Joseph Lanier WILLIAMS, Congress, TN (1810-1865)

WILLIAMS, Joseph Lanier, (son of John Williams, of Tennessee), a Representative from Tennessee; born near Knoxville, Knox County, Tenn., October 23, 1810; completed preparatory studies; attended the University of East Tennessee and the United States Military Academy at West Point; studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Knoxville, Tenn.; elected as a Whig to the Twenty-fifth, Twenty-sixth, and Twenty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1837-March 3, 1843); unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1842; engaged in the practice of law in Washington, D.C.; appointed judge of the United States District Court of Dakota Territory by President Lincoln; died in Knoxville, Tenn., December 14, 1865; interment in Old Gray Cemetery.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present