Edith L. Williams

Edith L. Williams
Photograph of an elderly African-American woman wearing glasses.
Williams in 1981
Born(1887-08-17)August 17, 1887
DiedJune 9, 1987(1987-06-09) (aged 99)
Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
NationalityDanish, American
Occupation(s)teacher, women's rights activist and suffragist
Years active1900–1945

Edith L. Williams (August 17, 1887 – June 9, 1987) was a United States Virgin Islands educator, women's rights activist, and suffragist. Williams was the first woman who attempted to vote in the Virgin Islands and when she was denied the right to register, she petitioned the court along with Eulalie Stevens and Anna M. Vessup to review their qualifications. They won their case and subsequently women throughout the Virgin Islands who were literate and property owners were allowed to vote. A bust of Williams was installed in the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Veterans Memorial Park in Charlotte Amalie, and the James Madison Elementary School was renamed as the Edith L. Williams School in 1981 in her honor.