Williams, Ralph E., 1917-

Ralph E. Williams (b. 1917, Pecos, Texas) was a 1938 graduate of the University of Texas. In June 1941, he became a Commissioned Ensign in the U.S. Navy Reserve, and in 1943, transferred to the regular Navy. During World War II, Williams served in the Pacific theater, including Pearl Harbor and Tarawa. After the war, he was a faculty member at the Naval War College, and later served as assistant to Chief of Naval Operations and Secretary of the Navy. From 1958 to 1961, Williams was a member of White House staff, serving as Assistant to the Naval Aide, Captain Evan P. Aurand, and from 1961 to 1965, was assigned to the Naval Supply Center at Pearl Harbor. He retired from the Navy as a Captain in 1965. Shortly thereafter, he began work in the Civil Service under the Mineral Resources Secretary of the Department of the Interior. He retired from his post as Staff Assistant to Director of the U.S. Geological Survey in 1982.