William Williams Documents Ellis Island Immigrants

William Williams Documents Ellis Island Immigrants — page 5
INTO THE LENS WILLIAM WILLIAMS William Williams was born in New London Connecticut on June 2 1862 He came from an upper-class family that had a strong history in North America dating back to before the founding of the United States A great-great-great-grandfather on his mother’s side Jonathan Edwards was a prominent minister Edwards was the leading theologian of British American Puritanism and played a role in the Great Awakening a religious movement that took place in the mid-1700s Williams had two prominent family members on his father’s side as well Robert Williams a Puritan helped settle Deerfield Massachusetts William Williams signed the Declaration of Independence as a representative from Connecticut Williams began college in Germany but then enrolled at Yale University in his junior year After graduating in 1884 he attended Harvard Law School Williams got a degree in law in 1888 and went to work as a lawyer In the 1890s before becoming commissioner of Ellis Island Williams worked as a corporate lawyer in New York City where he had his own practice He also held a position as a lawyer with the federal government negotiating with the United Kingdom over the Bering Sea That job had him working in Washington DC and in Paris France He returned to his New York law practice next holding this position until becoming commissioner of Ellis Island in 1902 Williams had gained extensive experience in legal and government matters before coming to Ellis Island 8