Editing Eric Williams (section)

==Personal life==
Eric Williams had married Elsie Ribeiro, a music studies student born to a mother from [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]] and a [[Portuguese Trinidadian and Tobagonian|Portuguese Trinidadian]] father, on 30 January 1937, while he was a postgraduate student at Oxford University. He had known Ribeiro from Trinidad before he left for the United Kingdom and she was the sister of his roommate in England. The ceremony was private out of fear that the terms of his scholarship could have prohibited marriage and he did not want it to be terminated. After he graduated, they moved to [[Washington, D.C.]] in the [[United States]] where he obtained a position at [[Howard University]]. They had a son, Alistair Williams, in 1943 and a daughter, Elsie Pamela Williams, in 1947. However, Williams questioned the paternity of Elsie Pamela, thus leading to problems in the marriage. In May 1948, Williams left Washington, D.C. to go back to Trinidad, abandoning his wife and children. His reason for not financially supporting them after leaving was because Ribeiro refused to send their children to Oxford University in the future.<ref name="caribbean-beat.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.caribbean-beat.com/issue-51/the-private-eric-williams |title=The private Eric Williams |date=2 September 2001 |access-date=2 November 2022 |archive-date=2 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102001107/https://www.caribbean-beat.com/issue-51/the-private-eric-williams |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="triniview.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.triniview.com/kimjohnson/eric3.html|title=TriniView.com − Love Hurts|website=www.triniview.com|access-date=2 November 2022|archive-date=17 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517005037/http://www.triniview.com/kimjohnson/eric3.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

After returning to Trinidad in 1948, he met Evelyn Siulan Soy Moyou, a typist 13 years his junior of [[Chinese Trinidadian and Tobagonian|Chinese]] descent on her father's side and Chinese, [[Afro-Trinidadian and Tobagonian|African]], and [[Portuguese Trinidadian and Tobagonian|Portuguese]] descent on her mother's side, and she was a niece of [[Solomon Hochoy]], the future [[Governor of Trinidad and Tobago|Governor]] and [[Governor-General of Trinidad and Tobago]] during Williams's premiership. She worked at the [[Caribbean Commission]] where Williams had taken up a position. They began a relationship and he initiated divorce proceedings from Ribeiro in January 1950 on a Caribbean Commission trip to the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]].<ref name="caribbean-beat.com"/><ref name="triniview.com"/>

Ribeiro responded with an injunction restraining him from proceeding with his petition. After dropping the proceedings, in a letter of April 1950 submitted to the jurisdiction of the District of Columbia court, he agreed to abide by its decision and be bound by an order regarding alimony. However, a few months later while on a research holiday in the United States he reinitiated divorce proceedings in [[Reno, Nevada]], known for its quick divorces, due to the fact that Moyou was pregnant with his child. However, Ribeiro obtained an injunction preventing Williams from making any attempt at divorce, on the grounds that he had earlier subjected himself to the jurisdiction of the District of Columbia court. Williams filed formal proceedings for a divorce on 24 November 1950. On 13 December 1950, Williams was ordered to appear in court, most likely because he had filed for a divorce in Reno, even though he had earlier submitted himself to the jurisdiction of the District of Columbia. Even though a lawyer had been assigned to him, he did not appear and on 22 December 1950 he was ordered to be taken into custody by a US Marshal. His lawyer in Reno pointed out that his divorce had been granted, though a search of the court records showed no entry for a final decree. Williams eventually met the six-week residential requirement to obtain a Nevada divorce and on 2 January 1951, he married Moyou in Reno, in a ceremony performed by The Rev. Munroe Warner of First Christian Church. Their daughter, Erica Williams, was born on 12 February 1951, in Reno. After his second marriage, Ribeiro obtained a divorce from him on 20 January 1951, on grounds of desertion. It was made effective on 21 July 1951 and he was ordered to pay a monthly alimony of US$250 for the maintenance of his first wife and two children. On 26 May 1953, Mayou died from [[Tuberculosis]].<ref name="caribbean-beat.com"/><ref name="triniview.com"/>

He later married Mayleen Mook Sang, his daughter's dentist.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.triniview.com/kimjohnson/eric4.html|title=TriniView.com − Eric's love & death|website=www.triniview.com}}</ref> She was of [[Chinese Guyanese]] origin.<ref>Mayleen Mook Sang</ref> They were married on [[Caledonia Island]] on 13 November 1957 by Rev. Andrew McKean, of Greyfriars Presbyterian Church on Frederick Street in [[Port of Spain]].<ref>Kenny, Julian (27 March 2011). [https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/an-eric-williams-enigma/article_5a24efc4-e89b-559e-9a70-b6428c8f662a.amp.html "An Eric Williams Enigma."] ''[[Daily Express (Trinidad)|Daily Express]]''. Retrieved 28 July 2024.</ref> However, the couple never lived together and the marriage was kept hidden by Williams. The marriage was exposed 18 months later when Mook Sang sent a copy of their marriage certificate to the ''Chronicle'' newspaper following rumors of Williams having an affair with a local beauty queen. They remained married till his death. After his death she filed to receive Williams' benefits and pension from his premiership, however it was given to his daughter, Erica, who was named his heir in his will.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/07/21/Caribbean-News-Briefs/1112459230400/|title=Caribbean News Briefs|website=UPI}}</ref>