OTHNIEL S. WILLIAMS
Othniel S. Williams was born at Killingworth (now Clinton), Conn., November 22, 1813, and moved with his father, Othniel Williams, to Waterville, Oneida county, in 1814, and thence to the neighboring village of Clinton in 1820. His mother was Mary Eliot, daughter of George Eliot, of Killingworth, Conn., a descendant of John Eliot, "The Apostle to the Indians." The line has been traced to Sir William de Aliot, who entered England With William the Conqueror in 1066. Mr. Williams's school days were spent in the Clinton Academy. At the age of fourteen he entered the sophomore class in Hamilton College, then under the presidency of Dr. Davis, and was graduated in 1831. In college he was a great reader, a student of ancient as well as of modern languages, and his wonderful memory enabled him to retain to the close of his life the rich literary and historical attainments of his student days. After leaving college he resided as private tutor for two years in the family of a Mr. Gibson in Virginia. From there he visited Washington, saw the great statesmen of that day on the floor of Congress, and heard the address of John Quincy Adams on the death of La Fayette. On his return to Clinton he was admitted in 1837 by Chief Justice Samuel Nelson to practice as an attorney in the Supreme Court of the State of New York: Three years later he received his diploma as counselor. In 1842 he was admitted to practice in the District and Circuit Courts of the United States for the Northern District of New York. Soon afterward he was chosen justice of the peace, which office he held for a number of years. For one year (1837-38) he gave instruction in modern languages in Hamilton College and also in the Young Ladies' Seminary at Clinton. In 1846 he was appointed county judge and in 1848 was chosen surrogate of Oneida county, an office he held for eight years. In 1847 he was chosen a trustee of Hamilton College, an office in which his father had served before him from 1827 to 1832. In 1850 he became treasurer of Hamilton College, a position of great responsibility in which he served with unsurpassed fidelity and devotion to the close of his life.

The history of Clinton for over forty years was closely identified with Mr. Williams's life and labors. He was deeply interested in all that pertained to local annals and village improvement. He made almost the first start in recording the beginning of local history in a lecture on the "Early History of Clinton." He contributed much toward the growth of the village, encouraging building and improvements, and opening new streets. In all that concerned the moral and material welfare of Clinton his advice and efforts were of great importance. His interest in the church, college, and school was constant and practical, nor could any considerable enterprise be carried on without his co-operation. Mr. Williams took a strong position from the first in his chosen profession, of the dignity and importance of which he had a very high conception. His motto was "Strive to do everything in the best possible manner." With a weak voice, a deliberate manner, never losing himself in passion or attempting flights of oratory, without much power before a jury, yet none of his associates surpassed him in mental acumen, in thorough knowledge of his case, and in clear and exact definitions of law. No case was ever so trivial as to be slighted, nor did he ever enter the court room with a carelessly prepared brief. It was the testimony of a prominent member of the Oneida county bar that he was singularly felicitous in his choice of language to be used before the court. The habit of his mind was calm and judicial. He was not the advocate so much as the judge. Though a man of intense convictions and strong feelings, his professional relations were always marked by a dignity and courtesy which it is common, unfortunately, now-a-days, to speak of as belonging to the "old school." In 1879, in connection with the very important business of the Midland Railroad, Mr. Williams was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the United States. For the last twenty years of his life judge Williams was actively engaged in railroad enterprises. He was one of the most laborious promoters of the building of the railroad from Utica to Smith's Valley, its point of junction with the Midland. The road from Utica to Smith's Valley was completed in 1870. Mr. Williams was a director in 1866, vice-president in 1868-69, and from 1869 until his death in 1880 was its president. During all these years his burden of responsibility was very great, taxing extremely his health, time, legal skill, and pecuniary means. Except for the powerful advocacy and able guidance of Mr. Williams the business interest of this road could never have been so safely conserved nor so wisely settled. It is more, than probable that the unremitting labor of mind and body in connection with the settlement of this delicate and important business made those serious inroads upon his health which resulted in his death on May 20, 1880.

Judge Williams was a man of the highest business integrity and honor. Not a farthing intrusted to his care was ever lost. He maintained the interests of others even to the prejudice of his own fortune. His judgment was wise and safe, his interest in the public good unselfish. From his wide and generous interest in all public concerns, and owing to his familiarity with local history, he was often called upon to deliver addresses on public and anniversary occasions. His addresses in connection with the "Dedication of the Clinton Cemetery," the dedication of the Perry H. Smith Library Hall, the dedication of the Kirkland Monument, and the dedication of the Stone Church were, each one of them, models in point of propriety, literary form and historical knowledge. As a lawyer, a scholar, a citizen, a practical philanthropist, judge Williams's life left a marked impress upon his generation, and upon the moral and material interests of the community in which he lived and died.

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