Thomas H. Williams (California official)
American politician and lawyer (1828–1886)
"General" Thomas Hansford Williams (May 18, 1828 – February 28, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as the Attorney General of California, 1858 to 1862; and was the seventh person to hold that office.
Personal information
Williams was born on May 18, 1828, in Monticello, Wayne County, Kentucky. His father was Sherrod Williams a politician from Kentucky. His brother was George E. Williams (1835–1899), a member of the California State Assembly15th District, from 1873 to 1875.
Williams had a son of the same name who sometimes went by "Tom.” His son lived from 1859 to 1915, and was the president of the California Jockey Club.
Career
Williams came to California on horseback in either 1850 or 1852, during the California Gold Rush. He practiced law in the towns of Coloma and Placerville.
From 1858 to 1862, he was the California State Attorney General. His nickname "General" came from serving as the attorney general.
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This entry incorporates text from “Thomas H. Williams (California official)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.