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Eddie Williams (activist)

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Eddie Williams
Born(1932-08-18)August 18, 1932
Memphis, Tennessee
DiedMay 8, 2017(2017-05-08) (aged 84)
Bethesda, Maryland
EducationUniversity of Illinois

Eddie Williams (August 18, 1932 - May 8, 2017) was an activist and government official.

Early life and career

Eddie Nathan Williams was born in Memphis, Tennessee on August 18, 1932 to Edie Williams, a jazz pianist, and the former Georgia Lee Barr. His father died when he was young and he was raised by his mother. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor's in journalism in 1955. After graduation, Williams attempted to get a job at the Champaign-Urbana Courier where he'd worked part time during his education but the paper's owner refused to hire African Americans. Williams instead worked for the Memphis Star-Times and the Atlanta Daily World, both Black newspapers.

Williams joined the US Army in 1955 and was discharged in 1957 after having reached the rank of first lieutenant. Williams then joined the State Department in 1961 as the first Black protocol officer. He also worked under Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey. He became the Director of the Center for Policy Studies at the University of Chicago in 1968.

Williams served as the President of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies from 1972 to 2004. During this time, he transformed it into the focal point of political thought and research within the black community along with the creation of an inventory of 10,000+ Black Elected Officials. Williams also helped with the creation of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. He also founded Focus Magazine as a way to develop a space for black officials, activists, academics etc. throughout the country to work together.

Personal life

Williams married his wife, Jearline Franklin, in 1982. They had three children: Larry Williams, Traci Lynne Williams, and Terence Reddick. He died in 2017, aged 84, in Bethesda, Maryland.

Awards and recognition

Williams has received several awards including:

National Journal political magazine once named Eddie N. Williams as one of the 150 people outside government who wield the greatest influence in Washington, D.C.

References

  1. ^ Center, Joint (2017-05-09). "Joint Center Mourns Passing of Eddie N. Williams - Joint Center". Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  2. "Guide to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Records, 1966-2014". David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
  3. ^ Roberts, Sam (2017-05-12). "Eddie N. Williams, Who Ran Leading Black Think Tank for Decades, Dies at 84". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
  4. "EDDIE WILLIAMS". The History Makers. April 2003.
  5. ^ Gonzalez, Miguel (2020-09-20). "Eddie N. Williams (1932-2017) •". Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  6. "Williams Named to Employment Post". State Department Newsletter: 13. August 1965 – via Hathitrust.
  7. Schudel, Matt. "Eddie N. Williams, leader of think tank exploring black issues, dies at 84". The Washington Post.
  8. DemDigest (2017-05-16). "Eddie N. Williams, head of leading black think tank and true democrat, dies at 84". Democracy Digest. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
  9. "NCBCP: NCBCP Mourns Passing of Eddie N. Williams". www.ncbcp.org. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
  10. Curtis, Alan (2005). Patriotism, Democracy, and Common Sense: Restoring America's Promise at Home and Abroad. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780742542174.
  11. "Joint Center Mourns Passing of Eddie N. Williams". Joint Center. 9 May 2017.
  12. Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 1973-10-04.
  13. "Class of 1988 - MacArthur Foundation". www.macfound.org. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
  14. "Past Washingtonians of the Year | Washingtonian (DC)". Washingtonian. 2008-01-29. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
  15. "Eddie Williams Receives Joint Center Award Today". Joint Center. 7 December 2015.
  16. "Eddie Williams Receives Joint Center Award Today". The Michigan Chronicle. 2016-11-29. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
  17. "Eddie Williams's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved 2019-08-25.

External links

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