Frances Wills

Frances Eliza Wills (married name: Frances Thorpe; 12 July 1910 – 18 January 1998)[1][2] was an American naval officer and one of the first two African American female officers commissioned by the United States Navy.[3] After her years with the WAVES, she worked as secretary to Langston Hughes.[4][5]

Frances Eliza Wills
Born12 July 1910
Philadelphia, U.S.
Died18 January 1998(1998-01-18) (aged 87)
New York, U.S.
Other namesFrances E. Thorpe
Alma materHunter College, University of Pittsburgh
Occupation(s)Naval officer, secretary
EmployerUnited States Navy
Known forBeing one of the first two African American women officers in the US Navy.
Notable workNavy Blue and Other Colors: A Memoir of Adventure and Happiness
SpouseCharles L. Thorpe

Early life

Frances Eliza Wills was born in Philadelphia.[1] She attended Hunter College in New York City, and subsequently earned a master's degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh.[1][6] While there, she met the poet and activist Langston Hughes.[1] Wills worked for some years at the YMCA, organizing community events and social aid.[6] She was working in New York as a social worker when approached to enlist with the WAVES.[3]

WAVES
Harriet Ida Pickens and Frances Wills (right), 1944

The Women's Reserve force of the US Navy, known as the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), was established on 30 July 1942.[3] Though many African American women sought to enlist, then Secretary of the US Navy Frank Knox refused their admission.[6][3] Following Knox's sudden death in April 1944, existing pressure from activists was increased, and on October 19, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized their inclusion in the WAVES - which was to be fully integrated.[3] Frances Wills and Harriet Pickens were chosen as the first African American female recruits.[3] They were enlisted in the WAVES on November 13, 1944.[3]

In her memoir, Wills would recall:

In October 1944 when the Navy said it was ready for me and I said, ‘Take me,’ I was not consciously making a statement about race relations.[7]

Both women were sent to the WAVES training facility in New York City, where Wills became a classification test administrator for the enlisted.[6] By the end of the war, over 70 more African American women had joined the ranks of the WAVES.[6]

Later life

Wills was discharged from the Navy at the end of the war.[3] She later authored a book on her experiences called Navy Blue and Other Colors: a memoir of adventure and happiness.[1][8] This was published under her married name, Francis Wills Thorpe.[1][9] Her husband was Charles L. Thorpe.[2] Wills also became President of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden Auxiliary, in Palm Coast, Florida.[2]

Frances Wills Thorpe died on 18 January 1998.[2] A memorial service was held for her in Sag Harbor, New York.[2]

References
  1. "Frances Wills, Naval Officer born". African American Registry. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  2. "Paid Notice: Deaths THORPE, FRANCES (NEE WILLS)". The New York Times. 1998-01-20. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  3. ""We Made it, Friend" The First African American Female Officers in the US Navy". The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  4. Zimmerman, Andrew (2017-08-30). "Courage in Adversity: Harriet Pickens & Frances Wills". Women Offshore. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  5. "#VeteranOfTheDay Navy Veteran Frances E. Wills Thorpe - VA News". news.va.gov. 2020-03-01. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  6. Master, Web (2021-06-09). "WAVES Trailblazers: Lt. j.g. Harriet Ida Pickens and Ensign Frances Wills, the first African-American WAVES officers". The Mariners' Museum and Park. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  7. "Frances E. Thorpe Collection". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  8. "Navy blue and other colors : a memoir of adventure and happiness | WorldCat.org". www.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  9. Thorpe, Frances Wills (2007). Navy blue and other colors : a memoir of adventure and happiness. [New York, N.Y.?]: C.L. Thorpe. ISBN 978-1-4257-3189-2. OCLC 173845081.
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