Hosea Williams - Background

Background

Williams was born in Attapulgus, Georgia, a small city in the far southwest corner of the state in Decatur County. Both of his parents were teenagers committed to a trade institute for the blind in Macon. Because of fear of his parent's response to her having become an unwed mother, she ran away from the institute upon learning of her pregnancy. At the age of 28, Williams stumbled upon his birth father, "Blind" Willie Wiggins, by accident in Florida. His mother died during childbirth when he was ten years old. He was reared by his mother's parents, Lelar and Turner Williams. He left home by age 14.

Williams served with the United States Army during World War II in an all-African-American unit under General George S. Patton, Jr. He advanced to the rank of Staff Sergeant. Williams was the only survivor of a Nazi bombing, which left him in a hospital in Europe for more than a year and earned him a Purple Heart.

After the war, he earned a high school diploma at age twenty-three, then a bachelor's degree and a master's degree (both in chemistry) from Atlanta's Morris Brown College and Atlanta University (present day Clark Atlanta University). Williams is a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.

In the early 1950s, Williams married Juanita Terry and worked for the United States Department of Agriculture as a research scientist. Williams had four sons: Hosea L. Williams, II, Andre Williams, Torrey Williams, and Hyron Williams ,and four daughters: Barbara Emerson, Elizabeth Omilami, Yolanda Favors, and Jaunita Collier. Williams was preceded in death by his wife and son Hosea, II.