William A. Feilds

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = William A. Feilds

|image = William A Feilds.jpg

|imagesize = 150px

|office1 = Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives

|term_start1 = 1885

|term_end1 = 1886

|nationality = American

|party = Republican

}}

William A. Fields{{#tag:ref|Historical records do not agree on the spelling of his surname; it has been alternatively spelled Field, Fields and Feild. According to the state of Tennessee, Feilds himself preferred this spelling.|group="N"}} (between c. 1846 and 1852 – September 9, 1898) was an American schoolteacher and principal who served one term as a Republican legislator in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1885 to 1886. He was also elected a member of the Shelby County county court, a legislative body, and a justice of the peace.{{cite web|url=http://www.tn.gov/tsla/exhibits/blackhistory/feilds.htm |title=African American Legislators in 19th Century Tennessee: WILLIAM ALEXANDER FEILDS |publisher=State of Tennessee |accessdate=2015-09-19 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724020301/http://www.tn.gov/tsla/exhibits/blackhistory/feilds.htm |archivedate=2015-07-24}} He was born an enslaved person.

The American documentary series Who Do You Think You Are? (2011) revealed that he is the paternal great-great-grandfather of actress, singer and Miss America 1984, Vanessa Williams and of actor Chris Williams and the maternal great-great-great-grandfather of Jillian Hervey.{{cite web

|url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/who-do-you-think-you-are/episode-1-season-2/vanessa-williams/296860/

|title=Who Do You Think You Are?: Season 2, Episode 1, Vanessa Williams (February, 2011)

|accessdate=2015-12-05

|last=

|first=

|date=2011-02-04

|publisher=Who Do You Think You Are?

}}