Clarence Thomas Parents: Father M.C Thomas And Mother Leola Williams – The racial injustices that Clarence Thomas’ parents, M.C. Thomas and Leola Williams, endured were numerous. Clarence was a talented student who graduated from Yale and was the only other African-American to hold a judicial position.
The 74-year-old was heavily influenced by conservatives while attending Yale, and as a result, he is now regarded as the court’s most conservative justice.
Clarence has garnered media attention for his opinions on anti-abortion laws over the years. Clarence opposes abortion and supported the repeal of Roe v. Wade.
Clarence was raised in illiterate surroundings with no access to plumbing or heating. But he always had hope that he would escape poverty.
Thomas is now the longest-serving justice of the Supreme Court and has come a long way from the despairing past.
Clarence Thomas’s Parents: Father M.C Thomas And Mother Leola Williams
Clarence Thomas was born to parents M.C Thomas and Leola Williams in Pinpoint, Georgia, in 1948. Clarence was the couple’s older child.
In the 18th century, slavery was firmly established in the U.S, both in the North and the South. The American jurists’ ancestors were also part of it and were made to do the inhumane work day in and out.
Georgia, a southern state, had slavery even more deep-rooted in it. The men and women alike were made to work on farms where they picked cotton as it was the major crop.
M.C Thomas was a farm worker who abandoned his family when Clarence was two. For Clarence, it was his maternal grandfather who played the role of the father in his life.
Clarence went on to meet his father at age 9, and that is also the point where he starts his autographical book My Grandfather’s Son. The book is an ode to his grandfather who raised him, and Clarence calls himself his grandfather’s son, not his father.
Clarence’s mother, Leola Williams, was a maid. Lelo would make $10 a week and, if lucky, $15. Her ancestors and her sisters were also maids. She struggled to raise Clarence, but the mother-son duo managed to survive somehow.
Instead of blaming his fortunes for growing up in a poor household, the jurist says he was lucky to be born in a family that never victimized itself.
Thomas said his family always believed that the next generation would be able to free themselves from the current situation. And Clarence Thomas did exactly that.
Who Is Clarence Thomas’s Father? M.C Thomas
M.C Thomas was an absent father to two of his sons, Clarence and his younger brother Myers. After being abandoned by their father, the brothers continued to live with their mother and later shifted to Savannah.
They became homeless as their house burnt down and had to go to live with their maternal grandparents, Myers and Christine.
Myers Anderson, Clarence’s grandfather, became his inspiration. Myers only had schooling for nine months, and many rumored him to be a strict man.
But Clarence refuted those claims and said his grandfather was fair on everything, even on his beatings. Clarence described his grandfather as a hard man rather than a harsh man.
Being brought up in a challenging situation, Myers Anderson was a motherless child and never knew his father. He was raised by his grandmother, who was a freed slave.
In his book published in 2007, My Grandfather’s Son, M.C Thomas talks about his grandfather, who, throughout his book, is portrayed as the hero of his life.
A compassionate man, Myers would always say, we are grateful for the food on our table, clothes on our backs, and a roof over our heads.
Does Clarence Thomas Have Any Siblings? Myers Thomas And Emma Mae Martin
Clarence Thomas and his two siblings- Myers Thomas and Emma Mae Martin, were raised in different circumstances. While the brothers were raised by their grandparents, Emma was raised by her aunt.
Myers Thomas
His maternal grandparents raised Myers along with his brother in Savannah. Myers was named after his grandfather, who became the father figure in their lives.
Myers Thomas went on to live with his grandparents and his brother in 1955 after their house burnt down.
Raised in a Catholic household, the brothers attended schools run by Franciscan nuns who made them pull weeds and mop floors. Myers went on to become an accountant in Bloomfield, Connecticut.
Myers passed away on January 23, 2000, leaving his wife, Dora L. Thomas and his children Kimberly and Derek.
Emma Mae Martin
Emma Mae Martin was raised in the care of her aunt in Pin Pint and was raised as a Baptist. She attended public schools and later on in her life came under public scrutiny.
Clarence criticized his sister for taking up a job in public assistance and was angry she depended on welfare checks. The brother-sister duo isn’t in a good term to date.
At 21, she married Paul Martin, and before that, she was already pregnant with his child, which caused her to drop out of high school.
Later on, she went back to school to earn her diploma, and she went to become a mother two more times. After being deserted by her husband, she was left to raise her children by working two minimum wage jobs.
Who Are Clarence Thomas Children? Jamal Adeen Thomas And Mark Martin Jr
Clarence Thomas had two children- Jamal Adeen Thomas, his biological son, and Mark Martin Jr, his great nephew, who he adopted.
Jamal Adeen Thomas
Jamal Adeen Thomas was the first son of Justice Clarence and his first wife, Kathy Grace Ambush. The couple tied the knot in 1971 and experience parenthood for the first time in 1973.
Jamal Adeen lives a private life away from the media and public limelight. He attended Bishop Ireton High School in Virginia and later graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business.
The only child of Clarence Thomas works in the financial sector. He has worked at Wells Fargo and BB&T Scott and String.
Currently, he works at John F. Van Der Hyde as a Director of Supervision and is married to Sakina Karima Paige, a lawyer.
Mark Martin Jr
Mark Martin Jr was adopted by Clarence and his second wife, Virginia Lamp in 1997. Mark Martin Jr was adopted by his great uncle when he was six-year-old.
Mark’s father would be in and out of prison for his drug dealings. Clarence took him in, and the judge sent Mark to private school.
Clarance gave him extra homework to improve his math and reading and taught him to dribble with his left hand.
Mark excelled at school and was a Harry Potter fan. His great-uncle didn’t let him become like his father and is now comfortable around some of the brilliant legal minds.
Clarence Thomas’s Religion- A Devout Catholic
Clarence Thomas was raised in a catholic household. Thomas attended Catholic school along with his siblings.
Later on, he went to Catholic schools run by Franciscan nuns, and at home, they had their grandfather, who followed Roman Catholic religion.
Clarence credits the catholic nuns who helped him instil the belief that all people were children of God and raised him away from the world of racism.
While speaking to the University of Notre Dame in 2021, Clarence Thomas said, “My nuns and my grandparents lived out their sacred vocation in a time of stark racial animus, and did so with pride with dignity and with honour. May we find it within ourselves to emulate them.”
Clarence Thomas Quick Facts
| Full Name | Clarence Thomas |
| Age | 74 |
| Education | Yale University (JD) |
| Father’s Name | M.C Thomas |
| Mother’s Name | Leola Williams |
| Siblings | 2 (Myers and Emma) |
| Spouse’s Name | Virginia Thomas |
| Children | 2(Jamal Adeen Thomas and adopted Mark Martin Jr) |
