Madrid Loyd Williams (January 16, 1911 – 1993; ) was an American executive who, despite never finishing high school or attending college, served as executive director of the Georgia Bar Association. She was known as the "first lady" of the State Bar.

Early life

Williams was born in Aragon, Georgia on January 16, 1911, to farmers Horace Cleveland Loyd and Mary Samford Loyd. She was the oldest of four children. After a few years the family moved from Aragon to Menlo, and finally to Macon in 1923. Williams' father worked on the Bibb County Courthouse, her mother sewed, and the family rented out the extra rooms of their house; nevertheless they were poor. Despite excelling in school, Williams dropped out at the age of 15 to help her family make ends meet, eventually working full-time as a

secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

at Macon law firm Harris, Harris, Russell and Weaver.

Career

In 1942, Williams began working for the Georgia Bar Association as executive secretary in the organization's new permanent offices in Macon. During her more than three decades with the bar, she climbed the organization's ranks and finally became executive director. Williams oversaw massive growth in the organization, which in 1964 officially became the

State Bar of Georgia The State Bar of Georgia is the governing body of the legal profession in the State of Georgia, operating under the supervision of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Membership is a condition of admission to practice law in Georgia. The State Bar w ...

. When governor

Carl Sanders Carl Edward Sanders Sr. (May 15, 1925 – November 16, 2014) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 74th Governor of the state of Georgia from 1963 to 1967. Early life and education Carl Sanders was born on May 15, 1925 in ...

held a bill-signing ceremony for the Unified Bar Bill, announcing the creation of a unified state bar on March 11, 1963, she was the only woman present. Williams also was administrative editor of the '' Georgia Bar Journal''. In 1972 she was instrumental in the relocation of the Bar offices from Macon to Atlanta. She served as president of the National Association of Bar Executives in 1970, one of the first three women to do so. She was also a member of the State Bar Board of Governors, served on the Board of Continuing Legal Education, was a member of the State Disciplinary Board, and was secretary of the Georgia Bar Foundation. She retired in 1976.

Personal life and legacy

Williams married Grant Williams in 1934. After her retirement, Williams was deeply involved with

Soroptimist International Soroptimist International (SI) is a global volunteer service organization for women with nearly 72,000 members in 121 countries worldwide. According to Soroptimist.org, their mission statement says that, "Soroptimist is a global volunteer organiza ...

. Additionally, she co-founded St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Macon; she was the church's first female Clerk of Session. Later she was elected as the first female

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

at Vineville Presbyterian Church. Williams also had a love for

gardening Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants as part of horticulture. In gardens, ornamental plants are often grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants, such as root vegetables, leaf vegetables, fruits ...

. She had no children. Madrid Williams died in 1993. In 2010, Williams was inducted into the

Georgia Women of Achievement The Georgia Women of Achievement (GWA) recognizes women natives or residents of the U.S. state of Georgia for their significant achievements or statewide contributions. The concept was first proposed by Rosalynn Carter in 1988. The first induction ...

Hall of Fame.

External links

Raising the Bar: Madrid Loyd Williams
a short video from

Georgia Public Broadcasting Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) is a state network of PBS member television stations and NPR member radio stations serving the U.S. state of Georgia. It is operated by the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission, an agency of the Geo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Madrid 1911 births 1993 deaths American business executives