Nathan Williams

Nathan Williams may refer to:

Nathan Williams (Zydeco)

Nathan Williams (born 1963) is an American Zydeco accordionist and singer.

Williams grew up in a Creole-speaking home in St. Martinville, Louisiana, the youngest of seven children. Times were hard for the Williams family and Williams lost his father when he was only seven years old. He developed his musical sensibility in his hometown, a place rich in folk tradition, following in the footsteps of his uncle, the Cajun guitarist Harry Hypolite. Nathan eagerly sought out the music of Zydeco originators such as Clifton Chenier. When he was too young to attend a Chenier dance at a St. Martinville club, he hovered by the window-sized fan at the back of the building to hear his idol, only to have the bill of his baseball cap clipped off by the fan when he leaned too close.

Williams moved to Lafayette, Louisiana to live with his older brother Sid and his wife. He worked in Sid's grocery store. Later, while recovering from a serious illness, Nathan decided to dedicate himself to learning the accordion. He began practicing in the bathroom because he did not want anyone to hear him play. His main mentor was Buckwheat Zydeco, although his biggest influence was Clifton Chenier.

Nathan Williams (politician)

Nathan Williams (December 19, 1773 – September 25, 1835) was a United States Representative from New York.

Life

Born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, he attended the common schools in Bennington, Vermont. He moved with his parents to Troy, New York in 1786, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1795, and commenced practice in Utica. He assisted in the establishment of the Utica Public Library, of which he was librarian for a number of years. He was president of the village corporation and president of the Manhattan Bank. He was district attorney for the sixth district from 1801 to 1813.

He was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Ninth United States Congress, holding office from March 4, 1805 to March 3, 1807. He served in the War of 1812, and was a member of the New York State Assembly (Oneida Co.) in 1818.

Williams was a Regent of the University of the State of New York from January 28, 1817 to February 13, 1824; and was District Attorney of Oneida County from 1818 to 1821. He was a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1821.