This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Aug. 9, 2013 - Eugene F. Williams Jr., a leading figure in the civic, financial and social life of St. Louis and a man described by a colleague as a “tremendous presence” in the region, died Wednesday (Aug. 7, 2013) at his summer home in Easthampton, L.I., New York. Mr. Williams was 90 years old, and in St. Louis made his home in Ladue.
Before his retirement in the late 1980s, Mr. Williams was chief executive officer and chairman of St. Louis Union Trust Co.
Spencer Burke, executive vice president of the St. Louis Trust Co., (which is not connected with St. Louis Union Trust), ascribed the encomium of “tremendous presence” to Mr. Williams. Burke was also deeply respectful of St. Louis Union Trust, and described it as having been the crown jewel of St. Louis finance. It was also, he said, one of the leaders in the trust business in the United States, as well as being the oldest trust company in Missouri, formed in 1889.
The company survived under various names after its sibling financial organization, the First National Bank in St. Louis, changed its name decades ago. Even after the trust company eventually was subsumed, its name lingered as a revered and formidable force in the history of St. Louis. Mr. Williams was an integral part of its history for 40 years.
Eugene Flewellyn Williams was born in St. Louis, the son of Eugene F. Williams, a prominent banker, and Marie Wight Williams. He attended St. Louis Country Day School, graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., and went from there to Yale University. He left college to serve with the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II, and trained as a fighter pilot. When the war ended, he returned to Yale, graduating in 1947.
He joined the trust company that year and began his career as an investment officer. Subsequently he became president of the company, then rose to be its CEO and chairman of the board. He served in the latter capacity until retiring in 1988.
His colleague and friend, John Peters MacCarthy – himself a former chief executive of the trust company -- said Mr. Williams recruited him to be his successor.
“He was superb manager, decisive and calm. He never overreacted,” MacCarthy said. But there was a kindly and supportive personal side as well. “We were great friends. We supported each other always. He was always there to help me.”
In addition to his career in the trust business, Mr. Williams was involved with the Pitchfork Land and Cattle Co., his family’s cattle ranch in Texas and Oklahoma. This huge operation stretches over 180,000 acres. The Pitchfork Ranch’s first financial backer was Mr. Williams’s grandfather, also called Eugene F. Williams. The ranch has been in the Williams family since. Mr. Williams was chairman of its board, and in 2002, was awarded the highest honor from the National Ranching Heritage Association.
Mr. Williams also served on the boards of the Olin Corp., American Airlines, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Emerson Electric, Boatmen’s Trust Co. and the John M. Olin Foundation. In 1982, he took the helm of NILO Plantation, a quail research and hunting preserve, in Albany, Ga.
Mr. Williams was a former chair of the board of St. Luke's Hospital, of Blue Cross Blue Shield, of St. Louis Country Day School and the St. Louis Municipal Opera (The Muny). He was a member of the board of Saint Louis University, and was involved in the founding of Washington University’s John M. Olin School of Business. He established scholarship funds at Saint Louis University and St. Luke’s Hospital, and for the Yale School of Management endowed the Eugene F. Williams Visiting Professor in Competitive Enterprise and Strategy.
Other civic interests included leadership positions with the United Way, the St. Louis Art Museum, the St. Louis Symphony Society and the Today and Tomorrow Educational Foundation.
Mr. Williams is survived by his wife of 66 years, Evelyn Neidringhaus Williams, and by his children: Rebecca (Loic) deKertanguy and Eugene F. Williams III (Jacqueline), both of New York City; John (Lacey) Williams of Los Angeles; Evelyn (John) McNiff , of Plymouth Meeting, Pa.; and Edward (Lisa) Williams, of Ross, Calif. He is survived as well by his sisters: Georgie (Henry) Lewis, of Essex, Conn., and Marie (Adalbert) von Gontard, of Greenwich, Conn., and by 15grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
The day and time of a memorial service in St. Louis in late September is to be announced. The family suggests in lieu of flowers that memorial contributions be made to the Today and Tomorrow Educational Foundation, 20 Archbishop May Drive. St. Louis, Mo. 63119.