R. Seth Williams
Encyclopedia
Rufus Seth Williams is the District Attorney
of the city of Philadelphia. He began his term January 4, 2010. He previously served as an Assistant District Attorney. Williams is the first African-American District Attorney in Philadelphia and in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
, the only child of Imelda Williams and the late Rufus O. Williams,a devoted and loving working class family. Imelda Williams was a secretary at the Philadelphia Naval Ship Yard and Rufus O. Williams was a teacher at Sulzberger Middle School from 1952-1985. Rufus Williams dedicated his life to the children of Philadelphia, running camps every summer and volunteering at recreation centers from 6 to 10PM every night.
Rufus and Imelda stressed the importance of education and made sacrifices so Seth could receive the best education that Philadelphia had to offer. Seth attended Friends Central Elementary School and attributes his worldly views on the Quaker philosophies taught at that school. At the age of 11, Seth Williams was chosen to represent the United States in Copenhagen, Denmark for the Children's International Summer Villages Program. Seth attended St. Carthage Catholic church in West Philadelphia (now called St. Cyprian), and was named altar boy of the year in 1981. He attended Central High School where he served as class Treasurer and was on the varsity track and football teams. Seth attended Pennsylvania State University
, where he served as President of the Black Student Caucus, the Undergraduate Student Government, and was member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. As a student activist, he led a 102 mile march to Harrisburg to get Penn State to divest from South Africa. He then attended Georgetown University Law
, graduating in 1992 with distinction as a Public Interest Law Scholar.
After leaving the District Attorney's Office, Seth joined the law firm, Zarwin Baum DeVito Kaplan Schaer Toddy, P.C., working on cases involving civil litigation, personal injury, and nursing home abuse. In 2005, he challenged Lynne Abraham
, Philadelphia’s longtime incumbent District Attorney, in the Democratic primary. While not victorious on Election Day, Williams won 46 percent of the vote and received endorsements from the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #5, the Transit Workers Union Local 234, District Council #47, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Tribune, the Philadelphia Sunday Sun and the Westside Weekly. Following the election, he was appointed Inspector General of the City of Philadelphia, where he was responsible for the investigation of all allegations of corruption, fraud, waste, abuse and employee misconduct among municipal workers and companies doing business with the city. He left the position of Inspector General in 2008 and went on to take a position as counsel at the Center City law firm, Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young.
In 2011, Williams became "the first U.S. prosecutor to charge a church official for ... [e]ndangering children whom the Roman Catholic Church was supposed to protect by shuffling pedophile priests to different parishes where they could find fresh prey," as one commentator put it, in the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Philadelphia
.
Williams has also been leading the prosecution of abortionist Kermit Gosnell
.
Williams is an adjunct professor at Temple and Villanova Universities and is an Advisory Board Member at Penn State Abington
. Seth is proud to serve his country as a Major in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, United States Army Reserve. Seth is also proud to serve on the boards of several local and national organizations, including Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, The Cardinal's Cabinet of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the St. Martin de Porres Foundation, and the West Philadelphia YMCA. Seth was also elected to the board of directors for the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
of the city of Philadelphia. He began his term January 4, 2010. He previously served as an Assistant District Attorney. Williams is the first African-American District Attorney in Philadelphia and in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Early life
Williams' mother gave him up for adoption after his birth. After placement in two foster homes he was adopted and grew up in West PhiladelphiaWest Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and...
, the only child of Imelda Williams and the late Rufus O. Williams,a devoted and loving working class family. Imelda Williams was a secretary at the Philadelphia Naval Ship Yard and Rufus O. Williams was a teacher at Sulzberger Middle School from 1952-1985. Rufus Williams dedicated his life to the children of Philadelphia, running camps every summer and volunteering at recreation centers from 6 to 10PM every night.
Rufus and Imelda stressed the importance of education and made sacrifices so Seth could receive the best education that Philadelphia had to offer. Seth attended Friends Central Elementary School and attributes his worldly views on the Quaker philosophies taught at that school. At the age of 11, Seth Williams was chosen to represent the United States in Copenhagen, Denmark for the Children's International Summer Villages Program. Seth attended St. Carthage Catholic church in West Philadelphia (now called St. Cyprian), and was named altar boy of the year in 1981. He attended Central High School where he served as class Treasurer and was on the varsity track and football teams. Seth attended Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
, where he served as President of the Black Student Caucus, the Undergraduate Student Government, and was member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. As a student activist, he led a 102 mile march to Harrisburg to get Penn State to divest from South Africa. He then attended Georgetown University Law
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
, graduating in 1992 with distinction as a Public Interest Law Scholar.
Early career
After graduation, Williams joined the District Attorney’s Office. Williams served 10 years as an Assistant District Attorney. In that time, he was appointed Assistant Chief of the Municipal Court, where he supervised the 30 newest prosecutors. He also created and led the Repeat Offenders Unit with the goal of reducing the high percentage of crimes committed by repeat offenders. His courtroom experience includes 37 jury trials, more than 1,500 bench trials and more than 2,500 felony preliminary hearings.After leaving the District Attorney's Office, Seth joined the law firm, Zarwin Baum DeVito Kaplan Schaer Toddy, P.C., working on cases involving civil litigation, personal injury, and nursing home abuse. In 2005, he challenged Lynne Abraham
Lynne Abraham
Lynne Abraham served as the District Attorney of the City of Philadelphia from May 1991 to January 2010. She was the first woman to serve as Philadelphia's District Attorney. Abraham won election to that position four times. As District Attorney, she oversaw the largest district attorney's office...
, Philadelphia’s longtime incumbent District Attorney, in the Democratic primary. While not victorious on Election Day, Williams won 46 percent of the vote and received endorsements from the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #5, the Transit Workers Union Local 234, District Council #47, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Tribune, the Philadelphia Sunday Sun and the Westside Weekly. Following the election, he was appointed Inspector General of the City of Philadelphia, where he was responsible for the investigation of all allegations of corruption, fraud, waste, abuse and employee misconduct among municipal workers and companies doing business with the city. He left the position of Inspector General in 2008 and went on to take a position as counsel at the Center City law firm, Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young.
District Attorney
On November 3, 2009, Williams was elected District Attorney of Philadelphia. Winning more than 75 percent of the vote, he became the first African American District Attorney of Philadelphia, and in the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was sworn in January 4, 2010, replacing long time District Attorney Abraham, who chose to step down after nineteen years.In 2011, Williams became "the first U.S. prosecutor to charge a church official for ... [e]ndangering children whom the Roman Catholic Church was supposed to protect by shuffling pedophile priests to different parishes where they could find fresh prey," as one commentator put it, in the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Philadelphia
Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Philadelphia
The sexual abuse scandal in Philadelphia archdiocese in 2005 was a significant episode in the series of Catholic sex abuse cases in the United States, Ireland and elsewhere. The Philadelphia circumstances were substantially revealed through a grand jury investigation that year...
.
Williams has also been leading the prosecution of abortionist Kermit Gosnell
Kermit Gosnell
Kermit Barron Gosnell is an American doctor in Philadelphia who ran two multi-million dollar abortion practices, alleged to be fraudulent. After a controversy nearly a year earlier, Gosnell was arrested in January 2011, charged with eight counts of murder: one patient who allegedly died under his...
.
Other involvements
In 2010, District Attorney Seth Williams received the prestigious USA Eisenhower Fellowship Award. The Eisenhower Fellowship is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization that fosters international understanding and leadership through the exchange of information, ideas, and perspectives among emerging leaders throughout the world. Seth has also been selected for the Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellowship Program for Public Leadership. This program is only open to 24 US political leaders-12 Democrats, and 12 Republicans-deemed as "rising stars" in their communities. The two year fellowship is designed to briefly break down partisan barriers and provide officeholders with an opportunity to step back from their daily responsibilities to consider broader questions of good governance. In October 2011, he also received an Alumni Fellow Award from Pennsylvania State University.Williams is an adjunct professor at Temple and Villanova Universities and is an Advisory Board Member at Penn State Abington
Penn State Abington
Penn State Abington is a commonwealth campus of the Pennsylvania State University. Located approximately north of Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States in the Abington section of Abington Township, it is set in wooded, which include a duck pond and stands of hardwood trees...
. Seth is proud to serve his country as a Major in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, United States Army Reserve. Seth is also proud to serve on the boards of several local and national organizations, including Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, The Cardinal's Cabinet of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the St. Martin de Porres Foundation, and the West Philadelphia YMCA. Seth was also elected to the board of directors for the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.