Born: 22 August 1910, United Kingdom
Died: 26 May 1982
Country most active: United Kingdom
Also known as: Elizabeth Leitch Williamson Campbell
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women founder Allison Tyra’s book The View from the Hill: Women Who Made Their Mark After 40.
Bessie Williamson would soon take her place as “The First Lady of Laphroaig,” as a writer would later dub her, declaring “she occupies an almost talismanic position in Scotch whisky history as the person who, without fanfare, proved that given the opportunity women could do so much more in a distillery than type or make tea.” Although she took over management of the distillery in her 30s, it was not until 1950, the year she turned 40, that Williamson officially took charge as company chairman and a shareholder. When her mentor, owner Ian Hunter, died in 1954, Williamson inherited the business. She had begun working at the company after a summer holiday in 1934 and a temporary typing job led to a love of the distillery, and she would continue living on the island of Islay for the rest of her life. Hunter later promoted her to office manager and entrusted her with more and more responsibilities, particularly after he had a stroke in 1938.
Williamson represented the company on trips to the U.S., seeing the potential in that market before many others in the scotch industry. The deep understanding she developed later led the Scotch Whisky Association to appoint her its North American spokesperson from 1961 to 1964. Back on the island, she was known for charitable works in her adopted community and was well-regarded by her staff, with one employee recalling, “She was a good boss. She just let the workers carry on with their work; it was the proper thing to do. Everybody knew his job anyway… She never had any bother.” In addition to cultivating the U.S. market, Williamson arranged the eventual sale of Laphroaig to a larger company in the 1960s, which enabled her to upgrade and expand the facilities. She remained as chair and managing director until retiring in 1972, almost 40 years after a summer holiday had changed the course of both her life and the company’s.