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Biography · Education & Scholarship

Essie Mae Washington-Williams

1925–2013

United States

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Biography

Essie Mae Washington-Williams (née Butler; October 12, 1925 – February 4, 2013) was an American teacher and author. She was the eldest child of Strom Thurmond, governor of and United States senator from South Carolina. Of mixed race, she was born to Carrie Butler, a 16-year-old African-American girl who worked as a domestic servant for Thurmond's parents, and Thurmond, then 22 and unmarried.

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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