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Williams (Samuel L.) papers
CEMA 59
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Title: Samuel L. Williams papers
Identifier/Call Number: CEMA 59
Contributing Institution:
UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
14.39 linear feet
(26 document boxes, 1 half size document box, 2 oversize flat boxes)
Creator:
Williams, Samuel L.
Date (inclusive): 1974-1995
Abstract: The Samuel L. Williams papers, valuable to scholars studying Los Angeles and urban life in general, includes material that
represents the Southern California attorney's civic work, speeches, photographs, and correspondence from 1974-1995. The former
California Deputy Attorney General was on the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners when Chief Darryl F. Gates was suspended
in the aftermath of the Rodney G. King beating, and was a staff attorney for the McCone Commission which investigated the
1965 Watts Riots.
His papers are a collection of work during his time as senior partner of law firm Hufstedler and Kaus, as president of the
Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, and as president of the State Bar of California. Also included are materials from
when Williams' was on the board of the Bank of California and the University of Southern California.
Physical Location: A portion of the collection is located at the Southern Regional Library Facility (SRLF).
Language of Material: The collection is in English.
The collection is open for research. A portion of the collection is stored offsite. Advance notice is required for retrieval.
Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Research Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Research Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Department of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include
or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.
Donated by Beverly Williams, December 1994.
Processed by Mari Khasmanyan, Husna Sayedi, Sylvia Baldwin, Leonardo Vargas, and Kristen Villamor, 2016.
Samuel L. Williams was a prominent attorney who distinguished himself as a leader in the legal community. He was prominent
in Los Angeles civic affairs, and was an individual who was committed to social justice and civil rights. He was the first
African American to serve as president of the California State Bar. He was a member of the boards of several prominent corporations,
was president of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners and had served as president of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Williams was staff attorney for the McCone Commission, the Governor's body that investigated the 1965 Watts riots in Los Angeles.
Several decades later, Williams was on the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners in April, 1991 at the time of the inquest
involving the Rodney King beating in Los Angeles. Williams is credited with helping change the face of the judiciary in California
through his role as chair and as member of nominating commissions for judicial selections in the federal bench in this state.
His civic contributions included serving on the boards of the Walt Disney Co., the Bank of California, the Los Angeles Music
Center, USC, and several other organizations.
Williams was a star athlete while attending U.C. Berkeley, where he played a quarterback on the football team and played baseball
while also being named an Academic All- American. After graduating with a B.A. in criminology in 1955, Williams performed
military service in the U.S. Army (1955-57) and held the rank of First Lieutenant in the Military Police Corps. He later earned
the LL.B. from the University of Southern California School of Law in 1961. From 1962 to 1965 Williams served as Deputy Attorney
General in the State of California Department of Justice. He entered private practice with the law firm of Hufstedler and
Kaus in 1965 where he was a senior partner before retiring in 1990. Williams died in July 1994.
Williams had a long commitment to the principle of equal justice. His honors included the Maynard Toll Award for lifetime
service to the Los Angeles Legal Aid Foundation, and the Los Angeles county Bar Association's highest tribute, the Shattuck
Price Award. The State legislature honored him with a memorial resolution "for his illustrious record of professional, personal,
public and civic achievement."
The contents of Samuel L. Williams' papers are comprised of personal, professional materials, and collected research materials
generated by the attorney during the period 1974-1995.
The bulk of the collection consists of business files from Williams' work on the board of the Bank of California, the Los
Angeles Music Center, and the University of Southern California. Other significant files include information on his work with
the
California Commission on Campaign Financing,
California Afro-American Museum foundation, National Bar Association, and Brown Act Investigation.
The rest of Williams' collection is separated into personal, biographical files, and subject files. Williams' personal and
biographical files include mainly correspondence, photos, resumé, and various miscellaneous files. The series, subject files,
consists of various documents, newspapers, and crime investigation studies he had collected over the years. Topics range from
gang violence in Los Angeles to the
American Diabetes Association and the Children's Museum.
[Identification of Item], Samuel L. Williams papers, CEMA 59. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara
Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.
The collection is arranged alphabetically by subject.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
African Americans -- Civil rights -- California -- Los Angeles -- History -- 20th century
Lawyers -- California
Legal ethics -- California
California -- Politics and government -- 20th century
East Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Social conditions -- 20th century
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- 20th century
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Politics and government -- 20th century
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Trials, litigation, etc. -- 20th century
Correspondence
Files (Document groupings)
Legal documents
Legal files
Photographs
Williams, Samuel L. -- Archives