Quentin Williams Explained

Quentin Williams
Birth Name:Quentin W. Phipps
Birth Date:24 November 1983[1]
Birth Place:Middletown, Connecticut, U.S.
Death Place:Cromwell, Connecticut, U.S.
District:100th
Party:Democratic
State:Connecticut
State House:Connecticut
Term Start:January 9, 2019
Term End:January 5, 2023
Preceded:Matt Lesser
Succeeded:Kai Belton
Alma Mater:
Spouse:Carrissa Phillippe

Quentin S. "Q" Williams (; November 24, 1983 – January 5, 2023) was an American politician of the Democratic Party. He was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, representing the 100th district in Middlesex County from 2019 until his death in 2023.

Career

In 2007, he was elected to the Middletown, Connecticut Planning & Zoning Commission. Williams was unanimously made chair of the commission two years later. Williams was elected as Middletown Treasurer in 2011 and re-elected in 2015.[2]

He was the director of policy and advocacy for Excellence Community Schools, a charter school system in Stamford, Connecticut.[3]

Williams was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 2018 winning 61% of the vote over 39% for Republican candidate Anthony Gennaro.[4] He was re-elected in 2020 and 2022.[3] During the legislature's 2021–22 session, he co-chaired the committees on aging and housing. At the start of the 2023–24 session, he was set to co-chair the labor committee.[5] Williams was noted for his focus on housing issues.[3] In 2022, he authored a bill, which was successfully passed into law, leading to the formation of commissions to mediate disputes between tenants and renters in all Connecticut municipalities with a population of over 25,000.[6]

Personal life

Born Quentin Phipps, he changed his surname to Williams, his mother's last name, in 2022.[7] Williams was a graduate of Bryant University, where he studied business, and Villanova University, where he received a master's degree in public administration.[5] At the time of his death, he was enrolled at the Harvard Kennedy School.[5]

Williams lived in Middletown with his wife, the former Carrissa Phillippe.[8] [5] He was a member of the Cross Street Zion AME Church in Middletown.[9]

Death

On January 4, 2023, Williams was sworn in for his third term in the legislature and attended inaugural festivities for reelected governor Ned Lamont in Hartford that evening.[10] At 12:48 a.m. on January 5, Williams was driving southbound on Connecticut Route 9 in Cromwell when a northbound vehicle entered the lane and struck his car head-on.[5] Williams and the northbound driver both died at the scene. Quentin Williams was just 39 years old.[11]

Notes and References

  1. Information Summary – Fatal Collision RT 9 in Cromwell . January 5, 2023 . Connecticut State Police . January 7, 2023.
  2. Web site: Biography . State Representative Quentin "Q" Williams . Connecticut House Democrats . 14 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230213192521/https://www.housedems.ct.gov/Williams/Biography . February 13, 2023.
  3. News: CT lawmaker Quentin Williams killed in wrong-way crash in Cromwell after leaving inaugural ball . Yankowski . Peter . Brechlin . Dan . January 5, 2023 . January 5, 2023 . The Middletown Press.
  4. News: Connecticut Election Results – Election Results 2018 . The New York Times . November 6, 2018 . November 26, 2018.
  5. News: Rep. Quentin Williams presumed victim of wrong-way driver . Pazniokas . Mark . The Connecticut Mirror . January 5, 2023 . January 5, 2023.
  6. News: Middletown hopes to lead state in creation of state-required fair housing commission . Day . Cassandra . July 10, 2022 . January 5, 2023 . The Middletown Press.
  7. Web site: Day . Cassandra . Connecticut lawmaker changes last name to honor mother's heritage . The Middletown Press. July 8, 2022 . February 16, 2022.
  8. News: State Rep. Quentin Williams killed in wrong-way crash; 39-year-old rising star in legislature . Mavredakis . Mike . Keating . Christopher . Hartford Courant . January 5, 2023 . January 5, 2023.
  9. News: Connecticut lawmaker killed in tragic collision hours after being sworn in . Mitchell . Taylor Simone . January 5, 2023 . January 6, 2023 . Business Insider.
  10. News: Connecticut Lawmaker Killed in Crash After Inaugural Ball . The New York Times . January 5, 2023 . January 5, 2023 . Zraick . Karen . limited.
  11. News: Associated Press . A rising star in Connecticut politics dies in a collision with a wrong-way driver . January 6, 2023 . NPR . January 6, 2023.