Robert Quintin Williams (born July 12, 1964) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

politician, veteran, and business development consultant who serves as a member of the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seatin ...

from the 62nd District since 2007. A member of the

Democratic party (United States) The Democratic Party is a Centre-left politics, center-left political parties in the United States, political party in the United States. One of the Major party, major parties of the U.S., it was founded in 1828, making it the world's oldes ...

., Williams ran in the 2018 elections for a seat at the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, but lost to Republican

Tom Rice Hugh Thompson Rice Jr. (born August 4, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2013 to 2023. The district serves most of the northeastern corner of the state and includes Myrtle Beach, the Gra ...

59.6% to 40.3% in the 7th district of South Carolina He ran again in 2020 but lost to Rice a second time.

Early life and career

Williams was born in

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

on July 12, 1964. As a young child, Williams was a

Cub Scout Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with some Scout organizations, for young children, usually between 8 and 12, who are too young to be Scouts and make the Scout Promise. A participant in the program is called a Cub and a group of Cubs ...

and coached sports like basketball, football, and baseball. Williams is an

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

fan. However, he used to like the

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in the early 80's. Williams grew up with his parents in Baptist faith.

Education

After graduating from his local public school, Williams attended the historically black

Voorhees College Voorhees University (formerly Voorhees College) is a private historically black university in Denmark, South Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and School ...

Denmark, South Carolina Denmark is a city in Bamberg County, South Carolina, United States. The population at the 2010 census is 3,538. Geography Denmark is located in northwest Bamberg County at (33.321173, -81.142289). U.S. Route 78 and U.S. Route 321 cross in De ...

in 1982–1984 before joining the military. Upon returning, Williams went back to Voorhees College from 1990–1991 to finish his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree on funds from the

G.I. Bill The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I. (military), G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in ...

and is in the Voorhees College Hall of Fame. Williams entered the workforce as a social worker; helping the community and elderly people while also working for the department of special needs and disabilities.

Family and personal life

Williams met his wife Janice Ham in high school through a friend in the early 90's and they have been married since 1992 with three children: Rodrick, Jacobi, and Gerrel Williams. Janice Ham works as a teacher.

U.S. Military

Having served in the Guard, Williams received the Army Achievement Medal in both 2002 and 2004 while also receiving the Army Commendation Medal in 2005. Now having retired, Williams enters the realm of politics.

Politics

Williams realized that he wanted to make a change in the community back in 2002 after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

happened in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In 2003, Williams ran to become a state representative of South Carolina with the goals of revitalizing the education system. However, Williams went to war in 2004. After returning from the war, Williams ran again for the same position of State Representative of the 62nd District of South Carolina and secured it in 2007.

South Carolina State of Representatives

Williams was elected as a state representative in the 62nd district and started office on January 3, 2007, and is still the incumbent representative of the district. He serves as 2nd Vice Chair of the Invitations and Memorials Resolutions Committee and as a member of the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee."House Standing Committees". ''South Carolina Legislature''. December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.

Notable Bills Sponsored

Policy Positions

References

External links

Congressional Campaign Website
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PivotAmerica ProfileSouth Carolina Legislator Online — Member Biography: Robert Q. Williams
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Robert Q. 1964 births 21st-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly African-American state legislators in South Carolina Candidates in the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections Living people Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American politicians Candidates in the 2020 United States House of Representatives elections