Walter E. Williams
| Walter E. Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Walter Edward Williams March 31, 1936 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Institution |
George Mason University (1980–present) Temple University Los Angeles City College (1972–1974) California State University, Los Angeles (1969–1970) Grove City College |
| Field | Economics, Education, Politics, Free Market, Race relations, Liberty |
| School or tradition |
Libertarian economics |
| Alma mater |
California State University, Los Angeles (B.A.) 1965 UCLA (M.A.) 1967 UCLA (Ph.D.) 1972 |
Walter Edward Williams (born March 31, 1936) is an American economist, commentator, and academic. He is the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University, as well as a syndicated columnist and author known for his classical liberal and libertarian conservative views. His writings frequently appear on Townhall.com, WND, Jewish World Review, and hundreds of newspapers throughout the United States.
Williams's family during childhood consisted of his mother, his sister, and him. His father played no role in raising either child. He grew up in Philadelphia. The family initially lived in West Philadelphia, moving to North Philadelphia and the Richard Allen housing projects when Williams was ten. His neighbors included a young Bill Cosby. Williams knew many of the individuals that Cosby speaks of from his childhood, including Weird Harold and Fat Albert.
Williams was a talented high school student who displayed a very inconsistent performance in his studies. Following high school, he went to California to live with his father and attend one semester at Los Angeles City College. He later said that he was not ready at that time to be a serious student. In 1959 he was drafted into the military, and served as a Private in the United States Army. While stationed in the south, he "waged a one man battle against Jim Crow from inside the army. He challenged the racial order with provocative statements to his fellow soldiers. This resulted in an overseeing officer filing a court-martial proceeding against Williams. Williams argued his own case, and was found not guilty. While considering filing countercharges against the officer that had brought him up for court martial, Williams found himself transferred to Korea. Upon arriving there, Williams marked "Caucasian" for race on his personnel form. When challenged on this, Williams replied wryly if he had marked "Black", he would end up getting all the worst jobs. From Korea Williams wrote a letter to President John F. Kennedy denouncing the pervasive racism in the American government and military, and questioning the actions black Americans should take given the state of affairs, writing:
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