Joe Williams (Cook Islands politician)

Joe Williams QSO
Williams in 2011
7th Prime Minister of the Cook Islands
In office 29 July 1999 (1999-07-29) – 18 November 1999 (1999-11-18)
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Deputy	Norman George Tupou Faireka
Queen's Representative	Apenera Short
Preceded by	Geoffrey Henry
Succeeded by	Terepai Maoate
Additional Ministries Minister of Foreign Affairs In office 29 July 1999 – 18 November 1999 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by Inatio Akaruru Succeeded by Robert Woonton Minister of Health and Education In office 1974–1978 Prime Minister Albert Henry Minister of Health, Tourism, Transport and State-Owned Enterprises In office 1994–1996 Prime Minister Geoffrey Henry Succeeded by
Member of the Cook Islands Parliament for Overseas
In office 24 March 1994 – 7 September 2004
Preceded by	Iaveta Arthur
Succeeded by	None (Constituency abolished)
Personal details
Born	(1934-10-04)4 October 1934 Aitutaki, Cook Islands
Died	4 September 2020(2020-09-04) (aged 85) Auckland, New Zealand
Political party	Cook Islands Party
Alma mater	Otago Medical School, University of Hawaiʻi

Joseph Williams QSO (4 October 1934 – 4 September 2020) was a Cook Islands politician and physician who served as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands for four months in 1999. He is credited with having worked to prevent the spread of the tropical disease lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis). He principally resided in Auckland, New Zealand, where he was medical director of the Mt Wellington Integrated Family Health Centre.^[1]