Robert Williams

Robert Williams (ca. 1770January 25, 1836) was Governor of the Mississippi Territory from 1805 to 1809. Biography Robert Williams was born in Surry County, North Carolina. Sources vary on his birth year, with some listing 1768 or 1770 or 1773. He received a liberal private education, studied law, and became an attorney. In 1796 Williams was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the United States House of Representatives, and he served three terms, 1797 to 1803. In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson appointed Williams to the federal commission empowered to determine the legitimacy of land claims in the recently acquired Mississippi Territory. In May 1805 Jefferson appointed him governor, and he served until the end of Jefferson's term in March 1809. During his term as governor, Williams became unpopular as the result of a dispute with territorial secretary Cowles Mead, with each accusing the other of having been sympathetic to Aaron Burr's alleged conspiracy.