Lincoln expert to lecture at SMU
on 16th President as evolving commander-in-chief

Frank J. Williams is the retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island and is one of the country’s most renowned experts on Abraham Lincoln.

Frank J. WilliamsDALLAS (SMU) – Abraham Lincoln’s early actions in the Civil War revealed mistakes, but he learned from his errors to become America’s greatest wartime president, says Lincoln scholar Frank J. Williams.  The author or editor of 14 books, Williams will be at SMU at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, to present a free lecture, “Abraham Lincoln, an Evolving Commander-in-Chief.”

Lincoln learned to read military orders before signing them when he failed to read an order regarding the re-supplying of Fort Sumter.  The order caused confusion with far-reaching results, Williams says, and Lincoln never made that mistake again.

Williams is the retired chief justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island and has developed one of the largest and most complete public libraries devoted to Lincoln. The lecture is sponsored by SMU’s DeGolyer Library and Center for Presidential History.

WHAT: Lecture by Frank J. Williams, "Abraham Lincoln: An Evolving Commander-in-Chief"

WHEN: 6 p.m. Thursday, September 12

WHERE: SMU McCord Auditorium, Dallas Hall, 3225 University, Dallas 

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