COLUMBIA, S.C. — The late Sen. Strom Thurmond’s family has accepted a California woman’s claim that she is the illegitimate mixed-race daughter of the one-time segregationist.
"We have no reason to believe Ms. Williams was not telling the truth," Strom Thurmond Jr. told The (Columbia) State for a story in today’s editions.
Essie Mae Washington-Williams, 78, broke a decades-long silence over the weekend to claim she was the daughter of Strom Thurmond and a 16-year-old maid working in his father’s home.
Thurmond Jr. said he would like to meet the retired Los Angeles schoolteacher sometime, preferably in private, to establish a relationship.
"I had a conversation with my dad about it about 10 years ago. I asked about this, and he didn’t tell me whether she was or whether she wasn’t (his daughter)," Thurmond Jr. said. "I did not ask again."
Earlier Monday, Thurmond’s family released a statement acknowledging Williams’ claims.
Williams is glad to see the matter resolved, said her lawyer, Glenn Walters.
"Mrs. Essie Mae Washington-Williams can now take a place in history as a daughter of U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond," Walters said.
Thurmond died in June at age 100.
Williams said Thurmond privately acknowledged her as his daughter and had provided financial support since 1941. She said she waited to go public because she didn’t want to embarrass herself or hurt Thurmond’s career.
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