honors. He then studied law with John Davis in Worcester, was admitted to the bar and practiced in New Bedford. In 1839, he moved to Constantine, Michigan, where he resided for the rest of his life.
Because of ill health, Williams left his law practice and traveled to Toledo, Ohio, and served as the agent of a New England company seeking land investments until 1839 when he moved to Constantine, Michigan, where he invested in the construction and operation of flour mills, and was a member of the state constitutional convention of 1850, twice the Whig candidate for Congress, and twice the Whig candidate for the United States Senate against Lewis Cass. In May, 1853, Williams returned to Toledo and purchased the Toledo Blade, a local newspaper which under his management, became the leading advocate of Republican principles in Northern Ohio. In 1856, Williams sold the paper to Clark Waggoner and G.T. Steward in order to assume the duties of the first President of the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan when it opened in May, 1857. Williams resigned the position after serving for two years.
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