[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 71 (Thursday, June 9, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 9, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    MATTHEW J. PERRY, JR. COURTHOUSE

                                 ______


                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 8, 1994

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation to 
designate the U.S. Courthouse to be constructed in Columbia, SC, as the 
``Matthew J. Perry, Jr. United States Courthouse''.
  Mathew Perry was born on Aug. 3, 1921, in Columbia, SC, and attended 
South Carolina State College from 1939 to 1942. His education was 
interrupted from 1943 to 1946, as he served on active duty in the U.S. 
Army during World War II.
  Upon discharge from the service, Mr. Perry completed his bachelor's 
degree and law degree from South Carolina State, and he was admitted to 
the South Carolina Bar in 1951.
  During the next 24 years, Mr. Perry distinguished himself in the 
legal community. During this time, Mr. Perry participated in the 
successful defense of more than 7,000 black students who were arrested 
because of their participation in protest activities against 
segregation in the South. Among the many cases in which Mr. Perry 
participated in this vein include the following: Fields v. South 
Carolina; Edwards v. South Carolina; Henry v. City of Rock Hill; Hamm 
v. City of Rock Hill; Person v. City of Greenville; Bouie v. City of 
Columbia; and Barr v. City of Columbia.
  Mr. Speaker, it was my great honor to have been involved as a 
litigant in both the Fields and Edwards cases listed above. In fact, I 
was Mr. Perry's only witness in Fields, and it was during that 
litigation that a relationship fostered between Mr. Perry and me which 
continues to blossom even until this day. I can think of no living 
South Carolinian whom I hold in higher esteem. Matthew Perry was 
involved in virtually all the litigation which broke racial barriers in 
South Carolina during this century.
  Among the other cases Mr. Perry represented were Gantt v. Clemson 
College, resulting in the admission of Harvey Gantt to CLemson College, 
which had never admitted a black student prior to this case, and 
Montieth v. University of South Carolina, which resulted in the 
admission of the first black student to the University of South 
Carolina since Reconstruction.
  In 1975, Matthew Perry was nominated by President Ford and 
unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, to serve as a judge on the 
United States Court of Military Appeals here in Washington.
  Matthew Perry's ability, courage, and tenacity were further 
recognized on June 28, 1979, when President Carter nominated him for 
appointment to the U.S. District Court for South Carolina. Again, Judge 
Perry's confirmation by the Senate was unanimous. Upon his 
confirmation, Judge Perry became the first African-American to sit on 
the Federal bench in South Carolina.
  Mr. Speaker, for his outstanding and exemplary service to his State 
and Nation, I am introducing this legislation to pay tribute to Judge 
Matthew Perry, and I ask my colleagues to join me in this effort.

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