[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 495 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 495

Honoring the life and achievements of Dame Lois Browne Evans, Bermuda's 
first female barrister, Attorney General, and Opposition Leader in the 
                         British Commonwealth.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 18, 2007

 Ms. Watson (for herself and Mr. Butterfield) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Honoring the life and achievements of Dame Lois Browne Evans, Bermuda's 
first female barrister, Attorney General, and Opposition Leader in the 
                         British Commonwealth.

Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans was born in 1927, in Bermuda, and attended the 
        Central School and Middle Temple at London's Inns of Court, in the 
        United Kingdom;
Whereas at the age of 26, Dame Lois Browne Evans was called to the London Bar, 
        in June 1952, and the following December called to the Bermuda Bar and 
        opened her own practice;
Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans became Bermuda's first female lawyer and went on 
        to a distinguished career as a leading counsel;
Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans was a life-long advocate for the rights of 
        workers and black Bermudians and a prominent member of the Progressive 
        Labor Party (PLP);
Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans was elected to Parliament in 1963 and became the 
        first black female to serve in Parliament;
Whereas in 1968, in Bermuda's first general election in which all adults were 
        entitled to vote, Dame Lois Browne Evans was elected the PLP's 
        Parliamentary Leader and became the first female Opposition Leader in 
        the British Commonwealth;
Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans held the position of Opposition Leader until 1972 
        and, in 1973, became Jamaica's Honorary Counsel in Bermuda, the first 
        Bermudian to serve in this capacity;
Whereas in 1976 Dame Lois Browne Evans was again elected to Parliament and 
        served as the Opposition Leader until 1985;
Whereas the PLP won its first election in 1998 and Dame Lois Browne Evans was 
        appointed Minister of Legislative Affairs;
Whereas in 1999 Dame Lois Browne Evans became Bermuda's first elected Attorney 
        General and first female Attorney General;
Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans was Bermuda's longest serving Member of 
        Parliament;
Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans debated at the historic London and Bermuda 
        Constitutional Conferences and served as a delegate to numerous 
        international conferences in Africa, New Zealand, the United States, and 
        the Caribbean;
Whereas Dame Lois Brown Evans was a member of the International Federation of 
        Women Lawyers and a founding member of the Bermuda Business and 
        Professional Women's Club;
Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans led an exceptional life in which she played a 
        major role in the racial integration of Bermuda and advanced the cause 
        of civil, human, and minority rights in Bermuda and throughout the 
        world; and
Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans passed away on May 29, 2007, at the age of 79 
        years: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) expresses its profound sympathy to the family of Dame 
        Lois Browne Evans and the citizens of Bermuda over the passing 
        of Dame Lois Browne Evans; and
            (2) commends the exemplary lifetime achievements of Dame 
        Lois Browne Evans, her commitment to public service, and the 
        singular role she played as a true pioneer who forged the way 
        ahead for women and minorities.
                                 <all>