Robert A. Williams, born circa 1910 in Kennewick, Washington, graduated from Washington State College in 1936 with a degree in range management. He served with the United States Forest Service, the Extension Service, the Soil Conservation Service, and Spokane County, Washington Extension Service for a span of ten years, before spending eight years as the county extension agent for Columbia County, Washington. Subsequently, he transferred to Prosser, Washington in 1954, where he continued to work as a county extension agent until 1956, when he was elected chairman of the extension office for Walla Walla, Washington. During his career, Williams worked to better agricultural conditions, established various community and youth-focused organizations, and pushed for preservation of natural areas around the Blue Mountains. He received a Distinguished Service Award from the National County Agent Association and the National Association of County Agricultural Agents.