Gerhard Mennen "Soapy" Williams (born February 23, 1911; died February 2, 1988) was an American politician who was the 41st governor of Michigan. He was elected in 1948 and served six two-year terms. Later, he worked as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He also served as chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.

Williams supported civil rights, racial equality, and fairness for people in need. While working as assistant secretary of state, he said, "What we want for Africans is what they want for themselves." This statement was reported in the press as "Africa for the Africans" and caused controversy at the time.

Williams was a strong supporter of liberal ideas. The Chicago Tribune described him as a political reformer who "helped create a partnership between Democrats, Black voters, and union members in the late 1940s. This partnership started a strong tradition of liberal ideas in Michigan."

Personal life and early career

Williams was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Henry P. Williams and Elma Mennen. His mother was from a well-known family. Her father, Gerhard Heinrich Mennen, started the Mennen brand of men’s personal care products. Because of this, Williams got the nickname "Soapy."

Williams went to Salisbury School in Connecticut, a special Episcopal high school. He graduated from Princeton University in 1933 with a degree in history. His senior thesis was titled "Social Significance of Henry Ford." At Princeton, he was part of the Quadrangle Club. Later, he earned a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. While studying law, Williams joined the Democratic Party, which was different from his family’s support for the Republican Party.

Williams met Nancy Quirk on a blind date while in college. She was the daughter of D. L. Quirk and Julia (Trowbridge) Quirk, who were important members of a wealthy family in Ypsilanti involved in banking and paper production. Her brother, Daniel Quirk, later became mayor of Ypsilanti. The couple married in 1937 and had three children: a son, G. Mennen Williams Jr., and two daughters, Nancy Ketterer III and Wendy Stock Williams.

From 1936 to 1941, Williams worked at the law firm Griffiths, Williams and Griffiths. The firm’s partners included Hicks Griffiths and Martha Griffiths, who later became a member of Congress and lieutenant governor of Michigan.

During World War II, Williams served four years in the United States Navy as an air combat intelligence officer in the South Pacific. He reached the rank of lieutenant commander and earned ten battle stars. After the war, he worked as deputy director of the Office of Price Administration from 1946 to 1947. In 1947, he was named to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.

In 1954, he appeared as a guest on the TV show What’s My Line?

Governor of Michigan

On November 2, 1948, Williams was elected governor of Michigan. He won the election with the help of labor unions and some Republicans who disagreed with Governor Kim Sigler. Williams served six two-year terms as governor, which was a record. One of his major achievements was the building of the Mackinac Bridge. He was featured on the cover of Time magazine’s September 15, 1952, issue, wearing his famous green bow tie with white polka dots.

Williams believed that the Michigan Department of Corrections needed more money and better resources. He also thought that the state’s prisons were too crowded. In July 1950, while visiting Marquette Branch Prison, Williams was attacked by three inmates who wanted to escape. A knife was held to his throat, but his bodyguard and prison workers stopped the attackers. One of the attackers was killed, and Williams was not hurt. He continued his tour of the Upper Peninsula and used the attack to criticize budget cuts made by the Republican-controlled legislature. Later that year, Williams became well-known for refusing to send Haywood Patterson, one of the Scottsboro Boys, back to Alabama where he had escaped from prison in 1948.

During his 12 years as governor, a program to help farmers sell their products was approved. Teachers’ pay, school buildings, and education programs were improved. Commissions were also created to study issues like aging, sex offenders, and the behavior of young people.

Williams appointed the first woman judge in Michigan’s history and the first Black judge. At the 1956 Democratic National Convention, he tried but failed to be chosen as vice president. At the 1952, 1956, and 1960 conventions, he pushed for a strong civil rights section in the party’s plan. He strongly disagreed with choosing Lyndon Baines Johnson as vice president in 1960, saying Johnson was “ideologically wrong on civil rights.” Williams publicly opposed Johnson’s nomination by shouting “No” when others called for Johnson’s nomination to be approved unanimously. He was the only delegate to do so.

Williams’s final term was difficult because of conflicts with the Republican-controlled legislature, which nearly caused the state government to shut down. Because of this, he decided not to run for re-election in 1960. He left office on January 1, 1961.

A painting of Governor Williams, created by John Coppin, is displayed in the rotunda of the Michigan State Capitol. In the painting, Williams wears his signature green polka dot bow tie and is shown sitting in front of the Mackinac Bridge.

Post-gubernatorial years

In 1961, after leaving his previous job, Williams took the position of Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under President John F. Kennedy. At a press conference, he said, "What we want for the Africans is what they want for themselves." This was reported as "Africa for the Africans" and caused disagreement. White people in South Africa, Rhodesia, and British and Portuguese colonies argued that Williams wanted them to leave the continent. Williams explained his comments by saying he included white Africans as part of the African population. Kennedy supported Williams during a press conference, stating that "Africa for the Africans" did not seem like an unreasonable statement. Kennedy added that Williams made it clear he meant all Africans, regardless of skin color, and said, "I don't know who else Africa should be for."

He held this position until early 1966, when he resigned to run against Republican U.S. Senator Robert P. Griffin, but he did not win. Two years later, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him as U.S. ambassador to the Philippines. He served there for less than a year. In 1969, he wrote a book about the development of modern Africa titled "Africa for the Africans."

Michigan Supreme Court

Williams was elected to the Michigan Supreme Court in 1970 and was named chief justice in 1983, serving in that role until 1986. Similar to William Howard Taft in the federal government, he held the highest positions in both the executive and judicial branches of Michigan government.

Retirement and death

Williams left the court on January 1, 1987, and died the next year in Detroit at the age of 76, three weeks before his 77th birthday. He was temporarily buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Detroit, and a formal military funeral was held for him. After winter, his remains were buried at the Protestant Cemetery on Mackinac Island. His New York Times obituary described his diplomatic service as: "Traveling widely, he studied the needs of countries that were newly independent and brought their requests for American support and trust to Washington."

Honors

The G. Mennen Williams State Office Building in Lansing, built in 1967, was named after G. Mennen Williams on June 1, 1997, to honor his contributions.

Each July, the Ionia County Democratic Party holds an annual event called the G. Mennen Williams dinner at the Ionia Free Fair. This event was first held in the mid-1940s as the Democratic Tent Dinner. It was renamed in 1988 to honor G. Mennen Williams, who helped ensure the Democratic Party could hold dinners at the fair after the Ionia Republican Party had done so during the 1940s. The Democrats gained equal access to the fairgrounds in 1949 because of Williams's efforts.

A section of Interstate 75 in Cheboygan County is named the G. Mennen Williams Highway.

At the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, the Moot Court Board of Advocates organizes the annual G. Mennen Williams Moot Court Competition.