Samuel L. Williams
Encyclopedia
Samuel L. Williams was president of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners and the first African-American president of the California State Bar (1991).
He was a senior partner at the law firm of Hufstedler & Kaus, retiring in 1990. Williams had been president of the National Conference of Bar Presidents. He was a staff attorney for the McCone Commission, which investigated the 1965 Watts riots
and was on the Police Commission when it voted to suspend Chief Daryl F. Gates in the aftermath of the Rodney G. King beating.
Williams was on the board of the Walt Disney Company, the Bank of California
, the Los Angeles Music Center
and the University of Southern California, from which he had graduated.
He earned the Maynard Toll Award for lifetime service to the Los Angeles Legal Aid Foundation
and the Shattuck-Price Award from the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
He died of a heart attack on July 28, 1994, and was survived by his wife, Beverly, a son and a daughter.
He was a senior partner at the law firm of Hufstedler & Kaus, retiring in 1990. Williams had been president of the National Conference of Bar Presidents. He was a staff attorney for the McCone Commission, which investigated the 1965 Watts riots
Watts Riots
The Watts Riots or the Watts Rebellion was a civil disturbance in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California from August 11 to August 15, 1965. The 5-day riot resulted in 34 deaths, 1,032 injuries, and 3,438 arrests...
and was on the Police Commission when it voted to suspend Chief Daryl F. Gates in the aftermath of the Rodney G. King beating.
Williams was on the board of the Walt Disney Company, the Bank of California
Bank of California
The Bank of California was opened in San Francisco, California, on July 4, 1864, by William Chapman Ralston. It was the first commercial bank in the Western United States, the second-richest bank in the nation, and considered instrumental in developing the American Old West.-History:The ancestor of...
, the Los Angeles Music Center
Los Angeles Music Center
The Music Center is one of the three largest performing arts centers in the nation. Located in downtown Los Angeles, the Music Center is home to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theater, Mark Taper Forum and Walt Disney Concert Hall...
and the University of Southern California, from which he had graduated.
He earned the Maynard Toll Award for lifetime service to the Los Angeles Legal Aid Foundation
Legal Aid Society
The Legal Aid Society in New York City is the United States' oldest and largest provider of legal services to the indigent. It operates both traditional civil and criminal law cases.-History:...
and the Shattuck-Price Award from the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
He died of a heart attack on July 28, 1994, and was survived by his wife, Beverly, a son and a daughter.