The biracial daughter of the late South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond died Monday morning at the age of 87.
Essie Mae Washington-Williams rocked politics in 2003, when she announced the identity of her father, who had died six months earlier, at the age of 100.
Ms. Washington-Williams’ mother had worked for the Mr. Thurmond’s family as a maid in the 1920s, according to WLTX-TV in Columbia. That’s when the two had a relationship, according to the report.
Mr. Thurmond — a vocal segregationist — never publicly acknowledged he was Ms. Washington-Williams’ father.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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