Tedford Williamson
Encyclopedia
Tedford Fielden Williamson, known as Ted Williamson (born December 11, 1957), is a Texas
businessman who is the scion
of a politically-connected family from North Louisiana
and himself a former member of the Round Rock
, Texas
, City Council
. Round Rock is located along Interstate 35
in Williamson County
north of the state capital of Austin
. Williamson hence coincidentally bears the same name as his county of residence. Though municipal elections in Texas are all conducted on nonpartisan ballots, Williamson identifies himself as a Republican
. Williamson County is majority Republican in recent political behavior. Williamson was elected to a partial term in November 2005 did not seek a full two-year term on the council in the elections held in May 2007, having cited business and family obligations which precluded his further service.
in northern Caddo Parish and raised in Vivian
in far northwestern Louisiana
, to Earl Guyton Williamson, Sr.
(1903-1992), and his second wife, the former Mary Jane Hearne (1926-1992). Earl Williamson was a Vivian businessman and local Democratic
politician who served for forty years on the Caddo Parish Police Jury (now called the Caddo Parish Commission, the parish governing body), as a Vivian alderman, and for twelve years as mayor of Vivian, a community of some 4,000 inhabitants. Earl Williamson was a strong supporter of the Louisiana Long dynasty
, having been close friends as well a political associates of Huey Pierce Long, Jr.
, and Earl Kemp Long. Mrs. Williamson, a Vivian native, was descended from pioneers for whom the city of Hearne
, near Bryan-College Station
is named. Ted Williamson, through his mother's lineage, is a distant cousin of the late Texas Governor
John Bowden Connally, Jr.
Mary Jane Williamson served on the Caddo Parish Levee Board under appointment from Governor John Julian McKeithen
, another chief executive whom Earl Williamson worked to elect.
Tedford Fielden Williamson is named for former Mississippi
Governor Fielding Wright, who was Strom Thurmond
's vice-presidential choice on the States Rights Party. (The middle name "Fielden" does not exactly match "Fielding", however, as there was an oversight in recording the actual intent of his father.) Earl Williamson was a Mississippi native and supported the Thurmond-Wright ticket, which was also the official Democratic slate in Louisiana in 1948.
Ted Williamson graduated in 1976 from North Caddo High School (formerly Vivian High School), where his mother was the school secretary. Thereafter, he studied building construction at the University of Louisiana at Monroe
, then called "Northeast Louisiana University". He moved to Austin in 1983, after graduation from ULM, and was employed by Texas Industries. In 1985, he relocated to Round Rock. Subsequently, he became affiliated with businessmen Jack Wheeler and Charles (J.R.) Gregory in Ironhorse Concrete, LP., Limited Partnership based in Hutto
.
, a Democrat, (1925-2008) served for just over fourteen years as mayor of Vivian (1972-1986) and for a single term on the Caddo Parish Police Jury. He succeeded his father in the latter position. Donald Wayne "Don" Williamson
(born 1927) is a former member and president of the Caddo Parish School Board and a member of both the Louisiana House of Representatives
and the state Senate
. Another half-brother, the retired Earl G. Williamson, Jr. (born 1923), worked in industrial development and eschews politics.
, near Houston
, who has embarked on a second career as a counselor. Like Ted Williamson, Clayton Williamson graduated from North Caddo High School in Vivian. He obtained his bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University at Shreveport. At the time, Clayton Williamson was a member of the LSU-S student government which lobbied for a change from two-year to four-year status for the institution. And state Senator Don Williamson was successfully getting the legislation for LSU-S through the legislature. Clayton Williamson later obtained a master's degree in public administration
from the University of North Texas
in Denton
. While at the university, he was the assistant city manger in Garland
in Dallas County
. Thereafter, Clayton Williamson became the city manager in Bovina
(Parmer County), Brady
, and Tomball
, Texas. He is also a former right-of-way acquisitor for Houston Light and Power Company.
. He was in his father's Williamson Motors, the Chevrolet
dealership in Vivian, when Earl Williamson entered the business and shouted in dismay: "Some SOB has just shot Kennedy!" Ted Williamson said that his father's high-powered public profile caused his brother Clayton and himself to become keenly interested in the political world. He recalls having heard a family about his father and then Governor Earl Long going to the races in Hot Springs, Arkansas
, and loading a 1948 Cadillac
with buttermilk
in the trunk. They forgot the time and drove from Hot Springs to Baton Rouge with the buttermilk intact but ruined. Both Earl Long and Earl Williamson were avid buttermilk drinkers.
Ted Williamson is divorce
d from the former Mary Jane Peters. He is the father of one son and two stepdaughters. He grew up in a Methodist home, but, like half-brothers James and Don, Williamson is Baptist
. Williamson's accomplishments have been recognized by the group Outstanding Young Americans (OYA), founded in 1965.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
businessman who is the scion
Kinship
Kinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are treated in their own subsections....
of a politically-connected family from North Louisiana
North Louisiana
North Louisiana is a region in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The region has two metropolitan areas: Shreveport-Bossier City and Monroe-West Monroe....
and himself a former member of the Round Rock
Round Rock, Texas
Round Rock is a city in Travis and Williamson counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the metropolitan area. The 2010 census places the population at 99,887....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, City Council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
. Round Rock is located along Interstate 35
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 is a north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. I-35 stretches from Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border to Duluth, Minnesota, at Minnesota Highway 61 and 26th Avenue East. Many interstates used to have splits or spurs indicated with suffixed letters , but I-35...
in Williamson County
Williamson County, Texas
Williamson County is a county located on both the Edwards Plateau to the west, consisting of rocky terrain and hills, and Blackland Prairies in the east consising of rich, fertile farming land, The two areas are roughly bisected by Interstate 35...
north of the state capital of Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. Williamson hence coincidentally bears the same name as his county of residence. Though municipal elections in Texas are all conducted on nonpartisan ballots, Williamson identifies himself as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. Williamson County is majority Republican in recent political behavior. Williamson was elected to a partial term in November 2005 did not seek a full two-year term on the council in the elections held in May 2007, having cited business and family obligations which precluded his further service.
Early years, education, business
Williamson was born in the city of ShreveportShreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
in northern Caddo Parish and raised in Vivian
Vivian, Louisiana
Vivian, is a town in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States and is home to the Red Bud Festival. The population was 4,031 at the 2000 census...
in far northwestern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, to Earl Guyton Williamson, Sr.
Earl Williamson
Earl Guyton Williamson, Sr. was a prominent businessman and politician in northern Caddo Parish, Louisiana, from the 1930s until the 1970s...
(1903-1992), and his second wife, the former Mary Jane Hearne (1926-1992). Earl Williamson was a Vivian businessman and local Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician who served for forty years on the Caddo Parish Police Jury (now called the Caddo Parish Commission, the parish governing body), as a Vivian alderman, and for twelve years as mayor of Vivian, a community of some 4,000 inhabitants. Earl Williamson was a strong supporter of the Louisiana Long dynasty
Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long, Jr. , nicknamed The Kingfish, served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928–1932 and as a U.S. Senator from 1932 to 1935. A Democrat, he was noted for his radical populist policies. Though a backer of Franklin D...
, having been close friends as well a political associates of Huey Pierce Long, Jr.
Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long, Jr. , nicknamed The Kingfish, served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928–1932 and as a U.S. Senator from 1932 to 1935. A Democrat, he was noted for his radical populist policies. Though a backer of Franklin D...
, and Earl Kemp Long. Mrs. Williamson, a Vivian native, was descended from pioneers for whom the city of Hearne
Hearne, Texas
Hearne is a city in Robertson County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,690 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area...
, near Bryan-College Station
Bryan-College Station metropolitan area
The Bryan–College Station Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the Brazos Valley region of Texas that covers three counties: Brazos, Burleson, and Robertson...
is named. Ted Williamson, through his mother's lineage, is a distant cousin of the late Texas Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
John Bowden Connally, Jr.
John Connally
John Bowden Connally, Jr. , was an influential American politician, serving as the 39th governor of Texas, Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy, and as Secretary of the Treasury under President Richard M. Nixon. While he was Governor in 1963, Connally was a passenger in the car in...
Mary Jane Williamson served on the Caddo Parish Levee Board under appointment from Governor John Julian McKeithen
John McKeithen
John Julian McKeithen was the 49th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1964 to 1972. A Democrat from the town of Columbia, he was the first governor of his state in the twentieth century to serve two consecutive terms...
, another chief executive whom Earl Williamson worked to elect.
Tedford Fielden Williamson is named for former Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
Governor Fielding Wright, who was Strom Thurmond
Strom Thurmond
James Strom Thurmond was an American politician who served as a United States Senator. He also ran for the Presidency of the United States in 1948 as the segregationist States Rights Democratic Party candidate, receiving 2.4% of the popular vote and 39 electoral votes...
's vice-presidential choice on the States Rights Party. (The middle name "Fielden" does not exactly match "Fielding", however, as there was an oversight in recording the actual intent of his father.) Earl Williamson was a Mississippi native and supported the Thurmond-Wright ticket, which was also the official Democratic slate in Louisiana in 1948.
Ted Williamson graduated in 1976 from North Caddo High School (formerly Vivian High School), where his mother was the school secretary. Thereafter, he studied building construction at the University of Louisiana at Monroe
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
, then called "Northeast Louisiana University". He moved to Austin in 1983, after graduation from ULM, and was employed by Texas Industries. In 1985, he relocated to Round Rock. Subsequently, he became affiliated with businessmen Jack Wheeler and Charles (J.R.) Gregory in Ironhorse Concrete, LP., Limited Partnership based in Hutto
Hutto, Texas
Hutto is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area. The population was 1,250 at the 2000 census; it had grown to 7,401 in the 2005 census estimate and had reached 17,120 by January 2008....
.
His Louisiana half-brothers
Williamson has four half-brothers and a half-sister by his father's first marriage to the former Mamie Greer (1904-1948). Two of those half-brothers also carved out political careers. James Whitfield WilliamsonJames Whitfield Williamson
James Whitfield Williamson was a businessman and politician from north Caddo Parish in northwestern Louisiana, the scion of a prominent political family...
, a Democrat, (1925-2008) served for just over fourteen years as mayor of Vivian (1972-1986) and for a single term on the Caddo Parish Police Jury. He succeeded his father in the latter position. Donald Wayne "Don" Williamson
Don W. Williamson
Donald Wayne Williamson, usually known as Don Williamson , is a semiretired American businessman in Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish and the largest city in north Louisiana, who served in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature between 1968 and 1980...
(born 1927) is a former member and president of the Caddo Parish School Board and a member of both the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
and the state Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
. Another half-brother, the retired Earl G. Williamson, Jr. (born 1923), worked in industrial development and eschews politics.
Clayton Williamson
Williamson has an older brother, Clayton Lamar Williamson (born February 7, 1952) of Montgomery, TexasMontgomery, Texas
Montgomery is a city located in Montgomery County, Texas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 489. It is the birthplace of the Lone Star Flag of Texas.-History:...
, near Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, who has embarked on a second career as a counselor. Like Ted Williamson, Clayton Williamson graduated from North Caddo High School in Vivian. He obtained his bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University at Shreveport. At the time, Clayton Williamson was a member of the LSU-S student government which lobbied for a change from two-year to four-year status for the institution. And state Senator Don Williamson was successfully getting the legislation for LSU-S through the legislature. Clayton Williamson later obtained a master's degree in public administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
from the University of North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
in Denton
Denton, Texas
The city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex...
. While at the university, he was the assistant city manger in Garland
Garland, Texas
-Climate:* The average warmest month is July.* The highest recorded temperature was in 2000.* On average, the coolest month is January.* The lowest recorded temperature was in 1989.* The maximum average precipitation occurs in May....
in Dallas County
Dallas County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,218,899 people, 807,621 households, and 533,837 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,523 people per square mile . There were 854,119 housing units at an average density of 971/sq mi...
. Thereafter, Clayton Williamson became the city manager in Bovina
Bovina, Texas
Bovina is a city in Parmer County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,874 at the 2000 census.One of the best-known Bovina residents was John Elmo Sherrill, Jr. , who held four different public offices in Bovina and Parmer County, including Bovina alderman, mayor , school board member, and...
(Parmer County), Brady
Brady, Texas
Brady is a city in McCulloch County, Texas, United States. Brady refers to itself as "The Heart of Texas", as it is the closest city to the geographical center of the state. The population was 5,523 at the 2000 census...
, and Tomball
Tomball, Texas
Tomball is a city in Harris county in the U.S. state of Texas, a part of the Houston metropolitan area. The population was 9,089 at the 2000 census. In 1907, the community of Peck was renamed Tomball. The city are named for local congressman Thomas Henry Ball, who had a major role in the...
, Texas. He is also a former right-of-way acquisitor for Houston Light and Power Company.
Political memories
Williamson recalls as a still five-year-old (nineteen days before his sixth birthday) the assassination of President John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. He was in his father's Williamson Motors, the Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
dealership in Vivian, when Earl Williamson entered the business and shouted in dismay: "Some SOB has just shot Kennedy!" Ted Williamson said that his father's high-powered public profile caused his brother Clayton and himself to become keenly interested in the political world. He recalls having heard a family about his father and then Governor Earl Long going to the races in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
, and loading a 1948 Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
with buttermilk
Buttermilk
Buttermilk refers to a number of dairy drinks. Originally, buttermilk was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cream. It also refers to a range of fermented milk drinks, common in warm climates where unrefrigerated fresh milk otherwise sours quickly...
in the trunk. They forgot the time and drove from Hot Springs to Baton Rouge with the buttermilk intact but ruined. Both Earl Long and Earl Williamson were avid buttermilk drinkers.
Round Rock City Council
Ted Williamson (like his half-brother Don but not his half-brother James) left his father's Democratic ties and became a Republican. In May 2005, Williamson ran unsuccessfully for the Round Rock Council. When a vacancy occurred on the council some six months later, he ran in a special election and was victorious with 63 percent of the ballots.Ted Williamson is divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d from the former Mary Jane Peters. He is the father of one son and two stepdaughters. He grew up in a Methodist home, but, like half-brothers James and Don, Williamson is Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
. Williamson's accomplishments have been recognized by the group Outstanding Young Americans (OYA), founded in 1965.