Robert L. Williams
Encyclopedia
Robert Lee Williams was an American lawyer, judge, and politician who served as the third Governor of Oklahoma
. Williams would also play a role in the drafting of the Oklahoma Constitution
. Beyond his term as Governor, Williams would serve Oklahoma as the first Chief Justice of Oklahoma
and would serve the United States as a District and Circuit Judge.
. Growing up, Williams went to school to become an attorney. Earning a number of degrees, one included a study of Methodist doctrines, entitling him to become a certified minister. Earning a Doctor of Laws degree, Williams passed the Alabama bar exam in 1891 at the age of 23 and began his practice in Troy, Alabama
.
At the age of 25, Williams, in 1893, moved to the Cherokee Outlet
in Indian Territory
following its opening where he briefly practiced law in Orlando
. After a brief return to Alabama, Williams permanently return to Indian Territory and settled in Durant
where he became increasingly involved in local politics. Williams became a driving force behind the Democratic Party
in modern day eastern Oklahoma in his role as the national committeeman from Indian Territory.
, Williams traveled to Guthrie
where he would meet two men that would have profound effects on both his and Oklahoma’s future: Charles N. Haskell
and William H. Murray
. Through their labors, Oklahoma’s Constitution was established and Oklahoma became a state on November 16, 1907. On that same day, Charles Haskell was inaugurated as the first Governor of Oklahoma.
Through his friendship with Haskell and his own skill as an attorney, Williams was appointed by Haskell to the Oklahoma Supreme Court
. Once on the Court, Williams was selected to serve as the Court’s first Chief Justice. He was reappointed that post again in 1908 and would serve in that office until 1914, the only position he would hold on Oklahoma’s highest court.
In 1914, before the end of Oklahoma’s second governor’s term, Governor Lee Cruce
, Williams resigned from his position as Chief Justice in order to place his name in the Democratic
primaries for Governor of Oklahoma. His fame as Chief Justice easily won him the Democratic nomination. Despite being a Democrat, Williams was fiercely conservative and possessed an assertive personality and held a high sense of duty. Williams’s Republican
opponent was John Fields, the editor of a farm related newspaper based in Oklahoma City
. Williams faced a difficult fight for the governorship with Fields’s paper granting him the majority of the farm related voters’ vote. Despite this Williams’s popularity won him the victory by a narrow margin. He was inaugurated as the third Governor of Oklahoma
on January 11, 1915.
before it was completed. On July 1 of that year the State officially took control over the Capitol. The next year on March 18, 1918, the Oklahoma Legislature
would hold its first meeting in its new permanent home. Despite the State’s adoption of the building, the Capitol was not completed until 1919, however the building lacked a dome
. This problem was solved when in 2000, Governor
Frank Keating
proposed that a dome be added. The Capitol was finally “completed” with the erection of the dome on November 16, 2002.
When Williams took office, Oklahoma was suffering terrible economic troubles. Hoping to save the State, implemented policies that he believed would solve these problems and bring improvement. First Williams proposed legislation levying new taxes while appropriations for all state institutions were decreased in order to reduce the State’s deficit in the budget.
One of William’s greatest advances in the state’s economy came when he instituted the Oklahoma State Board of Affairs
, which provided central purchasing services to all state agencies. Through this Board, many of Oklahoma’s boards, agencies, and institutions were consolidated. Williams influenced Oklahoma’s budget by making appointments and setting salaries. Due to his direct administrative role and concentration of power, Williams would stem the drain of executive power that Cruce’s administration had left on the Governorship.
William’s main mindset throughout his administration was reform. Through legislative action and program policy changes, Oklahoma instituted a highway construction bill, a State insurance bond, created the office of pardon and parole
and a State fiscal agency
. Williams and the Legislature amended the laws regarding to impeachment
of State officials, provided for the aid of agriculture, and created oil and gas divisions within the Oklahoma Corporation Commission
. Also, Williams changed the composition of the Oklahoma Supreme Court
from six justices total to nine.
Two things are remembered about William’s administration above all others. The first being the landmark Supreme Court of the United States
case Guinn v. United States
in 1915. When state officials enforced Oklahoma’s Jim Crow laws
, an appeal was made to the Supreme Court of the United States. When the Court ruled that laws that “serve no rational purpose other than to disadvantage the right of African-American citizens to vote violated the Fifteenth Amendment,” many state officials were indicted and by sentenced for violation of federal election laws. This prompted Williams to call the Legislature into special session in 1916 to determine more constitutional methods of black suffrage. The result was the institution of a literary test to Oklahoma. However, the voters of Oklahoma voted the message down, enabling many African-Americans to right to vote for the first time.
The second major event in William’s governorship was that the United States was forced to deal with World War I in 1916. The Great War would cast its shadow over the remainder of William’s term in office. For the most part, many domestic policies were dropped in favor of the mobilization of Oklahoma in preparation for war. The Oklahoma military was swelled through local draft boards, the maximum food production was encouraged to feed the USA’s allies across the sea, promotion for fuel and food conservatism was enacted, and Williams personally acted as moderated between pro- and anti-war forces throughout the State.
By the time January 13, 1919 rolled around, Williams was happy to leave the Governorship behind him. Oklahoma had elected to replace him James B. A. Robertson
, whom Williams had defeated in the 1914 Democratic primaries for Governor.
Following the end of World War I and his exit from office, Williams had found favor in US President
Woodrow Wilson
. Returning to his first love, Williams once again became a judge in the Oklahoma Judiciary. Appointed by President Wilson to serve as an District Judge
on the District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma
, William would, from 1919 onward, spend the remainder of his political career in the judicial branch. He continued his service as a District Judge until in 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt appointed him to serve as a Circuit Judge on the Tenth Circuit Court
. Williams would hold that position until his retirement in 1939, but he would continue to serve as needed for the remainder of his life.
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
. Williams would also play a role in the drafting of the Oklahoma Constitution
Oklahoma Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Oklahoma is the governing document of the U.S. State of Oklahoma. Adopted in 1907, Oklahoma ratified the United States Constitution on November 16, 1907, as the 46th US State. At its ratification, the Oklahoma Constitution was the longest governing document of any...
. Beyond his term as Governor, Williams would serve Oklahoma as the first Chief Justice of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma and leads the Oklahoma Court System, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma....
and would serve the United States as a District and Circuit Judge.
Early life
Robert Lee Williams was born on December 20, 1868 in at Brundidge, AlabamaBrundidge, Alabama
Brundidge is a city in Pike County, Alabama, USA. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 2,341.-Geography:Brundidge is located at .According to the U.S...
. Growing up, Williams went to school to become an attorney. Earning a number of degrees, one included a study of Methodist doctrines, entitling him to become a certified minister. Earning a Doctor of Laws degree, Williams passed the Alabama bar exam in 1891 at the age of 23 and began his practice in Troy, Alabama
Troy, Alabama
Troy is a city in Pike County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,003. Troy experienced a growth spurt of over 4,000+ people since 2000. The city is the county seat of Pike County....
.
At the age of 25, Williams, in 1893, moved to the Cherokee Outlet
Cherokee Outlet
The Cherokee Outlet, often mistakenly referred to as the Cherokee Strip, was located in what is now the state of Oklahoma, in the United States. It was a sixty-mile wide strip of land south of the Oklahoma-Kansas border between the 96th and 100th meridians. It was about 225 miles long and in 1891...
in Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
following its opening where he briefly practiced law in Orlando
Orlando, Oklahoma
Orlando is a town in Logan and Payne counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 201 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Orlando is located at ....
. After a brief return to Alabama, Williams permanently return to Indian Territory and settled in Durant
Durant, Oklahoma
Durant is a city in Bryan County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 15,877 at the 2010 census. Durant is the principal city of the Durant Micropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 42,416 in 2010...
where he became increasingly involved in local politics. Williams became a driving force behind the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in modern day eastern Oklahoma in his role as the national committeeman from Indian Territory.
Oklahoma Statehood and Chief Justice
Selected to represent Durant and the surrounding area at the Oklahoma Constitutional ConventionOklahoma Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Oklahoma is the governing document of the U.S. State of Oklahoma. Adopted in 1907, Oklahoma ratified the United States Constitution on November 16, 1907, as the 46th US State. At its ratification, the Oklahoma Constitution was the longest governing document of any...
, Williams traveled to Guthrie
Guthrie, Oklahoma
Guthrie is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. The population was 9,925 at the 2000 census.Guthrie was the territorial and later the first state capital for Oklahoma...
where he would meet two men that would have profound effects on both his and Oklahoma’s future: Charles N. Haskell
Charles N. Haskell
Charles Nathaniel Haskell was an American lawyer, oilman, and statesman who served as the first Governor of Oklahoma. Haskell played a crucial role in drafting the Oklahoma Constitution as well as Oklahoma's statehood and admission into the United States as the 46th state in 1907...
and William H. Murray
William H. Murray
William Henry Davis "Alfalfa Bill" Murray was an American teacher, lawyer, and politician who became active in Oklahoma before statehood as legal adviser to Governor Douglas H. Johnston of the Chickasaw Nation...
. Through their labors, Oklahoma’s Constitution was established and Oklahoma became a state on November 16, 1907. On that same day, Charles Haskell was inaugurated as the first Governor of Oklahoma.
Through his friendship with Haskell and his own skill as an attorney, Williams was appointed by Haskell to the Oklahoma Supreme Court
Oklahoma Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma and leads the Oklahoma Court System, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma....
. Once on the Court, Williams was selected to serve as the Court’s first Chief Justice. He was reappointed that post again in 1908 and would serve in that office until 1914, the only position he would hold on Oklahoma’s highest court.
In 1914, before the end of Oklahoma’s second governor’s term, Governor Lee Cruce
Lee Cruce
Lee Cruce was the second Governor of Oklahoma. Running against Charles N. Haskell in 1907 in the Democratic primaries, Lee would not receive the party's nomination for Oklahoma's first Governor...
, Williams resigned from his position as Chief Justice in order to place his name in the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primaries for Governor of Oklahoma. His fame as Chief Justice easily won him the Democratic nomination. Despite being a Democrat, Williams was fiercely conservative and possessed an assertive personality and held a high sense of duty. Williams’s Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
opponent was John Fields, the editor of a farm related newspaper based in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
. Williams faced a difficult fight for the governorship with Fields’s paper granting him the majority of the farm related voters’ vote. Despite this Williams’s popularity won him the victory by a narrow margin. He was inaugurated as the third Governor of Oklahoma
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
on January 11, 1915.
Governor of Oklahoma
What Governor Haskell initiated and Governor Cruce started, Governor Williams finished. On January 1, 1917, Williams officially moved into the Oklahoma State CapitolOklahoma State Capitol
The Oklahoma State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the building that houses the Oklahoma Legislature, and the meeting place of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. It is located along Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City. The present structure includes a dome that was...
before it was completed. On July 1 of that year the State officially took control over the Capitol. The next year on March 18, 1918, the Oklahoma Legislature
Oklahoma Legislature
The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the biennial meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma. It is bicameral, comprising the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Oklahoma Senate, with all members elected directly by the people. The House of Representatives has 101...
would hold its first meeting in its new permanent home. Despite the State’s adoption of the building, the Capitol was not completed until 1919, however the building lacked a dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
. This problem was solved when in 2000, Governor
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
Frank Keating
Frank Keating
Francis Anthony "Frank" Keating is an American politician from Oklahoma. Keating served as the 25th Governor of Oklahoma. His first term began in 1995 and ended in 1999...
proposed that a dome be added. The Capitol was finally “completed” with the erection of the dome on November 16, 2002.
When Williams took office, Oklahoma was suffering terrible economic troubles. Hoping to save the State, implemented policies that he believed would solve these problems and bring improvement. First Williams proposed legislation levying new taxes while appropriations for all state institutions were decreased in order to reduce the State’s deficit in the budget.
One of William’s greatest advances in the state’s economy came when he instituted the Oklahoma State Board of Affairs
Oklahoma Department of Central Services
The Oklahoma Department of Central Services is an ageny of the state of Oklahoma. DCS is responsible for providing services to help manage and support the basic functioning of all state agencies. DCS provides government-wide purchasing, supplying, operation, and maintenance of state property,...
, which provided central purchasing services to all state agencies. Through this Board, many of Oklahoma’s boards, agencies, and institutions were consolidated. Williams influenced Oklahoma’s budget by making appointments and setting salaries. Due to his direct administrative role and concentration of power, Williams would stem the drain of executive power that Cruce’s administration had left on the Governorship.
Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board
The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board is the parole board of the state of Oklahoma. The Board was created by an amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution in 1944...
and a State fiscal agency
Oklahoma Office of State Finance
The Oklahoma Office of State Finance is the Oklahoma state government agency that prepares the Governor of Oklahoma’s annual budget, analyzes the effectiveness of state management, manages the state’s budget system and makes appropriate allotments and transfers throughout the state government...
. Williams and the Legislature amended the laws regarding to impeachment
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
of State officials, provided for the aid of agriculture, and created oil and gas divisions within the Oklahoma Corporation Commission
Oklahoma Corporation Commission
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is the public utilities commission of the state of Oklahoma run by three state-wide elected Commissioners, assisted by over 400 employees...
. Also, Williams changed the composition of the Oklahoma Supreme Court
Oklahoma Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma and leads the Oklahoma Court System, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma....
from six justices total to nine.
Two things are remembered about William’s administration above all others. The first being the landmark Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
case Guinn v. United States
Guinn v. United States
Guinn v. United States, 238 U.S. 347 , was an important United States Supreme Court decision that dealt with provisions of state constitutions that set qualifications for voters. It found grandfather clause exemptions to literacy tests to be unconstitutional...
in 1915. When state officials enforced Oklahoma’s Jim Crow laws
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
, an appeal was made to the Supreme Court of the United States. When the Court ruled that laws that “serve no rational purpose other than to disadvantage the right of African-American citizens to vote violated the Fifteenth Amendment,” many state officials were indicted and by sentenced for violation of federal election laws. This prompted Williams to call the Legislature into special session in 1916 to determine more constitutional methods of black suffrage. The result was the institution of a literary test to Oklahoma. However, the voters of Oklahoma voted the message down, enabling many African-Americans to right to vote for the first time.
The second major event in William’s governorship was that the United States was forced to deal with World War I in 1916. The Great War would cast its shadow over the remainder of William’s term in office. For the most part, many domestic policies were dropped in favor of the mobilization of Oklahoma in preparation for war. The Oklahoma military was swelled through local draft boards, the maximum food production was encouraged to feed the USA’s allies across the sea, promotion for fuel and food conservatism was enacted, and Williams personally acted as moderated between pro- and anti-war forces throughout the State.
By the time January 13, 1919 rolled around, Williams was happy to leave the Governorship behind him. Oklahoma had elected to replace him James B. A. Robertson
James B. A. Robertson
James Brooks Ayers Robertson , sometimes called J. B. A. Robertson, was an American lawyer who served as the fourth governor of Oklahoma.-Early life:...
, whom Williams had defeated in the 1914 Democratic primaries for Governor.
Return to the Judiciary
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
. Returning to his first love, Williams once again became a judge in the Oklahoma Judiciary. Appointed by President Wilson to serve as an District Judge
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
on the District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties: Adair, Atoka, Bryan, Carter, Cherokee, Choctaw, Coal, Haskell, Hughes, Johnston, Latimer, Le Flore, Love, Marshall, McCurtain, McIntosh, Murray,...
, William would, from 1919 onward, spend the remainder of his political career in the judicial branch. He continued his service as a District Judge until in 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt appointed him to serve as a Circuit Judge on the Tenth Circuit Court
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Colorado* District of Kansas...
. Williams would hold that position until his retirement in 1939, but he would continue to serve as needed for the remainder of his life.