Governor Gerhard Mennen Williams
Governor of Michigan, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs (1961-1966)
Governor Williams attended Salisbury School in Connecticut, graduated from Princeton University in 1933 and received a law degree from University of Michigan. He was first elected governor on November 2, 1948 and was elected to six two-year terms as governor (which was then a state record). Under the Kennedy Administration, Williams served as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs (1961-1966). He resigned the post in 1966 to run for a seat in the United States Senate, a race which he lost. In 1968 President Johnson appointed Williams the Ambassador to the Philippines. He served at this post for less than a year. In 1970 Williams was elected to the Michigan Supreme Court, and in 1983 he was named Chief Justice.