University of Virginia Library

ASHBY WILLIAMS

Ashby Williams was born June 18th, 1879, in Stafford
County, Virginia. At the age of thirteen he removed
with his parents to Washington, D. C., where he lived
six years, attending the
public schools of that
city. In July, 1898, he
was appointed to a
clerkship in the government
service and
assigned to the branch
hydrographic office at
Norfolk, Virginia. It
was while living at Norfolk
that Mr. Williams
first definitely formed
the plan of preparing
himself for the law.
In order to carry out
this purpose, in the fall
of 1901, he resigned from
the government service
and matriculated as an
academic student in
Oberlin College, Ohio.

After two years study in that institution he entered
the University of Virginia in the fall of 1901, where he
spent three years taking up academic work the first
year, and law the remaining two years.

Mr. Williams graduated from the law department at
the University of Virginia in 1906 near the head of
his class. He earned money enough during his vacations
to defray his expenses throughout the five years
of his college training.

Upon leaving the University in 1906, Mr. Williams
came to Roanoke and began the practice of law and
has become one of the most prominent and successful
members of the bar of this city. He is the junior
member of the well-known firm of Hoge & Williams,
the other member of the firm being Mr. S. Harris Hoge,
one of the ablest lawyers in Southwest Virginia.

About two years ago Mr. Williams published a book
on the corpo