Lorraine Anderson Williams was born on August 6, 1923, in the District of Columbia. In 1940, at the age of 16, she graduated from Dunbar Senior High School, sixth in a class of 88. At Howard University she became a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. She was elected President of the chapter in 1942 and she was also active in several other organizations including the Student Council.
Her Bachelor’s degree was conferred in 1944. A fellowship from Howard University and a scholarship from Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. enabled her to complete a Master’s degree in 1945. On June 10, 1945, she married Sgt. Charles E. Williams.
Although she was was only 5’2″ inches tall, it was said she could take charge of any situation. A secure, self-confident woman, she could be both a leader and a follower, when needed.
Williams began her career at Howard University as an instructor teaching social service courses. In 1955, she earned a Ph.D. in American Intellectual History from American University. When Howard University’s College of Liberal Arts began an honors program in 1957, she served as a member of its social science faculty.
While working at Howard, she was an active member of her sorority. Williams was the 9th International Grand Basileus (National President) of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. from 1959 until 1962, the same year she became Chairman of Howard University’s Department of Social Sciences. Williams did another stint as Sigma Gamma Rho’s International Grand Basileus from 1967-71. From 1967-68, she was Chairman of Howard’s Department of History while serving concurrently as Director of the Afro-American Institute for secondary school teachers.
In 1974, she became Howard’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, the first African American woman to hold this position at a major university. From 1974-76, she served as the fifth editor of the Journal of Negro History. She retired from Howard University in 1983.
President Carter appointed her to the U.S. Circuit Judge Nominating Panel for D.C. in 1978. Williams was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. She also served as a member of the Board of Trustees at Johnson C. Smith University and the University of the District of Columbia.
Williams was a member of many professional organizations, author of many articles, an ardent churchwoman and a stalwart civic and community activist.
Moreover, she was a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. for more than 50 years. In 1978, she received the Sigma Gamma Rho Education Award and she also won its most coveted honor, the Blanche Edwards Award.
The Association of Black Women Historians named an award in her honor, the Lorraine Anderson Williams Leadership Award. She died on May 21, 1996.
