Madrid Loyd Williams (January 16, 1911 – 1993; /ˈmeɪdrɪd/ MAY-drid) was an American executive who, despite never finishing high school or attending college, served as executive director of the Georgia Bar Association.[1] She was known as the "first lady" of the State Bar.[2]
Madrid Loyd Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born | Madrid Loyd January 16, 1911 Aragon, Georgia, United States |
| Died | 1993 (aged 81–82) |
| Spouse | Grant Williams |
Early life
editWilliams was born in Aragon, Georgia on January 16, 1911, to farmers Horace Cleveland Loyd and Mary Samford Loyd. She was the oldest of four children. After a few years the family moved from Aragon to Menlo, and finally to Macon in 1923. Williams' father worked on the Bibb County Courthouse, her mother sewed, and the family rented out the extra rooms of their house; nevertheless they were poor. Despite excelling in school, Williams dropped out at the age of 15 to help her family make ends meet, eventually working full-time as a secretary at Macon law firm Harris, Harris, Russell and Weaver.
Career
editIn 1942, Williams began working for the Georgia Bar Association as executive secretary in the organization's new permanent offices in Macon. During her more than three decades with the bar, she climbed the organization's ranks and finally became executive director. Williams oversaw massive growth in the organization, which in 1964 officially became the State Bar of Georgia. When governor Carl Sanders held a bill-signing ceremony for the Unified Bar Bill, announcing the creation of a unified state bar on March 11, 1963,[3] she was the only woman present.[4] Williams also was administrative editor of the Georgia Bar Journal. In 1972 she was instrumental in the relocation of the Bar offices from Macon to Atlanta.[5]
She served as president of the National Association of Bar Executives in 1970, one of the first three women to do so. She was also a member of the State Bar Board of Governors, served on the Board of Continuing Legal Education, was a member of the State Disciplinary Board, and was secretary of the Georgia Bar Foundation. She retired in 1976.
Personal life and legacy
editWilliams married Grant Williams in 1934.
After her retirement, Williams was deeply involved with Soroptimist International. Additionally, she co-founded St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Macon; she was the church's first female Clerk of Session. Later she was elected as the first female deacon at Vineville Presbyterian Church.
Williams also had a love for gardening. She had no children.
Madrid Williams died in 1993.
In 2010, Williams was inducted into the Georgia Women of Achievement Hall of Fame.[6]
External links
edit- Raising the Bar: Madrid Loyd Williams, a short video from Georgia Public Broadcasting
References
edit- ^ "Madrid Williams". Georgia Women of Achievement. 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ Eldredge, Richard L. (March 12, 2010). "Family, friends celebrate as Celestine Sibley inducted into Georgia Women of Achievement". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
Also in the 2010 Georgia Women induction class at ceremonies held at Porter Auditorium on the campus of Wesleyan College in Macon: education advocate Mary Ann Rutherford Lipscomb (1848-1918) and State Bar of Georgia "first lady" Madrid Loyd Williams (1911-1993).
- ^ O'Connor, Patrick T. (August 2016). "O'Connor's Remarks to the Board of Governors" (PDF). Georgia Bar Journal. p. 43. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ Davis, Jeff (October 2016). "The Inspiring Legacy of Madrid Williams" (PDF). Georgia Bar Journal. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ "State Bar of Georgia Board of Governors Minutes" (PDF). State Bar of Georgia. March 31, 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ Mobley, Chuck (March 6, 2010). "Women of influence". Savannah Now. Retrieved 25 September 2019.