James R. Williams (1936 – November 6, 2020) was a U.S. lawyer, jurist, Civil Rights leader, and politician.
[2] He was then a senior staff member with the city's department of planning and urban development.
[1] In 1978, President Jimmy Carter appointed him as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
[2] He was the first Black judge of the county's court of common pleas and served for fifteen years, retiring in 2005.
[2] He was a civil right leader who worked with the Akron and Ohio branches of the NAACP.
[2] The University of Akron has the Honorable James R. and Catherine D. Williams Scholarship Fund.