Chelsea400
Feb 6, 2024
Our first elected African American City Councilor was Captain William James Williams.
Captain William James Williams, born September 23, 1863. Captain Williams came to Chelsea during one of the first black waves from Toronto with his parents. The Captain as he was known as broke the color line in the turn of 20th Century, as one of Boston’s remarkable attorneys.
He became the first African American elected to the Chelsea Board of Aldermen in 1900. He finished his education at Phillips Exeter and Harvard Law School then opened a law office in Boston. He made a successful run for Alderman at large for years from 1900 to 1908 and again from 1911 to 1919. He died on October 11, 1924, where he is buried at Woodlawn cemetery in Everett, MA. A picture of Captain Williams lies in City Hall.