Eddie Williams (August 18, 1932[1] - May 8, 2017)[2] was an activist and government official.
Eddie Williams | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | August 18, 1932 |
| Died | May 8, 2017 (aged 84) |
| Education | University of Illinois |
Early life and career
editEddie Nathan Williams was born in Memphis, Tennessee on August 18, 1932 to Edie Williams, a jazz pianist, and the former Georgia Lee Barr.[1][3] 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.[4][5] Williams instead worked for the Memphis Star-Times and the Atlanta Daily World, both Black newspapers.[3]
Williams joined the US Army in 1955 and was discharged in 1957 after having reached the rank of first lieutenant.[3][5] Williams then joined the State Department in 1961 as the first Black protocol officer.[1][6] 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.[1]
Williams served as the President of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies from 1972 to 2004.[3] During this time, he transformed it into the focal point of political thought and research within the black community[7] along with the creation of an inventory of 10,000+ Black Elected Officials.[8] Williams also helped with the creation of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation.[9] He also founded Focus Magazine[10] as a way to develop a space for black officials, activists, academics etc. throughout the country to work together.[11]
Personal life
editWilliams married his wife, Jearline Franklin, in 1982. They had three children: Larry Williams, Traci Lynne Williams, and Terence Reddick.[5] He died in 2017, aged 84, in Bethesda, Maryland.
Awards and recognition
editWilliams has received several awards including:
- Congressional Black Caucus Adam Clayton Powell Award (1982)[12]
- The MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (1988)[13]
- Washingtonian of the Year Award (1991)[14]
- National Black Caucus of State Legislators Nation Builder Award (1992)[15]
- The Louis E. Martin Great American Award (2015)[16]
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.[17]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Center, Joint (2017-05-09). "Joint Center Mourns Passing of Eddie N. Williams - Joint Center". Retrieved 2024-07-02.
- ^ "Guide to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Records, 1966-2014". David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ^ a b c d 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.
- ^ "EDDIE WILLIAMS". The History Makers. April 2003.
- ^ a b c Gonzalez, Miguel (2020-09-20). "Eddie N. Williams (1932-2017) •". Retrieved 2024-07-02.
- ^ "Williams Named to Employment Post". State Department Newsletter: 13. August 1965 – via Hathitrust.
- ^ Schudel, Matt. "Eddie N. Williams, leader of think tank exploring black issues, dies at 84". The Washington Post.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "NCBCP: NCBCP Mourns Passing of Eddie N. Williams". www.ncbcp.org. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ^ Curtis, Alan (2005). Patriotism, Democracy, and Common Sense: Restoring America's Promise at Home and Abroad. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780742542174.
- ^ "Joint Center Mourns Passing of Eddie N. Williams". Joint Center. 9 May 2017.
- ^ Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 1973-10-04.
- ^ "Class of 1988 - MacArthur Foundation". www.macfound.org. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ^ "Past Washingtonians of the Year | Washingtonian (DC)". Washingtonian. 2008-01-29. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ^ "Eddie Williams Receives Joint Center Award Today". Joint Center. 7 December 2015.
- ^ "Eddie Williams Receives Joint Center Award Today". The Michigan Chronicle. 2016-11-29. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ^ "Eddie Williams's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved 2019-08-25.