Benjamin Williams was born in North Carolina on January 1, 1751. A resident of Johnston County, North Carolina, Williams represented Johnston in the North Carolina Provincial Congress. A captain in the 2nd Regiment of the North Carolina State Troops, he resigned his position in 1779. An owner of enslaved people, Williams served on the local freeholders court in 1780 and heard cases involving enslaved people. Later Williams served Johnston in the North Carolina State Senate in 1780, 1781, 1784, and 1786, as well as the State House in 1785 and 1789. He was the governor of North Carolina from 1779-1802. He died in Moore County, North Carolina on July 20, 1814.