U.S. Consultant in Poetry, 1952
Williams (1883-1963) was born in New Jersey and educated at the University of Pennsylvania. Revered for his modernist and imagist poetry, he published numerous poetry collections, including the five-volume epic Paterson and Pictures from Brueghel and Other Poems. Williams won the first National Book Award for Poetry in 1950 for both Paterson: Book Three and Selected Poems, and in 1963 he was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Pictures from Brueghel and Other Poems. In addition to his writing, Williams had a lifelong career as a doctor practicing pediatrics and general medicine. Williams was named Consultant in Poetry in 1952, but did not serve.