Charles M. Williams

Charles Marvin Williams (April 20, 1917 – November 17, 2011) was an American finance professor at Harvard Business School. He was a recognized authority on commercial banking who taught his students using the case method.

Born in Romney, West Virginia in 1917, Williams earned his bachelor's degree from Washington and Lee University and his master's degree from Harvard Business School. He served in the United States Navy during World War II, joining the faculty of Harvard Business School in 1947 and becoming a tenured professor in 1956. He retired from the school's faculty in 1986, concluding a four-decade teaching career.

Over the course of his academic career, Williams authored and co-authored hundreds of business cases, numerous articles, and several books. He also served as a consultant to a number of private institutions and received several awards and accolades for his work.

Early life Williams was born on April 20, 1917, near Romney, West Virginia. He was the second child and son of William Marvin Williams and Lula Taylor Williams. He had an older brother, Manning Holland Williams, and a younger sister, Lenora Ellen Williams. Like his older brother, Manning Holland Williams, he earned his degree after three years and was admitted to Phi Beta Kappa. At the age of 19, Williams enrolled at Harvard Business School, receiving his Master of Business Administration degree two years later. He became a tenured professor in 1956. He retired from the school's faculty in 1986 after a span of 39 years teaching at the institution. Two years later, he co-authored the textbook Case Problems in Finance with Harvard Business School colleague Pearson Hunt. Williams also authored and co-authored cases illustrating financial policies of banks and corporations, including Chase Manhattan Bank, First Pennsylvania Corporation and General Motors.

Williams' notable former students include John S. R. Shad, chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; Thomas C. Theobald, chairman and chief executive officer of Continental Bank Corporation; Clemmie Spangler, President of the University of North Carolina; and John H. McArthur, Dean Emeritus of Harvard Business School. After his retirement, he continued to serve as a Harvard Business School's George Gund Professor of Commercial Banking Emeritus,

Williams died of congestive heart failure at the age of 94 on November 17, 2011, at the North Hill retirement community in Needham. His wife of 65 years, Betty, and his two children, Holland and Andrea, were at his side at the time of his death. In addition to his wife and two children, Williams was survived by three granddaughters. A memorial service for him was held on Saturday, December 3 at First Parish Church in Weston.

Awards and recognition Williams received an honorary Bachelor of Laws degree from Washington and Lee University in 1966. He received the Distinguished Service Award from Harvard Business School in 1990. Harvard Business School established the Charles M. Williams Fund, which was endowed by many of his former students. The Charles M. Williams Fund supports teaching, course development, and research in the school's Finance Unit. In 1994, the Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration professorship was established in his name by Harvard Business School MBA Class of 1963. When the Spangler Campus Center opened at Harvard Business School in 2001, one of its function rooms was named after Williams. Williams's former research and case-writing assistant Paul Judy marked his 50th Reunion in 2007 by establishing the Charles M. Williams Awards to recognize outstanding teaching and contributions to student learning at Harvard Business School. The Charles M. Williams Awards were first awarded the following year in 2008.

Legacy Following his death, a plaque in Williams' honor was installed at Harvard Business School, with the following inscription: "Extraordinary teacher, inspiration to generations of students who have put his percepts into practice". According to Samuel L. Hayes III, the Jacob H. Schiff Professor of Investment Banking Emeritus, Williams was "one of the great case teachers and promoters of the case method at Harvard Business School". John H. McArthur, Dean Emeritus of Harvard Business School, said: "as a teacher, researcher, author, wise counsel, and good friend, Charlie Williams has had an enormous impact over the years on all of us at HBS as well as upon the entire banking industry." According to Stephen A. Greyser, Harvard Business School's Richard P. Chapman Professor of Business Administration Emeritus, "Charlie Williams was one of the most influential HBS professors during his tenure on the faculty. At our 50th MBA reunion, we surveyed the Class and voted him first among professors who had had an impact on our careers."