(1871-1929)
Born in Sterling, Illinois, the playwright attended Princeton University. He was first a short story writer and newspaperman, then attained fame as author of the first play to win a Pulitzer Prize, Why Marry? (1917). Williams's first play, The Stolen Story (1906), had flopped, and his post-Pulitzer work in theatre was comparatively undistinguished, including Why Not? (1922). Williams's last play, Lovely Lady (1925), failed, but he authored several successful novels.
The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater. James Fisher.