[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 427 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 427

  Honoring the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Congressman Louis 
                                Stokes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 17, 2015

Ms. Fudge (for herself, Mr. Joyce, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, Mr. Renacci, Mrs. 
 Beatty, Mr. Jordan, Mr. Tiberi, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Johnson of Ohio, Mr. 
Stivers, Mr. Gibbs, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Latta, Mr. Becerra, Mr. Hoyer, Ms. 
 Adams, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Ms. Brown of Florida, Mr. Butterfield, 
 Mr. Carson of Indiana, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Clay, Mr. Cleaver, 
Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Edwards, 
   Mr. Ellison, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Mr. Hastings, Ms. 
  Norton, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Jeffries, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of 
  Texas, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Ms. Lee, Mr. 
 Lewis, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Moore, Mr. Payne, Ms. Plaskett, Mr. Rangel, Mr. 
Richmond, Mr. Rush, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. David Scott of Georgia, 
  Ms. Sewell of Alabama, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Veasey, Ms. 
  Maxine Waters of California, Mrs. Watson Coleman, and Ms. Wilson of 
Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                   Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Honoring the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Congressman Louis 
                                Stokes.

Whereas Louis Stokes was born on February 23, 1925, in Cleveland, Ohio, to 
        Charles and Louise Cinthy Stokes;
Whereas in 1943, Louis Stokes graduated from Central High School in Cleveland, 
        Ohio;
Whereas from 1943 to 1946, Louis Stokes served as a personnel specialist in the 
        United States Army;
Whereas following these years of military service, Louis Stokes returned to 
        Cleveland and attended the Cleveland College of Western Reserve 
        University from 1946 to 1948, and subsequently earned a Juris Doctor 
        from the Cleveland Marshall School of Law in 1953;
Whereas Louis Stokes practiced law in Cleveland, Ohio, for 14 years and was one 
        of the founders of the Stokes, Stokes, Character and Terry law firm;
Whereas during his time at his law firm, he became involved in a number of civil 
        rights-related cases, often working pro bono on behalf of poor clients 
        and activists;
Whereas Louis Stokes tried three cases before the United States Supreme Court, 
        including the landmark case of Terry v. Ohio, which defined the legality 
        of police search and seizure procedures;
Whereas, on November 6, 1968, Louis Stokes was elected to the United States 
        House of Representatives, representing the 21st (later the 11th) 
        District of Ohio;
Whereas upon his election, he became the first African-American to represent 
        Ohio;
Whereas he was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, an 
        organization comprised of the Black Members of the United States 
        Congress, created to be the voice for people of color and vulnerable 
        communities, and he served as its chair for two terms;
Whereas in 1971, Congressman Stokes was the first African-American to serve on 
        the House Appropriations Committee, and by his retirement in 1998, had 
        earned the distinguished rank of ``Cardinal'' as chair of the 
        Subcommittee on VA-HUD-Independent Agencies;
Whereas Congressman Stokes chaired a number of historic committees such as the 
        House Select Committee on the Assassinations of President John F. 
        Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (95th Congress); the Permanent 
        Select Committee on Intelligence (100th Congress); and the Committee on 
        Standards of Official Conduct (97th-98th Congress);
Whereas he also served on the House Committee on the Budget and gained national 
        prominence as a member of the House Select Committee to Investigate 
        Covert Arms Transactions with Iran in 1987;
Whereas in 1998, he successfully led the House in passage of H.R. 1635, the 
        National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act, his final major 
        piece of legislation;
Whereas, after serving 15 consecutive terms in the United States House of 
        Representatives, Congressman Stokes ranked 11th out of 435 Members of 
        Congress and was the dean of the Ohio delegation;
Whereas few Members have left such an indelible mark in this institution;
Whereas with kindness, integrity and diligence, he worked hard with both sides 
        of the aisle to serve the constituents of his Congressional District, 
        the city of Cleveland, the State of Ohio, and citizens of the United 
        States of America;
Whereas he worked tirelessly for minorities, the poor, and disadvantaged 
        persons, and he played a pivotal role in the quest for civil rights, 
        equality, and justice;
Whereas his Christian faith was the foundation of his service to others;
Whereas he often expressed gratitude for the sacrifices of his mother--a young 
        widow, former sharecropper, and daughter of slaves--who inspired her 
        sons to get an education so that they would not have to work with their 
        hands as she did as a domestic worker;
Whereas Congressman Stokes received numerous awards and honors during his 
        lifetime that recognize his leadership and his commitment to public 
        service;
Whereas there are several landmarks in the city of Cleveland that bear his name, 
        including the Louis Stokes Wing of the Cleveland Public Library, the 
        Louis Stokes Health Sciences Center at Case Western Reserve University, 
        and the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center;
Whereas nationally, buildings named in his honor are the Louis Stokes 
        Laboratories at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, 
        and the Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library at Howard University in 
        Washington, the District of Columbia;
Whereas given his commitment to education, the Louis Stokes Alliance for 
        Minority Participation (LSAMP) in STEM at the National Science 
        Foundation also bears his name;
Whereas LSAMP assists universities and colleges in increasing the number of 
        students completing high-quality degree programs in science, technology, 
        engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines in order to diversify 
        the STEM workforce; and
Whereas Louis Stokes received 26 honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and 
        universities and on July 8, 2003, was honored by the United States 
        Congress with the Congressional Distinguished Service Award: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) honors the life, accomplishments, and legacy of 
        Congressman Louis Stokes; and
            (2) extends its heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the 
        family, friends, and loved ones of Congressman Louis Stokes.
                                 <all>