Harrison A. Williams

Harrison Arlington Williams, Jr. (December 10, 1919–November 17, 2001) was a U.S. Congressman and Senator from New Jersey.

Related Topics:
December 10 - 1919 - November 17 - 2001 - U.S. Congressman - Senator - New Jersey

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Williams was born in Plainfield, New Jersey and graduated from Oberlin College in 1941. He engaged in newspaper work in Washington, D.C., and studied at Georgetown University Foreign Service School until called to active duty as a seaman in the United States Naval Reserve in 1941. He became a naval aviator and was discharged as a junior grade lieutenant in 1945. After being employed in the steel industry for a short time, he graduated from Columbia University Law School in 1948, and was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in New Hampshire. He returned to Plainfield, N.J., in 1949 and continued to practice law, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the state house of assembly in 1951 and for city councilman in 1952.

Related Topics:
Plainfield, New Jersey - Oberlin College - 1941 - Washington, D.C. - Georgetown University - United States Naval Reserve - 1945 - Columbia University - 1948 - New Hampshire - 1949 - 1951 - 1952

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Williams was elected to the House of Representatives in a special election in 1953, and was re-elected in 1954 but defeated for re-election in 1956. He was elected to the Senate in 1958 and re-elected in 1964, 1970, and 1976. He became the first Democratic senator in the history of New Jersey to ever be elected to four terms. Known as "Pete," Williams fought for a range of social welfare laws and urban transit programs. He was instrumental in passage of such landmark laws as the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, which protects worker pensions, and the Coal Mine and Health Safety Act.

Related Topics:
1953 - 1954 - 1956 - 1958 - 1964 - 1970 - 1976 - Urban transit

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He also helped pass legislation that created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and had a major role in passage of the Urban Mass Transit Act of 1964, the first federal law to provide mass transportation assistance to states and cities. He also was the first chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Aging.

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In 1980, Williams was convicted of bribery and conspiracy in the Abscam scandal for taking bribes in a sting operation by the FBI. The Senate Committee on Ethics recommended that Williams be expelled because of his "ethically repugnant" conduct. Prior to a Senate vote on his expulsion, Williams resigned on March 11, 1982.

Related Topics:
1980 - Abscam - FBI - March 11 - 1982

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