George Washington Williams was a remarkable figure in American history. Born in 1849, he was a soldier, lawyer, historian, and politician. His service in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1880 to 1881 made him the first African American to hold a seat in the Ohio Legislature.

Williams is perhaps best known for his groundbreaking book, History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880, which was one of the first comprehensive histories of African Americans. Later, he became an outspoken critic of King Leopold II’s exploitative rule in the Congo, writing an Open Letter that exposed human rights abuses—one of the earliest documented condemnations of European colonial atrocities in Africa.

He passed away on August 4, 1891, in Blackpool, England, leaving behind a powerful legacy as a historian and advocate for justice.