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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported):		July 6, 2005

The Williams Companies, Inc.
__________________________________________
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	1-4174	73-0569878
_____________________ (State or other jurisdiction	_____________ (Commission	______________ (I.R.S. Employer
of incorporation)	File Number)	Identification No.)
One Williams Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma		74172
_________________________________ (Address of principal executive offices)		___________ (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:		918-573-2000

Not Applicable
______________________________________________
Former name or former address, if changed since last report

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

[  ]  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
[  ]  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
[  ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
[  ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

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Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers.

On July 6, 2005, the Board of Directors (the "Board") of The Williams Companies, Inc. ("Williams") increased the size of the Board to eleven and elected Irl Engelhardt to the Williams Board of Directors as a Class II director, to serve until the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Board also appointed Mr. Engelhardt to serve on the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee. Mr. Engelhardt was identified by one of Williams' outside advisors.

Mr. Engelhardt is the chairman and chief executive officer of Peabody Energy.

There are no arrangements or understandings between Mr. Engelhardt and any other person pursuant to which he was selected as a director of Williams.

Mr. Engelhardt has no prior relationships or other transactions with Williams or its management.

A copy of the press release publicly announcing Mr. Engelhardt's election is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated by reference herein.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(a) None
(b) None
(c) Exhibits:

Exhibit 99.1 Copy of press release dated July 6, 2005, publicly reporting the election of Irl Engelhardt to the Williams Board as discussed herein.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

		The Williams Companies, Inc.
July 8, 2005		By:		Brian K. Shore
				Name: Brian K. Shore
				Title: Secretary

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Exhibit Index

Exhibit No.		Description
99.1		Copy of July 6, 2005 Press release - Irl Engelhardt Election

Irl Engelhardt Joins Williams Board

TULSA, Okla. – Irl Engelhardt, 58, has been elected to the Williams (NYSE:WMB) board of directors.

He is chairman and chief executive officer of Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU).

Engelhardt joined Peabody in 1979 after a decade of management consulting experience and held various officer-level positions prior to being named CEO in December 1990.

Peabody Energy is the world’s largest private-sector coal company, with 2004 sales of 227 million tons and $3.6 billion in revenue. Its coal fuels more than 10 percent of all U.S. electricity and 3 percent of worldwide electricity.

“Irl brings a wealth of energy industry experience and management talent to the board,” said Steve Malcolm, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Williams. “Williams is poised to build on the solid foundation we have established and I know that Irl will be a valuable addition to our board as we focus on growing shareholder value.”

Engelhardt’s business experience includes serving as group executive and director of Hanson Industries, chairman of Cornerstone Construction and Materials, chairman of Suburban Propane, chairman of the power marketer Citizens Power, co-CEO of The Energy Group (LSE:TEG) and chairman of Peabody Resources Limited (Australia).

He is currently co-chairman of the Coal-Based Generation Stakeholders Group. He has previously served as chairman of the Center for Energy and Economic Development, the National Mining Association, the Coal Industry Advisory Board of the International Energy Agency and the Coal Utilization Research Council.

Engelhardt is also a member of the Conservation Fund’s Corporate Council and The Business Roundtable.

He resides in St. Louis, where he is also a director of The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

About Williams (NYSE:WMB)
Williams, through its subsidiaries, primarily finds, produces, gathers, processes and transports natural gas. The company also manages a wholesale power business. Williams’ operations are concentrated in the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains, Gulf Coast, Southern California and Eastern Seaboard. More information is available at www.williams.com.

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Portions of this document may constitute “forward-looking statements” as defined by federal law. Although the company believes any such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there is no assurance that actual outcomes will not be materially different. Any such statements are made in reliance on the “safe harbor” protections provided under the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995. Additional information about issues that could lead to material changes in performance is contained in the company’s annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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