HELENA — Former Montana U.S. Representative Pat Williams has passed away at the age of 87, his family announced on Wednesday evening.
Williams, a Democrat, served 18 years in Congress and was Montana’s longest consecutive-serving U.S. House of Representatives member.
“Pat Williams once said, 'If you want to know who someone really is, give them power and see what they do with it.’ What our father did with his life was defend the underdog, protect our wild lands, defend the working poor, Arts and culture, Native people, and children with disabilities. He served 18 years in Congress, more consecutive terms in the U.S. House than anyone in Montana history. Over his lifetime, he remained devoted to serving the people of Montana and making it a better place for future generations,” said Williams’ family.
Williams was from Butte, born and raised in the Mining City. He was a teacher and a member of the Montana National Guard. In 1965, he married Carol Griffith Williams. Carol was the first woman to serve as both Montana Senate Majority and Minority Leader.
In 1967, Williams represented Butte in the Montana State House of Representatives, serving two terms in the legislature. He then worked as the executive assistant to Congressman John Melcher, D-Montana. In 1974, Williams ran an unsuccessful primary election campaign against future Ambassador and U.S. Senator Max Baucus, D-Montana, for the Democratic Party nomination. In 1978, Montanans elected Williams to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served for nine terms.
While in Congress, Williams pushed for public lands protections, advocated for benefits for working-class families, and championed federal arts funding, among other efforts. Williams has been credited as playing a key role in saving the National Endowment for the Arts. Williams sponsored the Children with Disabilities Act of 1987, which he named after his god-daughter Keough Duffy.
Upon his retirement from Congress in 1997, Williams returned to Montana, where he resumed his role as a teacher at the University of Montana.
“He believed government could be a force for good, and that culture, wilderness, and education were not luxuries—but rights. He never gave up on the American experiment, nor on the rugged promise of his home state,” said Williams’ family in a statement.
Williams is survived by his wife Carol, son Griff Williams, daughters Erin Williams and Whitney Williams, his daughter-in-law Christine Treadway, son-in-law Joe Easton, and his deeply loved grandchildren: Keelan Williams, Aidan Williams and Fiona Easton.
The family says Williams will be lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda in Helena, Montana. The Williams family will host a celebration of his remarkable life in Missoula. Both events will take place in July, and details will be announced at a later date.
