Geline Bowman Williams, who became the
second woman to serve as Richmond's mayor and also sat on Richmond City Council for a decade, died Sunday at age 100. Mrs. Williams started out in Richmond city government in 1984 after being elected to City Council and remained on the council for 10 years.
Geline Williams in 2016. In 1988, she was appointed by City Council as Richmond mayor under the former council-manager government structure and held that position until 1990. Mrs. Williams followed in the footsteps of Eleanor Sheppard, who was Richmond's first woman to serve as mayor from 1962 to 1964. To date, Mrs. Williams was also the only Republican mayor of Richmond after 1870. During her time as mayor, Mrs. Williams served as chair of the Combined Sewer Overflow Commission to develop flood control infrastructure and improve the health of the James River.
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On May 1, 1984, Geline B. Williams speaks to supporters after her victory over Robert E. Shiro, Sr. In her post-mayoral career, Mrs. Williams served on the Virginia Commission on Local Government from 1996 to 2006 after being appointed by Gov. George Allen. Mrs. Williams was born Feb. 27, 1924, along with her twin brother Jay Killian Bowman. Her brother was a U.S. Army Air Corps Lieutenant who died after being shot down in an Allied bombing raid over Germany in January 1945. Growing up in Richmond, Mrs. Williams graduated from St. Catherine's School before attending Goucher College in Baltimore (now located in Towson, Maryland) for two years. She served on boards for several Richmond organizations such as the Instructive Visiting Nurse Association, the Richmond Metropolitan Authority, Commonwealth Catholic Charities and the Christian Children's Fund. Mrs. Williams and her husband Alexander Hutcheson Williams Jr. helped found the
Virginia Society for Human Life in 1967 as the first state antiabortion organization in the country. For several years, the VSHL sponsored the Alex and Geline B. Williams Oratory Contest for high school juniors and seniors. "Geline B. Williams was a rare breed of woman who changed the world we live in but never sought the fame that her actions deserve," Olivia Gans Turner, VSHL president, said in a statement Monday. "She was also a dear friend whose memories are going to be precious to me and many others in the pro-life movement for decades to come." Mrs. Williams also served as chairman of the
National Right to Life Board of Directors for 34 years. “National Right to Life mourns the loss of a beloved pro-life leader,” Carol Tobias, National Right to Life president, said. “The impact Geline had on the founding of the pro-life movement and the work to protect women and their unborn babies cannot be overstated.” A longtime attendee of Saint Bridget Catholic Church, Mrs. Williams received several honors for her service, including the Benemerenti Medal. Awarded to her by Pope John Paul II in 1985, the Benemerenti Medal is the highest honor given by the Catholic Church to lay members. Mrs. Williams also received the Annual Brotherhood Award of the National Conference of Christians and Jews in 1979, the St. Catherine's School Distinguished Alumnae Award in 2011 and the
Commonwealth Catholic Charities Community Service Award in 2012. In addition to her service in the city and her church, Mrs. Williams was also a regular giver to the Richmond Christmas Mother Fund. Last February, the General Assembly issued a resolution in recognition of Mrs. Williams' upcoming 100th birthday as well as her leadership throughout Richmond. Mrs. Williams was married for 53 years to Alexander Hutcheson Williams, Jr., who died in December 1996. She is survived by five children, 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. A funeral mass will be held for Mrs. Williams Thursday at 11:30 a.m. with her burial to follow at Hollywood Cemetery.
From the Archives: A look back at Hull Street
Hull Street
03-04-1952 (cutline): Long the center of business activity in South Richmond, this photograph reflects activity along Hull st. early in the past decade. Even at that point, parking space was a premium and motorists circled the block looking for a spot. Hull Street
03-16-1955 (cutline): Motorists entering Hull Street shopping area in South Richmond has a little paper work on their hands today. A team of 39 men from the State Highway Department was conducting a "cordon count" in the area. Each motorist driving into the section past any one of 20 intersections was handed a card on which was to be noted the time and place of entry and later the time and place of exit from the general shopping district. It was part of a traffic survey initiated by the Department of Highways several weeks ago at the request of the City Department of Public Safety. Hull Street
04-10-1960 (cutline): View from the Richmond-Petersburg toll road shows Hull St. Looking South; Mayo Bridge in right foreground. Hull Street
07-31-1953: Hull Street busines owner on Richmond Day, a sales event planned to push summer items and call shopper's attention to the area. Hull Street
Hull Street
01-10-1955 (cutline): Traffic men begin survey of Hull Street parking problems. Left to rightL Vincent Taylor, G.F. Butcher, Jr., and H.K. Perkins, Jr. Hull Street
01-30-1961 (cutline): Louis D. Kessler (left) greets Hull St. shopper. Hull Street
Hull Street
Hull Street
