‘Soapy’ Williams Dies at 76

G. Mennen (Soapy) Williams, the bow-tie wearing liberal Democrat who served six terms as governor of Michigan and then became chief justice of the state Supreme Court, died today at the age of 76.

Williams suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage Monday night and never regained consciousness. He was pronounced dead shortly after 3 p.m. Williams, an heir to the Mennen soap fortune, was Michigan’s governor from 1949 to 1961. He was elected to the Michigan Supreme Court in 1970 and served two eight-year terms, the last four years as chief justice.