What massive Lincoln collection means for MSU
Former Rhode Island Chief Justice Frank J. Williams, 76, became interested in Abraham Lincoln as a sixth grader in Cranston, Rhode Island.
He sat underneath a picture of the 16th president in his class, and his interest was piqued. His teacher, Ms. Taylor, encouraged Williams to learn more about Lincoln, and pretty soon he was spending his lunch money on paperback Lincoln books.
Through time spent as a Boy Scout, and later an Army Officer and a lawyer, Williams continued to collect memorabilia and live by Lincoln’s example. His wife, Virginia Williams also supported his collecting.
“It all had a part to play in this global basket,” Williams said. “Every one of those things would feed off the other.”
Today, the collection consists of more than 17,000 items and more than 12,000 books. It is considered to be the largest privately-owned Lincoln collection and library, and has been valued at approximately $3 million.
It will be donated to Mississippi State University.
The Frank and Virginia Williams collection of Lincolniana will be housed at the Mitchell Memorial Library, with items to be displayed in the 21,000-square-foot expansion being added to the library, along with the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library.
Associate Dean of Libraries Stephen Cunetto said the library was just beginning to unbox the Lincoln collection.
“It really makes MSU one of the go-to places for doing research on the Civil War and Reconstruction,” Cunetto said.
Williams told the SDN that while there was no one item that he felt was the most exciting in the collection, there were several highly-valued rare items, including a signed photo of Lincoln, a signed copy of the Lincoln-Douglas Debate, a full-length portrait of Lincoln by James Montgomery Flagg, a rare early copy of the Emancipation Proclamation and busts of Lincoln by Leonard Wells Volk and Thomas Dow Jones, both from life masks.
Williams has had a long relationship with MSU, being named distinguished jurist by the MSU Pre-Law Society in 2006. He also gave the address for MSU’s fall 2011 commencement. While president of the Ulysses S. Grant Association, he was instrumental in the Ulysses S. Grant Library being moved from Southern Illinois University to MSU.
“This didn’t just drop out of the sky,” Williams said, “There’s been a budding relationship between me and Virginia and the MSU community.”
Cunetto said he felt the care the MSU library took in handling the Grant Library was a deciding factor in the Williams’ deciding to gift the Lincoln collection to MSU.
“MSU’s commitment to the study of Grant, the Civil War—and, now, Abraham Lincoln—in the heart of the Deep South takes us a giant step forward in our ever-challenging quest for civility, common purpose and national unity,” Williams said.
In addition to continuing to acquire items the collection, the Williams’ will also fund a lecture in Lincoln and Civil War studies at MSU.They have also pledged $500,000 for a research fund.
“Mississippi State University is immensely proud to receive the Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana, a truly unique and comprehensive collection that provides unprecedented insight into the life and times of our 16th president and the Civil War era,” said MSU President Mark Keenum. “With this incredibly generous donation and their guiding hand in bringing what has become the U.S. Grant Presidential Library to our campus, the Williams’ have made MSU one of the nation’s foremost repositories for research into this pivotal period in our nation’s history.”
Williams served as chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 2001 to 2008. he holds a bachelor’s from Boston University, a law degree from the Boston University Law School and a master’s from Bryant University.