Thurmond's Grandson [Republican Ronald Williams, MD, son of Essie Mae] Breaks Silence

Associated Press/KIRO-TV ^ | 12-18-03 | Associated Press

[GraniteStateConservative]

CENTRALIA, Wash. -- Following his mother's lead, a 53-year-old doctor in Onalaska has come forward to talk openly about his heritage as the mixed-race grandson of the late South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond, a former segregationist.

Dr. Ronald Williams, an emergency room physician at Morton General Hospital, spoke proudly about his grandfather in an interview with The Chronicle of Centralia and said he regrets he wasn't closer to Thurmond.

"I can't imagine not being able to claim your own father," Williams told the paper in a copyright story published Wednesday. "It was even hard for us not to acknowledge it, and we were more distant."

The family kept its relationship to Thurmond a secret for decades until Saturday, when Williams' mother, Essie Mae Washington-Williams, announced that she is the illegitimate daughter of Thurmond and Carrie Butler, a maid for the Thurmond family. Thurmond was 22 and Butler was 16 when Williams was born in Aiken, S.C., in 1925.

Her four children followed her lead in keeping the secret until Thurmond died, so as not to tarnish his political career. They knew from childhood that Thurmond was their grandfather.

"We didn't know the significance of it until we got older, but, like my mother, we didn't make a big deal of it because of the embarrassment," Williams said.

"She respected him and she loved him, although she didn't have that close daily contact with him," he said. "That's why she didn't come forward and give in to the temptation for interviews."

After Thurmond died in June at the age of 100, Williams felt free to tell her story.

"When she first talked to me a couple weeks ago about coming forward, I thought it was a good idea as long as we don't do anything to look like opportunists. We're not trying to claim the estate," he said.

As his mother became the focus of media attention, Ronald Williams is also getting his share of the spotlight. The emergency room phones at Morton General Hospital have been busy for days with calls from reporters all over the country.

In 1976, when Ronald applied to medical school, Thurmond wrote him a letter of recommendation.

"He just said he's known the family for a number of years and he'd recommend me without question for a scholarship," Williams said.

The doctor met his grandfather only once that he can remember.

"We all met him, I'm told, when we were very young," he said.

In 1981, on a trip to Washington, D.C., he met with Thurmond as an adult.

"That was the first and only time I met him on my own," Williams said. "We didn't speak about anything profound. He congratulated me on my successes and encouraged me to continue."

Williams has forgiven Thurmond for his history of racist politics: he said his grandfather redeemed himself in later years by reversing his opposition to civil rights legislation and being one of the first senators to hire black aides.

"Strom Thurmond represented the U.S. over 100 years, going from one extreme to the other," Williams said. "I am proud of the fact that he's my grandfather and he did a turnaround."

Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[GraniteStateConservative]

I was about to post this when I noticed your vanity post on The Factor and Dr. Williams. I thought you'd like to learn more about him.

[GraniteStateConservative]

ping.

[Glenn]

I only wish I had the amount of character this man and his mother have.

[GraniteStateConservative]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1043797/posts (a posted source of the self-identification by Dr. Williams that he is a Republican-- he quipped that he may have been a Republican longer than Thurmond, alluding to Thurmond's Democrat past)

[Spell Correctly]

I just saw that idiot O'Reilly try to get this guy to bash Strom, and he refused.

The Doc was a class-act, as his mother seems to be, and O'Reilly continues to be the ass that he is.

[Hildy]

Thank you. Wasn't it great at the end? O'Reilly wanted him to say something bad about Thurmond, but he just refused to. He said he was a Republican and supported our President. Sometimes I wonder why O'Reilly even has guests on, he never lets them talk. I cared more about what this guy had to say than what O'Reilly thought at Strom Thurmond who he referred to as a bad guy. How dare he talk like that to his Grandson.

[farmfriend]

ping

[SouthernFreebird]

Moral character appears to run in their genes.

[jwalsh07]

Quite a guy this grandson of Stroms. Strom missed an opportunity.

[GraniteStateConservative]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1043796/posts

Another related thread on Dr. Williams.

[americanbychoice]

I am always moved when I see classy human beings.
Begs the Question: "Why are there so few"?

[Hildy]

It would be interesting (at least to me) to know what Strom's other Grandchildren are like. Seems like the Williams' family are great people.

[Liberty Valance]

I saw this gentleman on the O'factor earlier this evening... a fine American with a great family to be proud of.

A toast to the good Dr. and his amazing Grandmother.

[ValerieUSA]

COOL!

[Libertarianize the GOP]

interesting washington connection

[CounterCounterCulture]

Thanks for the timely article, following the O'Reilly segment.

The grandson has class.

[Hildy]

Yes, the Grandson had class, more than we can say for O'Reilly.

[mhking]

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.

[ValerieUSA]

I used to work for the Chronicle in Centralia, and went to church in MOrton. I wonder how long Dr Williams has lived there.