Born in Santa Monica, CA, September 2, 1933, son of the late Carey and Dorothy Hedrick McWilliams, he had formerly resided in Berkeley, CA, Oberlin, OH, Brooklyn, NY and Highland Park, NJ before moving to Flemington in 1979. A 1st Lieutenant in the 11th Airborne Division of the United States Army from 1955-57, Professor McWilliams earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley. He was currently a Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ where he had been teaching since 1970. His past academic appointments include Oberlin College 1961-67, Brooklyn College 1967-70, and visiting and summer appointments at Yale University, Harvard University, Haverford College, Lafayette College and Fordham University. Author of many books and articles in the field of Political Science, Professor McWilliams won the National Historical Society Prize in 1974 for his first book, 'The Idea of Fraternity in America'. In addition to his numerous honors and awards for his service in the field of Political Science, Professor McWilliams was active in many civic and community activities as well, including serving as a Councilman in the Borough of Flemington, a member of the Hunterdon County Democratic Committee, a trustee of the Hunterdon County Historical Society and a former Elder of the Flemington Presbyterian Church.