Overview
William Williams was a leader of the Patriot Cause in Connecticut. After graduating from Harvard, he served in the French and Indian War, participating in the Crown Point Expedition and the Battle of Lake George (1755). Williams held many local and colonial offices, including Town Clerk, Representative, Judge, and Member of the Governor’s Council. During the American Revolution, he helped prepare Connecticut for war, financed the deployment of troops to Fort Ticonderoga, and served in the Continental Congress. He signed the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. After the war, he supported the ratification of the United States Constitution.
Personal Facts
- Born: April 8, 1731, in Lebanon, Connecticut.
- Parents: Solomon Williams (father), Mary Porter (mother).
- Spouse: Mary Trumbull (1771).
- Died: August 2, 1811, in Lebanon, Connecticut. He was 80.
- Buried: Old Cemetery, Lebanon, Connecticut.
- Part of: Signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Significance
William Williams is important to American History for his role in the Patriot Cause in Connecticut and his involvement in the American Revolution. As a Signer of the Declaration of Independence and a Signer of the Articles of Confederation, Williams is one of the nation’s Founding Fathers.
Biography
Early Life and Career
William Williams was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, on April 8, 1731, the son of Solomon Williams, pastor of the First Congregational Church, and his wife, Mary Porter of Hadley, Massachusetts.
- After Williams graduated from Harvard College in 1751, he studied theology under his father.
- He became active in local politics when he was elected as the Town Clerk in 1752, a position he held until 1796.
- In 1755, during the French and Indian War, he served on the staff of Ephraim Williams, his father’s cousin, who was killed at the Battle of Lake George (September 8, 1755).
- Williams resented the way that British officers treated the Americans who served in the provincial forces during the war.
Connecticut Politics
Following the Battle of Lake George, Williams returned home, where he became a merchant and further involved in politics.
- Williams served as a Lebanon selectman from 1760 to 1785.
- He was elected to the Connecticut Assembly and served there from 1757 to 1776 and again from 1781 to 1784, including two stints as Speaker of the House (1775, 1781 to 1783).
- Williams was named Judge of Windham County Court in 1776 and served until 1805.
- He was a Probate Judge for the Windham District from 1775 to 1809.
- From 1784 to 1803, Williams served on the Governor’s Council.
He was elected clerk and speaker of the house many times and worked on committees that studied the Stamp Act, Connecticut’s claim to the Susquehanna lands, the case of the Mohegan Indians, and the boundary between Connecticut and Massachusetts. He also represented Connecticut at meetings of New England delegates who discussed shared concerns.
Marriage
On February 14, 1771, Williams married Mary Trumbull, the daughter of Jonathan Trumbull Sr., the Governor of Connecticut, and the sister of Jonathan Trumbull Jr. and John Trumbull. Together, they had three children.
- Trumbull Sr. was the only Royal Governor who supported the Patriot Cause and retained his position after Connecticut transitioned to a state.
- Trumbull Jr. served in the Continental Army and followed in his father’s footsteps as Governor of Connecticut.
- John Trumbull served in the Continental Army and is perhaps most famous for his paintings, including The Battle of Bunker’s Hill, June 17, 1775 (1786).
Patriot Cause
Williams’s dislike of the British led him to support the Patriot Cause during the early years of the American Revolution:
- Williams was involved with the Sons of Liberty and protested the Stamp Act.
- He protested the Townshend Acts by supporting nonimportation agreements.
- Williams served on the Connecticut Committee of Correspondence and the Council of Safety.
- He helped write many of the papers prepared for Governor Trumbull in support of the Patriot Cause.
- In 1775, Williams signed a promissory note that allowed Connecticut to raise money to send Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys to Lake Champlain, where they captured Fort Ticonderoga.
Second Continental Congress
Williams served in the Continental Congress from 1776 to 1778 and again from 1783 to 1784, during which he signed the Declaration of Independence and helped draft the Articles of Confederation.
- After Oliver Wolcott became ill and had to leave Congress, Williams was elected to replace him.
- Williams arrived in Philadelphia too late to participate in the debates over independence.
- He signed the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776.
- In 1777, Williams served on the Board of War.
- According to some sources, he helped draft the Articles of Confederation.
AHC Notes
- Oliver Wolcott (1726–1797) — Wolcott was a Connecticut leader who served in the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence, held key military commands during the American Revolutionary War, and later became Governor. He supported the war to protect civil and religious liberty and helped shape early state and national policy through his judicial service, treaty work with Native American Indians, and participation in the state convention that approved the Constitution.
Support for the War Effort
In 1779, when the falling value of Continental currency made it nearly impossible to buy supplies for the Continental Army, he offered the gold and silver in exchange for paper money that was losing value. He reportedly said that if independence succeeded, he would be repaid; if it failed, the loss would mean nothing.
- During the Winter of 1780–1781, he gave up his home so French officers stationed in Lebanon could use it.
- Some criticized him for leaving his post as Colonel of the 12th Regiment to serve in the Continental Congress.
- In 1781, when news reached Lebanon of Benedict Arnold’s Raid on New London, he immediately mounted his horse and rode 23 miles in three hours to offer his help as a volunteer.
United States Constitution
Williams participated in the 1788 Hartford Convention, which ratified the United States Constitution on January 9, 1788, making Connecticut the fifth state to do so.
- Although the town of Lebanon instructed Williams to vote against ratification, he voted in favor of it.
- Williams objected to the clause in Article VI that bans religious tests.
Death
Williams died in Lebanon on August 2, 1811, and was buried in the Old Cemetery.
Accomplishments and Milestones
- 1731, March 18 — William Williams was born in Lebanon, Connecticut.
- 1751 — Williams graduated from Harvard College.
- 1755 — He served on his cousin’s staff during the Crown Point Expedition
- 1752–1796 — Williams served as Town Clerk of Lebanon.
- 1757–1776 — He served as a Representative in the Connecticut Assembly.
- 1774, October — Williams served as Speaker of the Assembly and helped prepare Connecticut for war.
- 1775, May — He financed the expedition that captured Fort Ticonderoga.
- 1775, May — Connecticut commissioned him as Colonel of the Twelfth Militia Regiment.
- 1776, July — Williams was elected to the Second Continental Congress.
- 1776, July 28 — He arrived in Philadelphia.
- 1776, August 2 — Williams signed the Declaration of Independence.
- 1777, June–December — He served a second term in the Continental Congress.
- 1777, October–December — Williams served on the Board of War.
- 1779 — He traded hard cash for Continental paper money to help purchase army supplies.
- 1781, September 6 — Williams rode to assist in resisting Benedict Arnold’s New London raid.
- 1788, January — He voted to ratify the federal Constitution at the Connecticut convention.
- 1811, August 2 — Williams died in Lebanon, Connecticut.
AP US History Alignment
Definition
William Williams (1731–1811) — Williams was a Connecticut leader who supported the Patriot Cause through financial aid, political service, and public writing. He signed the Declaration of Independence, served in the Continental Congress, and helped frame early national policies. Williams backed military efforts with personal funds, contributed to key state papers, and held long-term positions in the Connecticut Legislature, Governor’s Council, and judiciary.
Alignment
William Williams is part of the following units, topics, and chapters in the AP US History curriculum:
