Eddie Joe Williams (born June 26, 1954) is an American politician who served as a member of the
Arkansas Senate
The Arkansas State Senate is the upper branch of the Arkansas General Assembly. The Senate consists of 35 members, each representing a district with about 83,000 people. Service in the state legislature is part-time, and many state senators have ...
for the 29th district from 2011 to 2017. During his tenure in the Senate, Williams served as majority leader.
Early life
Williams was born in
Sheridan, Arkansas
Sheridan is a city and county seat of Grant County, Arkansas, United States. The community is located deep in the forests of the Arkansas Timberlands. It sits at the intersection of US Highways 167 and 270. Early settlers were drawn to the are ...
. He graduated from
Sheridan High School in 1972.
Career
Williams served in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
and worked for the
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
for thirty years. He served on the Cabot Planning Commission and the Cabot City Council before he was elected three times as mayor. He faced a $500,000 deficit when he became mayor of
Cabot, Arkansas
Cabot is the largest city in Lonoke County, Arkansas, United States, and a suburb of Little Rock. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 23,776, and in 2019 the population was an estimated 26,352, ranking it as the state's 19th l ...
.
Williams is a member of the
American Legislative Exchange Council
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a nonprofit organization of conservative state legislators and private sector representatives who draft and share model legislation for distribution among state governments in the United State ...
(ALEC), a
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
non-partisan, non-profit legislative association. He and
Arkansas State Auditor
The Arkansas State Auditor (formally known as the Auditor of State) is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the U.S. state of Arkansas. Thirty-five individuals have occupied the office of state auditor since statehood. The incu ...
Andrea Lea
Andrea Christine Lea (born 1957) is an American politician who served as the Arkansas State Auditor and is a Republican former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Russellville, Arkansas. She was elected state auditor on Novembe ...
, served at one time as the state co-chairs of the organization.
On October 26, 2017, President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
appointed Williams as his federal representative to the
Southern States Energy Board. Since leaving the Senate, Williams has served as senior legislative liaison to Governor
Asa Hutchinson
William Asa Hutchinson II (, '' AY-sÉ™''; born December 3, 1950) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who is the 46th and current governor of Arkansas. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. attorney for the Fort Smit ...
.
In September 2021, Williams declared his candidacy for
secretary of state of Arkansas
The secretary of state of Arkansas is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Arkansas.
The current Secretary of State is Republican John Thurston, former Arkansas land commissioner from Pulaski County in central Arkan ...
in the 2022 election. In an interview following his candidacy, Williams claimed that he wasn't sure if Biden won the
2020 presidential election, and gave credence to false allegations of voter fraud by claiming that full investigations into voter fraud in swing states might have tilted the election for Biden.
Personal life
Williams and his wife, DeLona, have four daughters and seven grandchildren.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Eddie Joe
1954 births
Living people
20th-century American railroad executives
Republican Party Arkansas state senators
Mayors of places in Arkansas
People from Sheridan, Arkansas
People from Cabot, Arkansas
United States Army officers
21st-century American politicians