John Patrick Williams
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- For the NFL player, see Pat Williams (NFL)
John Patrick "Pat" Williams (b. October 30, 1937, Helena, Montana) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Montana during the years 1979-1997.
Williams attended the University of Montana in Montana, William Jewell College and the University of Denver, Colorado earning a B.A. In 1961-1969 he was a member of the Colorado and Montana National Guard and was a teacher in Butte, Montana.
[edit] Political Career
In 1966 Williams was elected to the Montana House of Representatives in District 23 of Silver Bow County, winning reelection in 1968. During the years 1969-1971 he served as the executive assistant to Montana Representative John Melcher. Williams was a member of the Governor's Employment and Training Council from 1972-1978 and served on the Montana Reapportionment Commission from 1972 to 1973.
In 1974 Williams ran an unsuccessful primary election campaign against now Senator Max Baucus for the Democratic Party nomination for Montana's U.S. House 1st District Representaive. Baucus would win the November elections defeating Republican Dick Shoup. In 1978 Williams ran a successful primary campaign against Dorothy Bradley to win the Democratic nomination for the 1st Disctrict of Montana. In November Williams defeated Republican Jim Waltermire in one of Montana's largest door-to-door campaigns, and winning 57% percent of the vote, getting elected to the Ninety-sixth U.S. Congress.
Re-elections: In 1980 Williams won reelction against Jack McDonald with 61% of the vote; in 1982 against Bob Davies with 60%; in 1984 against Gary Carlson with 67%; in 1986 against Don Allen with 62%, 1988 against Jim Fenlason with 61%; in 1990 against Brad Johnson. In 1992 Montana lost it's second seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, leaving Williams to campaign against fellow incumbant Ron Marlenee. Williams narrowly won with 51% of the vote. In 1994 he was elected to his ninth and final term, defeating Cy Jamison with 49% of Montana's votes. He chose not to run for reelection in 1996; Republican Rick Hill defeated Bill Yellowtail to become Montana's new U.S. Representative that year.
Platforms: Pat Williams played a pivitol role in the preservation of Wilderness Areas, aiming to protect current wilderness from the Wilderness Act of 1964 and extend the Act to cover further National Forest lands. Williams also campaigned on higher taxes for large corporations and cutting defense spending to lower the federal deficit.
[edit] Recent History
After leaving congress in 1997 Williams returned to Montana and has become a part of several projects and organizations, mostly in Missoula, Montana, where he is currently an instructor at the University of Montana.
Williams is Senior Fellow and Regional Policy associate at the Center for the Rocky Mountain West ([1]), and he serves on the Boards of Directors for the National Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges ([2]), the National Association of Job Corps U.S.A. Education (Sallie Mae), and The President's Advisory Commission for Tribal Colleges ([3]). Williams also writes newpaper columns on occasion ([4]).
[edit] External Links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
| Preceded by: Max Baucus |
U.S. Representative for Montana's 1st Congressional District, and Montana At-Large past 1992 1978-1996 |
Succeeded by: Rick Hill |
