Joseph R. Williams
Encyclopedia
Joseph Rickelson Williams (November 14, 1808 – June 15, 1861) was an American
politician and the first president
for the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan
, the first Land-Grant Institution
to be established in the United States
and now one of the largest universities in the United States, Michigan State University
.
Williams was born in Taunton, Massachusetts
and graduated at Harvard University
Phi Beta Kappa. He studied law with John Davis in Worcester
, was admitted to the bar
and practiced in New Bedford
. In 1839, he moved to Constantine, Michigan
where he resided for the rest of his life. On May 28, 1844, he married Sarah Rowland Langdon in Buffalo, New York
.
Williams was a self-made gentleman farmer, and a prominent lawyer and politician. He was a charismatic and passionate promoter of higher education for the farming and working classes. In accord with Williams' philosophy, the College offered a unique blending of practical and theoretical academics. Williams' curriculum balanced liberal arts
, science
and practical vocational studies. However, Williams excluded Latin and Greek
studies from the early curriculum, which meant that these classical languages were not tested for admission given the College's overwhelmingly rural
applicant base. Nevertheless, under Williams the College did require three hours of daily manual labor
. The labor requirement helped students defray expenses, and cheaply clear and develop the campus while learning scientific principles from faculty-supervisors.
Despite these innovations, Williams ran into conflict with the State Board of Education, which managed the College at the time. The Board saw the College as being elitist and extravagant, despite William's eloquent defense of higher education for the masses. Indeed, many farmers began protesting against the College and calling for its dissolution. They saw the Agricultural College's strong scientific curriculum as educating boys away from the farm. After just two years at the helm, Williams resigned in 1859 under pressure, and the Board reduced the curriculum to a two-year, vocation-oriented farming program.
to the Michigan Senate
and chosen as president pro tempore of the state senate when he took office in 1861. After the resignation of Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
James M. Birney
, Williams took on the duties as the 14th Lieutenant Governor
under Austin Blair
.
During his brief time in office he helped pass the Reorganization Act of 1861. Williams' law mandated that the College return to a four-year curriculum and, additionally, have the power to grant degrees comparable to those of the University of Michigan
— that is, master's degree
s (and much later, doctoral degrees
). Under the act, a newly created body known as the State Board of Agriculture took over from the State Board of Education in running the institution, giving the College the autonomy that it retains to this day. With the College's future secure, Williams went to Washington D. C. to lobby for the passage of the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act
, which would make the Agricultural College a national model for institutions across America.
Williams died suddenly of influenza
at the age of fifty-two with only 73 days as acting lieutenant governor. President Abraham Lincoln
signed the bill the following year.
Eight years after his death, Joseph Williams was memorialized on the campus of State Agricultural College with the 1869 construction of Williams Hall, a men's dormitory. The building burned on January 1, 1919. The university replaced it with the current Williams Hall in 1937 as a women's dormitory named for his wife Sarah.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician and the first president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
for the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan
History of Michigan State University
The history of Michigan State University dates back to 1855, when the Michigan Legislature established the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, with three buildings, five faculty members and 63 male students...
, the first Land-Grant Institution
Land-grant university
Land-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
to be established in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and now one of the largest universities in the United States, Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
.
Early life
Taunton, Massachusetts
Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of Bristol County and the hub of the Greater Taunton Area. The city is located south of Boston, east of Providence, north of Fall River and west of Plymouth. The City of Taunton is situated on the Taunton River...
and graduated at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
Phi Beta Kappa. He studied law with John Davis in Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, was admitted to the bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
and practiced in New Bedford
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
. In 1839, he moved to Constantine, Michigan
Constantine, Michigan
Constantine is a village in St. Joseph County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,095 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Constantine Township. It is on U.S. Highway 131, leading to Kalamazoo to the north and to the Indiana Toll Road six miles to the south. The...
where he resided for the rest of his life. On May 28, 1844, he married Sarah Rowland Langdon in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
.
Williams was a self-made gentleman farmer, and a prominent lawyer and politician. He was a charismatic and passionate promoter of higher education for the farming and working classes. In accord with Williams' philosophy, the College offered a unique blending of practical and theoretical academics. Williams' curriculum balanced liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and practical vocational studies. However, Williams excluded Latin and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
studies from the early curriculum, which meant that these classical languages were not tested for admission given the College's overwhelmingly rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
applicant base. Nevertheless, under Williams the College did require three hours of daily manual labor
Manual labour
Manual labour , manual or manual work is physical work done by people, most especially in contrast to that done by machines, and also to that done by working animals...
. The labor requirement helped students defray expenses, and cheaply clear and develop the campus while learning scientific principles from faculty-supervisors.
Despite these innovations, Williams ran into conflict with the State Board of Education, which managed the College at the time. The Board saw the College as being elitist and extravagant, despite William's eloquent defense of higher education for the masses. Indeed, many farmers began protesting against the College and calling for its dissolution. They saw the Agricultural College's strong scientific curriculum as educating boys away from the farm. After just two years at the helm, Williams resigned in 1859 under pressure, and the Board reduced the curriculum to a two-year, vocation-oriented farming program.
Politics
In 1860, Williams was elected as a RepublicanRepublican 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...
to the Michigan Senate
Michigan Senate
The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. The Senate consists of 38 members, who are elected from constituencies having approximately 212,400 to 263,500 residents....
and chosen as president pro tempore of the state senate when he took office in 1861. After the resignation of Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
The Lieutenant Governor of Michigan is the second-ranking official in U.S. state of Michigan, behind the governor, and one of four great offices of state...
James M. Birney
James M. Birney
James M. Birney was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.-Biography:Birney was born in Danville, Kentucky, the eldest son of Agatha and James Gillespie Birney, who was a presidential candidate for the Liberty Party in the 1840 and 1844 elections. James M. Birney spent his early years in...
, Williams took on the duties as the 14th Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
The Lieutenant Governor of Michigan is the second-ranking official in U.S. state of Michigan, behind the governor, and one of four great offices of state...
under Austin Blair
Austin Blair
Austin Blair , also known as the Civil War Governor, was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan...
.
During his brief time in office he helped pass the Reorganization Act of 1861. Williams' law mandated that the College return to a four-year curriculum and, additionally, have the power to grant degrees comparable to those of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
— that is, master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
s (and much later, doctoral degrees
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
). Under the act, a newly created body known as the State Board of Agriculture took over from the State Board of Education in running the institution, giving the College the autonomy that it retains to this day. With the College's future secure, Williams went to Washington D. C. to lobby for the passage of the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act
Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act
The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges, including the Morrill Act of 1862 and the Morrill Act of 1890 -Passage of original bill:...
, which would make the Agricultural College a national model for institutions across America.
Williams died suddenly of influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
at the age of fifty-two with only 73 days as acting lieutenant governor. President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
signed the bill the following year.
Eight years after his death, Joseph Williams was memorialized on the campus of State Agricultural College with the 1869 construction of Williams Hall, a men's dormitory. The building burned on January 1, 1919. The university replaced it with the current Williams Hall in 1937 as a women's dormitory named for his wife Sarah.
External links
- Campaign for MSU – Joseph R. Williams Society
- Biographical Information Michigan State University Archives