Terry Williams | |
---|---|
Member of the Utah State Senate for the 1st district | |
In office 1982–1986 | |
Member of the Utah House of Representatives | |
In office 1981–1982 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Artesia,New Mexico,U.S. | March 22,1950
Political party | Democratic |
Alma mater | University of Utah (MA) Weber State College (BA) |
Occupation | Administrator - Bishop - Politician |
Terry Lee Williams (born March 22,1950) is an American retired university administrator,ecclesiastical bishop,and politician. A Democrat from Salt Lake City,he was the first African American to serve in the Utah State Senate,from November 1982 to December 1986. He had previously served in the Utah House of Representatives from 1981 through 1982. He was the second African American to serve in the Utah State Legislature,following the 1976 election of state representative Robert Harris.
William was born in Artesia,New Mexico,on March 22,1950. His stepfather was an agricultural migrant worker,and the family (including his mother and five other children) spent three years in Burley,Idaho,as the only Black people in Minadoka County. The family fled Idaho after white men in cars shot at their house and hurled incendiary devices while others stood across the street and hurled insults. "We were quite literally driven out of town," he recalled in a 1986 interview. After a brief return to New Mexico,the family settled in Salt Lake City in 1960 to continue medical treatment at the Shriners Children Hospital. He had been severely burned in a house fire. The family became active in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. [1]
Williams graduated from South High School and Weber State College,where he served as president of the Young Democrats. [1] He received a scholarship to earn a bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in Anthropology from Weber State. He was awarded a full fellowship at the U of U to earn his master's degree in economics from the University of Utah. He was appointed as a State House Intern by Governor Scott Matheson at the Utah House of Representatives in the mid-1970s. [2] After graduation,Williams became a community organizer and campaign worker in Salt Lake City. He was the director of the Multi-Ethnic Corporation,which empowered citizens to be involved in the local government and helped low-income minority entrepreneurs launch start-up companies.he was named Director of the Salt Lake branch of the NAACP,which had a sister branch in Pocatello,Idaho. [2]
In 1980,Williams won a formerly Republican-held seat on the Utah House of Representatives. Fresh off his victory,he was the only representative to vote against a resolution pledging support for President Ronald Reagan. Williams was the second African American to serve in the Utah House. [2]
In 1983,Williams was elected to an open seat being vacated by Democrat Frances Farley to represent Utah's 1st State Senate district. He was the second African American to serve in the Utah House and the first to serve in the Utah Senate. As such,his colleagues were often dismissive of his abilities and ideas. "I got here in the House of Representatives when I was voted in," he recounted in a 1986 interview,"and I met with people who had never sat across a table with another black person. They didn't believe a black person could walk and talk intelligently at the same time." [1] Williams served on the Senate State and Local Affairs and Judiciary committees. [3] He campaigned for accessibility,wage scales for seniors,affordable housing,and civil rights. [1] He played a key role in legislation that made Martin Luther King Jr. Day an official state holiday in 1986,though Utah was the last state to do so. [4]
Instead of seeking reelection to the Utah Senate in 1986,Williams opted to run for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator. He lost the August primary election to realtor Craig Oliver by only 275 ballots out of nearly thirty thousand cast,receiving 49% of the vote to Oliver's 51%. Oliver went on to experience a resounding defeat at the hands of incumbent Republican Senator Jake Garn. Williams attributed his loss to racism,commenting that overwhelmingly white Utahns would not vote for a Black man for the U.S. Senate. [5] [6] In 1987,he filed a racial discrimination complaint against Salt Lake City for denying him a job in the capital planning department on account of his race;the department hired him after the mayor ordered a rerun of the search. [7]
As of 1986,William was married and had four children. [1] As of 1996,he was a minister living in Berkeley,California. [8]
Salt Lake County is located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States census,the population was 1,185,238,making it the most populous county in Utah. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City,the state capital. The county was created in 1850. Salt Lake County is the 37th most populated county in the United States and is one of four counties in the Rocky Mountains to make it into the top 100. Salt Lake County has been the only county of the first class in Utah –under the Utah Code is a county with a population of 700,000 or greater. Although,Utah County directly to the south has recently reached this threshold.
Utah County is the second-most populous county in the U.S. state of Utah. The county seat and largest city is Provo,which is the state's fourth-largest city,and the largest outside of Salt Lake County. As of the 2020 United States Census,the population was 665,665.
Since Utah became a U.S. state in 1896,it has sent congressional delegations to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. Each state elects two senators to serve for six years. Before the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913,senators were elected by the Utah State Legislature. Members of the House of Representatives are elected to two-year terms,one from each of Utah's four congressional districts. Before becoming a state,the Territory of Utah elected a non-voting delegate at-large to Congress from 1850 to 1896.
Richard Howard Stallings is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Idaho's 2nd congressional district from 1985 to 1993.
The 1st Utah Senate District is located in Salt Lake County,which includes Salt Lake City,and includes Utah House Districts 20,22,23,26,29,31 and 33.
The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Utah were held on Tuesday,November 6,2012 and elected the four U.S. representatives from the state of Utah,an increase of one seat in reapportionment following the 2010 United States census. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices,including a quadrennial presidential election and an election to the U.S. Senate. Primary elections were held on June 26,2012.
The 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Utah were held on November 4,2014 to elect the four U.S. representatives from Utah,one from each of the state's four congressional districts. Representatives are elected for two-year terms;those elected would serve in the 114th Congress from January 2015 until January 2017.
Angela Romero is an American politician and the Democratic leader of the Utah House of Representatives representing the 25th District since January 1,2023. Prior to redistricting,she represented the 26th District since January 1,2013.
Jacob 'Jake' L. Anderegg is an American politician. A Republican,he represented District 22 in the Utah State Senate. Prior to post-2020 redistricting he represented District 13 starting in January 2017. He previously represented District 6 in the Utah House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017.
Bradley R. Wilson is an American real estate developer and Republican politician. Wilson is a former member of the Utah House of Representatives,representing District 15. He served as the House Speaker from 2019 to 2023. On April 13,2023,he formed an exploratory committee to run for the U.S. Senate in 2024.
Brian S. King is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the Utah House of Representatives from the 23rd district. Before redistricting following the 2020 Census,he represented the 28th district since January 1,2009. In April 2024,he became the Utah Democratic Party's nominee for Governor.
Keith Grover is an American politician and a Republican member of the Utah Senate. Grover has represented Senate district 23 since 2023. Prior to redistricting he represented district 15 starting in June 2018.
Curtis Oda is an American politician and a former Republican member of the Utah House of Representatives. He represented District 14 from January 2005 through January 2017.
The 2016 United States Senate election in Utah took place on November 8,2016,to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Utah,concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election,as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Utah were held on November 8,2016,to elect the four U.S. representatives from the state of Utah,one from each of the state's four congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election,as well as other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on June 28.
Brad Daw is an American politician who served as a member of the Utah House of Representatives from 2004 to 2013 and again from 2015 to 2021.
The 2018 United States Senate election in Utah took place on November 6,2018,to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Utah,concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate,elections to the United States House of Representatives,and various state and local elections. The primaries took place on June 26.
The 2024 United States Senate election in Utah will be held on November 5,2024,to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Utah. Incumbent Republican Senator Mitt Romney was elected with 62.6% of the vote in 2018 and has declined to seek a second term. Utah is considered a safe red state by election analysts;no Democrat has served in the Senate from the state since Frank Moss left office in 1977. The Republican primary election will take place on June 25,2024.
The 2022 United States Senate election in Utah was held on November 8,2022,to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Utah. Incumbent senator Mike Lee,who was first elected in 2010,won re-election to a third term,defeating Evan McMullin,an independent candidate who was endorsed by the Utah Democratic Party.