Vol. 19, No. 27 |
April 13, 2000 |
Book about John Williams celebrates senator's legacy
 Honest John Williams: U.S. Senator from Delaware is a study of American politics after World War II, providing interesting insight into the history of U.S. government.
At the same time, it is a quintessential Delaware book–written by Delaware historian Carol Hoffecker, Richards Professor of History; published by the University of Delaware Press; set against the background of Sussex County, as well as Washington, D. C.; and focused on the career of the man from southern Delaware who achieved national prominence as the "conscience of the Senate." "As a Delaware historian, I have mostly written about northern Delaware. When John Williams' papers were given to the University Library and cataloged by Rebecca Johnson Melvin, I did some research in the collection for a book on the Fe deral District Court of Delaware. It then occurred to me that here was an opportunity to learn and write about southern Delaware as embodied in the life of one of its most distinguished citizens–John Williams," Hoffecker said. The abundance of material was overwhelming–it took a few years for Melvin to catalog the files and 45 scrapbooks and then almost 10 years for Hoffecker to write the book. Although Williams' formal education ended after he completed his third year at Frankford High School, he had a "gift for arithmetical calculation, which became the basis for his success, both in business and in government," Hoffecker writes. He and his brother, Harry, established the Millsboro Feed Co. in the 1920s and began acquiring real estate holdings in the 1930s. This was the beginning of his successful career as a farmer, poultry raiser and feed merchant. Williams was the product of an agrarian society, which is fast disappearing as eastern Susex Country changes to more of a resort and retirement area, Hoffecker said. Although he was not judgmental, Williams had great integrity and a sense of right and wrong, which stemmed from his strong Methodist background, she said. In 1946, when the Republicans were searching for a candidate to run against the popular Democrat Jim Tunnell (Williams' personal lawyer), Williams, a political neophyte who was virtually unknown outside of Millsboro throughout the state, threw his hat in the ring. He won and served in the Senate from 1947 until his retirement in January 1971, when he was succeeded by current Sen. William Roth. Never flamboyant, but retiring and softspoken, Williams was nevertheless an effective senator. "His name did not appear on any landmark legislation, he led no crusades, nor was he...a kingmaker. Williams' significance came from his willingness to devote time and effort to analyzing the federal budget in search of waste and fraud," Hoffecker writes. His patient, thorough groundwork as he investigated the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and other government agencies earned him respect. But, he was the nemesis of such men as "Pious Paul" Doyle, "Marble Head" Malone and others who, with their boss from the San Francisco BIR office, were indicted and convicted of several crimes, thanks in part to Williams. Probably the "capstone" of Williams' career was his investigation of Bobby Baker, the secretary to the majority leader, then Lyndon Johnson. Baker gained a fortune on influence peddling and eventually ended up in prison. Another aspect of Williams' career was the divestiture of General Motors stock by the Du Pont Co., as ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1957. By then, he was an experienced Senate veteran who knew the system, and his insistence on a fair settlement for not only the stockholders but the U.S. Treasury prevailed, in spite of the opposition of Delaware's junior senator, J. Allen Frear. While some public figures, such as Harry Truman, have left many personal letters, which can give biographers a glimpse into the writer's personality, the Williams archive contains only senat To learn more about the family and human side of Williams, Hoffecker talked to his daughter, Blanche Williams Baker, and son-in-law and partner, Raymond Baker, as well as with Willliams' trusted and long- time assistant, the late Eleanor Lenhart Hoefer. Blanche and Ray Williams shared reminiscences and photographs for the book. From Hoefer, Hoffecker learned that Sens. Williams and Mike Mansfield, although on different sides of the aisle, were close friends and had breakfast together every day. She also heard about a memorable visit from gambler, Big Bill Lias, who lived up to his name by straddling two chairs in Williams' office. From today's perspective, Williams had some shortcomings–he was not a civil rights activist, although he did vote for the Civil Rights Bill, and his financial investigations were limited and never dealt with military spending and waste. But, he still evokes a feeling of respect from those who knew him or knew of him, Hoffecker said. Hoffecker is a prolific author of books about Delaware history and University history, including Wilmington, Delaware, Portrait of an Industrial City: 1830-1900; Brandywine Village; Corporate Capitol: Wilmington in the Twentieth Century: Delaware: A Bicentennial History; Beneath Thy Guiding Hand: A History of Women at the University of Delaware; and Unidel: A Foundation for University Enrichment. Her most recent project, soon to be published, is Familiar Relations: The du Ponts and the University of Delaware. Honest John Williams, published by the University of Delaware Press this spring, will be available at the University Bookstore. –Sue Moncure |
orial papers. His wife, Elsie, was in Washington with him during the week, and they spent most weekends at home so there was little need for correspondence with family or friends.