Thurmond Paternity Claim Valid, Family Says L.A. Schoolteacher Is Acknowledged as Late Senator’s Child
By Marilyn W. Thompson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 16, 2003; Page A01
After decades of denials, the family of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) acknowledged yesterday a claim made by a 78-year-old Los Angeles schoolteacher that she is the senator’s mixed-race daughter, a charge that had dogged her throughout her otherwise quiet life and shadowed Thurmond during his public career as a leading voice of racial segregation.
“As J. Strom Thurmond has passed away and cannot speak for himself, the Thurmond family acknowledges Ms. Essie Mae Washington-Williams’ claim to her heritage,” the lawyer for the Thurmond estate, J. Mark Taylor, said in a brief statement in Columbia, S.C. “We hope this acknowledgment will bring closure for Ms. Williams.”