John Bell Williams

John Bell Williams
55th Governor of Mississippi
In office
January 16, 1968 – January 18, 1972
LieutenantCharles L. Sullivan
Preceded byPaul B. Johnson Jr.
Succeeded byBill Waller
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Mississippi
In office
January 3, 1947 – January 16, 1968
Preceded byDan R. McGehee
Succeeded byCharles H. Griffin
Constituency7th district (1947–1953)
4th district (1953–1963)
3rd district (1963–1968)
Personal details
Born(1918-12-04)December 4, 1918
Raymond, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedMarch 25, 1983(1983-03-25) (aged 64)
Brandon, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseElizabeth Ann Wells
Alma mater
ProfessionLawyer
Military service
BranchUnited States Army
RankPilot (injured in bomber crash)
UnitUnited States Army Air Corps
Battles/warsWorld War II

John Bell Williams (December 4, 1918 – March 25, 1983) was an American Democratic politician who represented Mississippi in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1968 and served as the 55th governor of Mississippi from 1968 to 1972.

He was first elected to Congress at the age of just 27 in 1946, representing southwestern Mississippi. He was re-elected repeatedly to Congress through the 1966 election in what was then a one-party Democratic state, but was stripped of his congressional leadership positions after he publicly supported Republican Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election.

Williams was elected governor in 1967, defeating numerous candidates. He had a history of supporting racial segregation but complied with a federal court order to finally desegregate Mississippi's public schools.