William Durkee Williamson, born in Canterbury, Connecticut, Williamson, a Democrat, attended Williams College and transferred to Brown, graduating in 1804. He moved to Maine, beginning the practice of law in 1807, with Joseph McGaw of Bangor. Williamson served as postmaster of Bangor from 1809 to 1820, when he became a key leader in the struggle for Maine statehood. Maine's second governor, he also served in the United States Congress and as judge of probate for Penobscot County.

He is best remembered for his 1832 publication "The History of the State of Maine From its First Discovery, A.D. 1602 to the Separation, A.D. 1820."