Info found at: http://evanwilliams.com/heritage.php
"There's money in those hills, boy." As a young boy, Evan Williams had an adventurous spirit within him. An immigrant from Wales, Evan embarked on a long but worthwhile journey to America. Upon arriving, he ventured through a frontier where fortunes were possible, eventually settling in the land among the Kentucky Hills.He became a farmer, building contractor, harbormaster, businessman, inventor and civic leader. Evan made a lasting impression on the community through his leadership.
Sure, Evan Williams was known as a jack-of-all-trades, but he seemed to truly master one. Yes, we’re talking about the man who had a knack for turning corn into smooth whiskey. And Kentucky grew a lot of corn. So Evan made the best use of this abundant crop that he could think of, distill it. Realizing the potential of his whiskey, he set up his distillery on the banks of the Ohio River. Today, a marker stands at that very spot officially declaring Evan Williams as Kentucky’s First Commercial Distiller.
Evan's personality was perfect for politics. He was outspoken, controversial, and a natural leader. With Williams around, the business of government didn’t have to be boring and dry. Certainly not dry. Despite rules forbidding the use of whiskey at meetings, Evan Williams always brought a jug of his finest along. Rumor has it that the jug was regularly confiscated. Funny enough, at the end of every meeting he still managed to leave with an empty jug of whiskey (turns out, he wasn’t the only one drinking it). You could say Evan put the party in politics.
