essays & effluvia: Strom's daughter

Sunday, December 14, 2003

Strom's daughter

My very 2nd post on E&E was "Dead Centagenarians," a side-by-side comparo between Strom Thurmond and Lord Shawcross of Great Britain.

I caught some crap from a few people who found it offensive that I quoted a passage from "Ol' Strom: An Unauthorized Biography of Strom Thurmond." The author of the seminal Strom biography noted that Strom kept "secret for decades his illegitimate daughter, Essie Mae, born in 1925. Her mother was a black servant employed by Strom's father."

So much for that being a secret any longer:

A 78-year-old retired Los Angeles schoolteacher said she is breaking a lifetime of silence to announce that she is the illegitimate mixed-race daughter of former U.S. senator James Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.), once the nation's leading segregationist. In an interview, the woman said that Thurmond privately acknowledged her as his daughter and provided financial support since 1941.

Essie Mae Washington-Williams described her claims in a lengthy telephone interview last week, saying she protected Thurmond because of their mutual "deep respect" and her fears that disclosure would embarrass her and harm his political career. Thurmond, who died in June at age 100, said late in life through his office that Williams was a friend.

UPDATE (12/16/03): Thurmond's Family Says Woman Was His Daughter
Reuters, December 16, 2003,12:17 AM ET

Sources
Woman Claims Thurmond As Father,
Proof Is Forthcoming, Black Retiree Says
By Marilyn W. Thompson
Washington Post, Sunday, December 14, 2003; Page A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60363-2003Dec12.html

Dead Centagenarians

Posted at 01:52 PM in Current Affairs, Politics | Permalink