John Ralston Williams

Who was John Ralston Williams?

John Ralston Williams was a Canadian-American physician who was an instrumental figure in the public health of Rochester, New York.

Williams was born in Renfrew, Ontario, Canada in 1874, one of nine children of a baker. After several moves, the family settled in Rochester when Williams was a teenager.

Despite not finishing high school, and a series of miscellaneous jobs as a young adult, Williams wanted to be a doctor. He saved his money, and he eventually was accepted at the University of Michigan at the age of 25. He graduated in 1903 at the top of his class. Armed with his medical degree, he opened an office in Rochester in 1904.

One of his early successes was an extensive study into the safety of milk supplies in Rochester. He found that many homes had insufficient refrigeration, and suppliers were using inefficient methods of distribution. Although Rochester never fully adopted his suggestions, his study was influential nationally in the effort to improve refrigeration standards.