Williams was born in
Kansas City, Missouri, to parents Rollin and Ruby Williams on March 19, 1922. He was raised by his maternal grandparents in
Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he was high school
valedictorian, solo violinist in the school orchestra, and Oklahoma state typewriting champion. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from
Howard University and then served in the
US Army from 1943 to 1946, starting out as a clerk typist and concluding his military career as a
sergeant major in personnel. While stationed at
Camp Clipper, California, during
World War II, Williams spent weekends in
Los Angeles and once sat next to
Lena Horne at a party. He went on to earn a Master of Science in social work from
Boston University in 1949. After earning his degree, Williams worked as a psychiatric social worker at
US Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals in
Springfield, Massachusetts, and
Northport, New York. In 1952, he became the first supervisor of psychiatric services at
Norwich State Hospital. He took a one-year leave of absence in 1967–68 to pursue doctoral studies at
Columbia University School of Social Work. Williams taught at UConn for almost thirty years and was the university's first African American professor. Promoted from assistant to associate professor by 1974, Williams served stints as interim dean and as director of the school's admissions office. In retirement, he held the rank of professor emeritus. Following the passage of
affirmative action laws in the 1960s, Williams received job offers from five other universities eager to recruit African American faculty. He declined these offers, commenting in a 2012 interview that "I wouldn't take those jobs because UConn took me when it didn't have to." Williams left a substantial bequest to the university in his will. == Personal life ==