Williams, John Taylor

Williams (d. 1914) was born in Hope, Indiana around 1857 and came to Wyoming in 1874. He was elected sheriff of Converse County, Wyoming in 1888 and served until 1908. From 1901-1907 he served in the Wyoming State Legislature for Converse County. Williams also operated the John T. Williams Sheep Company of Douglas, Wyoming, which he established around 1904. Williams was a long-time friend of cattle rancher William C. Irvine.

Irvine was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 1852 and moved near Ogallala, Nebraska to work on a cattle ranch in 1873. Irvine established his own ranch near Fort Fetterman in Converse County, Wyoming in 1876 and sold his cattle in 1884 to return to Pennsylvania. In 1886 he returned to Wyoming to serve as general manager of the Ogallala Land and Cattle Company, which was headquartered at Ross, Wyoming, in Converse County. Irvine was an active member of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, serving as president from 1896-1911 and treasurer from 1912-1924. Irvine served in the Wyoming State Legislature from 1913-1915 and also served as state treasurer from 1903-1905. He died in 1924.