United States Army Officer. He was the first Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. A nephew of Benjamin Franklin, he served as an agent to the United States Commission in France during the Revolutionary War, where he became embroiled in the controversy between Silas Deane and Arthur Lee. Well educated in both science and law, he gained fame as an experimental scientist, publishing several scientific papers, especially in the area of military fortifications. He was appointed to the United States Army as a Colonel by President Thomas Jefferson in 1803, and was installed as the first head of the newly established Military Academy at West Point. His term was marked by governmental neglect in operations and later public distrust. Despite such obstacles he kept alive the school during its early years, building the foundations which Sylvanus Thayer later used to mold the school into its present-day education and military tradition. Colonel Williams resigned from the Army at the beginning of the War of 1812 when he was denied command of the New York City fortifications. He was made a brevet Brigadier General in the New York State Militia, and was elected to the United States Congress, but died before he could take office. He was originally buried on Pine Street between 4th and 5th Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was re-interred at Laurel Hill in 1862.
United States Army Officer. He was the first Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. A nephew of Benjamin Franklin, he served as an agent to the United States Commission in France during the Revolutionary War, where he became embroiled in the controversy between Silas Deane and Arthur Lee. Well educated in both science and law, he gained fame as an experimental scientist, publishing several scientific papers, especially in the area of military fortifications. He was appointed to the United States Army as a Colonel by President Thomas Jefferson in 1803, and was installed as the first head of the newly established Military Academy at West Point. His term was marked by governmental neglect in operations and later public distrust. Despite such obstacles he kept alive the school during its early years, building the foundations which Sylvanus Thayer later used to mold the school into its present-day education and military tradition. Colonel Williams resigned from the Army at the beginning of the War of 1812 when he was denied command of the New York City fortifications. He was made a brevet Brigadier General in the New York State Militia, and was elected to the United States Congress, but died before he could take office. He was originally buried on Pine Street between 4th and 5th Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was re-interred at Laurel Hill in 1862.
Bio by: RPD2
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