Williams, Henry Horace, 1858-1940

Henry Horace Williams was professor of philosophy at the University of North Carolina, 1890-1940.

Henry Horace Williams (1858-1940) was born in Gates County, N.C., and educated in the public schools of that area. He attended college at the University of North Carolina, graduating in 1883, when he was awarded the first earned advanced degree (a Master of Arts) in the college's history. Williams did graduate work at Yale Divinity School and at Harvard.

Williams was Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina from 1890 until 1940. He was Kenan professor, 1921-1935, and professor emeritus, 1936-1940. He chaired the Philosophy Department from 1890 until 1935. Williams was popular in the classroom and on campus, due to his Socratic manner of presentation and the scope of his materials, beyond Kant to Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel then being translated. These and his stands on issues were sometimes controversial.

Williams was the author of four books: Evolution of Logic (1925), Modern Logic (1927), The Education of Horace Williams (1936), and Toward a Philosophy of Life, published posthumously under the title, Origin of Belief (William Beidler, editor, 1978).

In 1891, Williams married Bertha Colton of Middletown, Conn. She died in 1922. In 1927, Williams adopted Miriam Young Bonner.

See also: Dictionary of North Carolina Biography .