Joseph Hartwell Williams (February 15, 1814 – July 19, 1896) was an American politician who served as the 27th Governor of Maine from 1857 to 1858. Early years Williams was born in Augusta (in modern-day Maine, then a part of Massachusetts) on February 15, 1814. He graduated from Harvard University in 1830. He also studied at Dane Law School in Cambridge. Politics Williams was a Democrat. In 1854, he switched his political allegiance and become a Republican. He became a member and president of the Maine State Senate in 1857. Hannibal Hamlin, the Governor of Maine at the time, resigned on February 25, 1857, to accept the position of United States Senator. Williams, president of the senate at the time, became the new governor of the state. He completed the term of Hannibal Hamlin. He left office on January 6, 1858. Later years After leaving office, Williams served as a member of the Maine House of Representatives from 1864 to 1866. He was re-elected as an independent to the Maine House of Representatives in 1873. He held that position for two years. He ran for governorship in 1873, but he was unsuccessful. He then practiced law. He died on July 19, 1896. Sources Sobel, Robert and John Raimo. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978. Greenwood Press, 1988. 1814 births 1896 deaths Governors of Maine Harvard Law School alumni Politicians from Augusta, Maine Maine Democrats Maine Independents Maine Republicans Members of the Maine House of Representatives Presidents of the Maine Senate Republican Party governors of Maine 19th-century American politicians