John Patrick “Pat” Williams
October 30, 1937 – June 25, 2025
Pat Williams once said, “If you want to know who someone really is, give them power and see
what they do with it.” What our father did with his life was defend the underdog, protect our
wild lands, defend the working poor, Arts and culture, Native people, and children with
disabilities. He served 18 years in Congress, more consecutive terms in the U.S. House than
anyone in Montana history. Over his lifetime, he remained devoted to serving the people of
Montana and making it a better place for future generations.
Williams was a proudly from Butte, Montana, he taught in the public schools, served as a
state legislator, and became Montana’s longest-serving Congressman in the state’s history.
Throughout his career, he was known to Montanans simply as “Pat”. For many years,
Montanan’s were on a first-name basis with their elected officials, Jeanette, Lee, Mike, Max
and Pat. After retiring from Congress, he returned home to serve as a faculty member at the
University of Montana.
He was born in Butte in 1937, during the Great Depression. His colorful Irish family included
his mother Libby Williams, his cousin Evel Knievel, and Sister Toni Harris, Prioress of the
Dominican nuns. His working parents owned the American Candy Shop in Butte. Because of
their round-the-clock schedule, he was raised primarily by his cherished Irish grandmother
Lizzy Keough. In 1965, he married Carol Griffith Williams. Theirs was a 60 year relationship
that stood beyond description. Carol has been a life-long advocate for peace and justice,
mother to their three children. She was also Pat’s ‘Senior Advisor’, campaign insider, policy
director, poll manager, strategy leader—and the first woman to serve as both Montana Senate
Majority and Minority Leader.
Williams was first elected to the Montana House of Representatives from Silver Bow County
in 1966. After serving two terms in the Montana Legislature, he worked as an Executive
Assistant to Montana Congressman John Melcher. Montanans elected Williams to the House
of Representatives for nine terms, serving from 1979 to 1997. His year-and-a-half-long “Door
to Door” campaign set the standard for grassroots campaigns. Williams, himself, knocked on
51,000 doors across western Montana, alongside a dedicated staff who he respected and
loved. Many of these staff stayed with Pat for years, becoming a part of the family.
During his time in Congress, he was a tireless champion for working people. He led
trailblazing legislation that assisted middle-class families and ensured educational
opportunities for every child. Williams sat on congressional committees for the Budget,
Natural Resources, Education, Labor, and Agriculture. He was the Chairman of the
committees on Post-Secondary Education and Labor Management, and he created the
College Middle Income Assistance Act. He sponsored the Family and Medical Leave Act,
which protects workers from losing their jobs while taking maternity leave or caring for a sick
family member. It was the first piece of legislation signed into law by President Bill Clinton.
Williams was also responsible for the legislation that created the American Conservation
Corps, providing thousands of America’s young people with an opportunity to serve their
country and pursue higher education. Every state now has a Conservation Corps. In 1985,
Williams was appointed Majority Whip under House leadership by Speaker Thomas “Tip”
O’Neill.
Among his many legislative accomplishments were the Children with Disabilities Act of 1987,
which he named after his god-daughter Keough Duffy. His legislation protected the Lee
Metcalf Wilderness Area, located north of Yellowstone National Park, as well as the
Rattlesnake Wilderness Area, north of Missoula, Montana. He led the successful effort to
save the Bob Marshall Wilderness from oil and gas exploration and banned geothermal
energy drilling near Yellowstone. In a 1987 floor speech supporting wilderness protection, he
famously warned, “We’re not proposing wilderness for wilderness’ sake—we’re holding back
the concrete tide that already threatens our birthright.”
Williams was a famously vocal champion for federal arts funding and has been credited with
saving the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). His staunch advocacy of the NEA
garnered him national attention during the Culture Wars of the 1980s and 1990s. It was a
remarkable undertaking during a very trying time for the NEA, which he called “America’s
Little Badge of Courage”. Williams said the opportunity to defend freedom of expression was
one of the things for which he was most proud. When asked about President Donald Trump
defunding the agency once again. Williams responded, “Art can flourish without politics. The
reverse is not true. Arts reflect the diversity and pluralism of our society, which is free, and
freedom is our bulwark against tyranny. You can burn a generation’s imagination by teaching
them that art is something to fear.”
Pat worked tirelessly with Tribal Leaders to build Montana’s seven Tribal Colleges. Working
together, they also established the High School on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and
the Two River Eagle School on the Flathead Reservation.
Upon his retirement from Congress in 1997, Williams immediately returned to Montana,
where he resumed his role as a teacher and professor at the University of Montana. He
taught courses in environmental studies, history, and political science. He was a Senior
Fellow at the Center for the Rocky Mountain West and a Trustee for the National Association
of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, the National Association of Job Corps, and
The President’s Advisory Commission for Tribal Colleges. He was appointed to the Board of
Directors of the Student Loan Marketing Association. He led the development of Western
Progress. Pat was responsible for the legislative creation of the Rural Disabilities National
Research Lab and the Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, both at the University of
Montana. In 2012, Governor Brian Schweitzer appointed Williams to the Board of Regents of
the Montana University System.
In 2023, Williams was honored by the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes with an Indian
name, cikwsšn or Shining Stone. The name was chosen “as a reflection of his public service
and how he shines as a leader, storyteller, and through the charismatic way he inspires,
shares wisdom and makes people laugh. Shining Stone is a reflection of the strong
foundation he provides his family, Butte and all of Montana. He is the statesman many go to
for wise advice from a true elder.”
He believed government could be a force for good, and that culture, wilderness, and
education were not luxuries—but rights. He never gave up on the American experiment, nor
on the rugged promise of his home state.
In his later years, Pat said he still heard the call of the mountains walking with his dogs. He
said “Out here, we measure a man by how well he listens when there’s no one else talking.”
Williams is survived by his wife Carol, son Griff Williams, daughters Erin Williams and Whitney
Williams, his daughter-in-law Christine Treadway, son-in-law Joe Easton, and his deeply
loved grandchildren: Keelan Williams, Aidan Williams and Fiona Easton.
May his life inspire us to work for the public good, take care of each other and remember we
have much more in common than that which divides us.
In honor of his distinguished career, Pat’s body will be lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda in
Helena, Montana. The Williams family will host a celebration of his remarkable life in
Missoula. Both events will take place in July. Details to follow. Memorials can be made to the
Pat Williams Scholarship for Artists at the University of Montana or The Williams Family Fund
at the Montana Community Foundation.
Update on Congressman Williams Memorial
- In honor of Congressman Williams distinguished career, his body will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda in Helena on Wednesday July 2 from 8am to 6pm and Thursday July 3 from 8 to 11am. After which he will be transported to Butte for a private family burial.
- The Williams family will host a celebration of life in Missoula on Tuesday July 15th at 4 pm at the Dennison Theater at UM followed by a reception at 5:30 also on campus. Doors will open at 3pm.
- Memorials can be made to the Pat Williams Artists Scholarship at the University of Montana or The Williams Family Fund
- In honor of Congressman Williams, Governor Gianforte ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at all State buildings on July 2 and 3.