(1783-1862) a U.S. Senator, was born in Hallowell on June 2, 1783 and attended Hallowell Academy. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1804, and began his practice in Augusta.
Wiliams was a member of the State legislature 1812-1829, 1832, and 1848, and served as commissioner of public buildings in 1831.
A presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1836, he was elected on February 22, 1837 as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Ether Shepley. He served from March 4, 1837, to February 15, 1843, when reuelhe resigned. While a Senator he was chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs (Twenty-sixth Congress).
A manager of a railroad for twelve years, Williams died in Augusta on July 25, 1862 with interment in the family cemetery on the banks of the Kennebec River in Augusta.
Additional Resources
Poor, John A. Memoir of the Hon. Reuel Williams, Prepared for the Maine Historical Society. Cambridge: Privately printed, 1864.
Reuel Williams Collection, 1841-1991 (bulk 1841-1847). [University of Maine, Raymond H. Fogler Library, Special Collections]