Alpheus Fuller Williams died in South Africa on 6th January, 1953, at the age of 78.
He was born in the U.S.A. and was a student at the School of Mines, University of California, from 1894 to 1898. After a brief period in copper mining he went to South Africa in 1899 to join the staff of De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd., Kimberley, as mining engineer. He was promoted to assistant general manager in the following year and in 1905 was made general manager. He was also consulting engineer to the Jagersfontein and Kotfyfontein mines and was on the boards of other mining companies.
After more than thirty years with De Beers, Mr. Williams wrote his well-known book The genesis of the diamond which was published in 1932. He was also the author, with Mr. J. Harbottle, of a paper entitled ‘Present-day practice of diamond mining, including recovery’, presented at the Third Empire Mining and Metallurgical Congress held in South Africa in 1930.
Mr. Williams was elected to Associate Membership of the Institution in 1903 and was transferred to Membership in 1914.
Vol. 62, Trans IMM 1952-53, p.564
