Based on a sample of η ′ mesons produced in the radiative decay J/ψ → γη ′ in 1.31 × 10 9 J/ψ events collected with the BESIII detector, the decay η ′ → ωe + e − is observed for the first time, with a statistical significance of 8σ. The branching fraction is measured to be B(η ′ → ωe + e − ) = (1.97 ± 0.34(stat) ± 0.17(syst)) × 10 −4 , which is in agreement with theoretical predictions. The branching fraction of η ′ → ωγ is also measured to be (2.55 ± 0.03(stat) ± 0.16(syst)) × 10 −2 , which is the most precise measurement to date, and the relative branching fractionis determined to be (7.71 ± 1.34(stat) ± 0.54(syst)) × 10 −3 .