WILLIAMS, Robert, member of congress, born in Surry county, North Carolina, 12 July, 1773; died in Louisiana about 1820. His father, Major Joseph, was a Whig partisan who had many desperate encounters with the Tories during," the Revolution. The son became a lawyer, and during the war acted as adjutant-general of the state. He also collected the acts of the general assembly from 1776. For many years he was a trustee anal treasurer of the University of North Carolina. He was a member of congress for three terms, serving from 15 May, 1797, till 3 March, 1803, and was then appointed land commissioner for Mississippi. Retiring from that office in 1805, he went to Tennessee, and subsequently settled in Louisiana.--His cousin, Robert, lawyer, born in Caswell county, North Carolina, about 1765; died in Louisiana, was appointed governor of Mississippi territory by President Jefferson, filling that office from 1805 till 1809.--The second Robert's brother, Marmaduke, member of congress. born in Caswell county, North Carolina, 6 April, 1772; died in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 29 October, 1850, studied and practised law, was a member of the state senate in 1802, and served in congress three successive terms, entering the house when his cousin retired. After the conclusion of his last term he emigrated to Alabama in 1810. He was a delegate from Tuscaloosa county to the convention that framed the state constitution in 1819, and on its adoption was a candidate for governor, but was defeated by William W. Bibb, who had held that office in the territorial government. He was elected to the legislature in 1821, and was ten times re-elected. In 1826 he was appointed a commissioner to settle territorial accounts between Alabama and Mississippi, and he was judge of the county court from 1832 till 1842, when he was retired by limitation of age.--The first Robert's brother, John, senator, born in Surry county, North Carolina, 29 Jail., 1778; died in Knoxville, Tennessee, 10 August, 1837, was appointed a captain in the 6th United States infantry in April, 1799, but resigned in June, 1800, studied law in Salisbury, North Carolina, was admitted to the bar in 1803, and removed to the vicinity of Knoxville, Tennessee, where he entered into practice. In 1812 ha raised a regiment of mounted volunteers, and conducted a victorious campaign against the Seminoles. On his return he was commissioned as colonel of the 39th United States infantry, and ordered to the Creek nation, where he was in the battle of the Horse-Shoe Bend of the Tallapoosa. General Andrew Jackson's report of tiffs action failed to do justice to his command in the opinion of Colonel Williams, who from that time was Jackson's most powerful and determined adversary. He served till the close of the war with Great Britain, and was then elected United States senator from Tennessee to serve through the unexpired term of George W. Campbell, and was reelected, serving from 4 December, 1815, till 3 March, 1823. He was in 1825 appointed charge d'affaires in Central America, but remained in that post only six days. He was afterward a member of the state senate, and declined a seat on the supreme bench of Tennessee.--his wife, MELINDA, was a sister of Hugh L. White.--Another brother, Lewis, member of congress, born in Surry county, North Carolina, 1 February, 1786; died in Washington, D. C., 20 February, 1842, was graduated at the University of North Carolina in 1808, and in 1813 entered political life as a member of the state house of commons, he was re-elected in 1814, and on 4 December, 1815, took his seat in congress, to which body he was returned twelve times, remaining a member until his death. John Q. Adams and other representatives pronounced eulogies on Mr. Williams, who was commonly styled "the father of the house."--Lewis's twin brother, Thomas Lanier, jurist, born in Sussex county, North Carolina, 1 February, 1786; died in Nashville, Tennessee, 3 December, 1856, was graduated at the University of North Carolina with the valedictory. After studying law. He removed to Knoxville, Tennessee He was several times elected a representative and also a senator to the General assembly. For a short time he was one of the judges of the supreme court, and voluntarily relinquished that office to the regret of the bar. In 1836, on the establishment of corporate courts of equity jurisdiction in Tennessee, he was chosen chancellor and served as such for sixteen years. He was regarded as the father of equity jurisprudance in Tennessee, and during his long judicial career only one or two of his decisions were reversed.--John's son, Joseph Lanier, member of congress, born in Tennessee, about 1800, resided in Knoxville, and was elected as a Whig to congress, and twice re-elected, serving from 4 September, 1837, till 3 March, 1843.