[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 145 (Friday, October 7, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 7, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             TRIBUTE TO MARYLAND STATE SENATOR TROY BRAILEY

 Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, it is with deep personal sadness 
that I rise today to pay tribute to my long-time friend and colleague, 
Maryland State Senator Troy Brailey, who died yesterday.
  Troy and I first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1966, 
and served together there for 4 years. But even before he began his 
distinguished career of elected public service in the Maryland 
legislature, which spanned 24 years, Troy Brailey was already an 
outstanding national leader in both the labor and civil rights 
movements.
  Early in his life, Troy Brailey was a Pullman porter, who worked with 
A. Philip Randolph in the early days of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car 
Porters to organize the porters. He went on to serve as national vice 
president of the Afro-American Labor Council and president of the 
Baltimore division of the Porters Union.
  His work on behalf of working men and women, combined with his 
leadership in the civil rights movement for justice and opportunity 
made Senator Troy Brailey an inspiration and model for all of us.
  From his early efforts helping to plan the Washington march which was 
called off when President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the Executive 
order establishing the Fair Employment Practices Commission, to his 
role as state chairman and organizer of the historic 1963 March on 
Washington, Troy Brailey was a tireless fighter for civil rights for 
all of our people.
  Beyond his leading role in the labor movement, civil rights, and 
elected public service, Senator Troy Brailey was deeply involved in 
countless efforts on behalf of the people he served, including many 
years of service on the executive board of the NAACP; the Boy Scouts; 
the board of directors of the YMCA; the Baltimore Street Car Museum; 
the Apprenticeship Advisory Board and many others.
  Mr. President, I have indeed been fortunate to be among those who 
were influenced by Senator Troy Brailey, who benefited from his wisdom 
and experience and who were honored to have him as a friend. I extend 
my heartfelt condolences to his widow Chessie, his son Norman, daughter 
Alice, and other members of his family on the passing of this genuine 
champion for working men and women.
  I ask that articles from today's Baltimore Afro-American and 
Baltimore Sun recounting Maryland State Senator Troy Brailey's life and 
accomplishments be reprinted in the Record at this point.
  The article follows:

                 [From the Baltimore Sun, Oct. 7, 1994]

          Troy Brailey, Champion for Civil Rights, Dies at 78

                  (By Fred Rasmussen and Dewitt Bliss)

       F. Troy Brailey, civil rights champion, founder of the 
     Maryland Legislative Black Caucus and former executive of the 
     Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, died yesterday of cancer 
     at his West Baltimore Home. He was 78.
       Mr. Brailey, who represented West Baltimore in the Maryland 
     General Assembly for 24 years, was a staunch supporter of 
     organized labor, but best known for his efforts in the civil 
     rights movement. He often would regale friends with stories 
     of the movement's leaders, as well as tales of old 
     politicians and deals from the glory days of west-side 
     politics.
       While he had not been active in politics for four years, 
     after losing a re-election bid for his seat in the Maryland 
     Senate, he was remembered yesterday on all levels of 
     government--on Capitol Hill, at the State House and at City 
     Hall.
       ``Troy Brailey was a magnificent individual in this 
     business who never lost the ability to poke fun at himself 
     and offer a smile to others,'' said Democratic U.S. Rep. 
     Kweisi Mfume of Baltimore. ``His work in the 40th District is 
     virtually legendary.''
       Gov. William Donald Schaefer, another elected official with 
     roots in West Baltimore, said: ``I remember [him] as a 
     tireless worker who loved his community and the city of 
     Baltimore. He was one of the civil rights workers who 
     respected everyone and used the law to force change. He was 
     my good friend, I'll miss him.''
       Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. echoed the 
     governor's praise and said he considered Mr. Brailey ``living 
     history.''
       ``I was honored to serve with him in the House of Delegates 
     and in the Senate of Maryland,'' said Mr. Miller, a Democrat 
     from Prince George's County. ``I enjoyed immensely his 
     conversations and discussions * * * particularly the role he 
     personally played in the civil rights movements in the 1960s. 
     He helped organize the march in Washington, D.C., and before 
     that was instrumental in promoting and achieving minority 
     gains in the Pullman workers union.''
       Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke said ``Senator Brailey was a true 
     pioneer, making achievements in the fields of labor relations 
     and politics. He worked with some of the giants of the civil 
     rights movement, especially A. Philip Randolph, and he was an 
     inspiration to a generation of political activists.''
       Mr. Brailey, a native of Lynchburg, S.C., rose from humble 
     beginnings.
       He would tell the story that he and the late Solomon Liss, 
     a former Baltimore City Councilman, judge and state official, 
     got their start on the same South Baltimore street corner, 
     across the street from the Cross Street Market. They met 
     there as very young men, when Mr. Liss was selling newspapers 
     and Mr. Brailey was shining shoes.
       He later pressed clothing and was a waiter at Rossiter's 
     Restaurant in South Baltimore and the old Baltimore Press 
     Club before becoming a railroad porter.
       Mr. Brailey's work for civil rights included service as 
     state chairman for the 1963 March on Washington, organizer 
     for the 1957 Prayer Pilgrimage to Washington and state 
     chairman for the 1958 and 1959 youth marches to Washington. 
     He had also been a leader in the planned 1941 march on 
     Washington, a demonstration that was called off after 
     President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an Executive Order 
     8802 establishing the Fair Employment Practices 
     Commission. He had also been an adviser to local civil 
     rights demonstrators who participated in sit-ins at 
     restaurants that refused them service.
       In the early 1960s, he had stopped work as a Pullman 
     porter, a job he head held since 1941, and had ended his 
     service as president of the Baltimore division of the 
     Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. He had worked to 
     organize porters in the early days of the union.
       For about 20 years, he was active in the Negro American 
     Labor Council, also started by Mr. Randolph, serving as 
     president of the local unit and as a national vice president.
       ``I'm really saddened to hear this,'' said Edward A. 
     Mohler, president of the Maryland-D.C. AFL-CIO. ``He had a 
     long political career and was always interested in working 
     people. He was proud of his union affiliation and for being 
     able to boost folks. He was a first-class guy.''
       In 1966, Mr. Brailey was elected to the House of Delegates, 
     where he served until 1982, when he defeated the late Verda 
     F. Welcome, the state's first black woman senator, for the 
     40th District Senate seat.
       He lost his seat in 1990 to Ralph M. Hughes, a two-term 
     delegate who was credited for authoring the state law aimed 
     at preventing the sale of cheaply made guns. Ironically, Mr. 
     Brailey had long been a supporter of a ban on so-called 
     ``Saturday night specials'' and had offered legislation as 
     early as 1986 to outlaw them.
       Just last month, his son, Norman Brailey, lost a bid to win 
     back the seat from Mr. Hughes.
       Mr. Brailey also informally aided individual workers and 
     small groups. He advised black firefighters in Baltimore 
     during the early days of integration. He also headed the 
     labor committee of the Baltimore unit of the National 
     Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
       He was a member of the Enterprise Lodge of the Prince Hall 
     Masons and of the Leadenhall Baptist Church, 1021 Leadenhall 
     St., where he will lie in state from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. 
     Monday. The family hour will begin at 11 a.m. and the service 
     will be held at noon.
       He is also survived by his wife, the former Chessie 
     Granger; a daughter, Alice Brailey-Torriente of Baltimore; 
     two sisters, Ophelia Brailey Singletary of Washington and 
     Fannie Brailey Bailey of Seat Pleasant; three grandchildren 
     and two great-grandchildren.

            [From the Baltimore Afro-American, Oct. 7, 1994]

           Senator Troy Brailey Dies, Was a Political Pioneer

       Always regarded as a gentle man with a determination cast 
     in concrete, Troy Brailey, 76, passed away quietly at his 
     home early Thursday morning, bringing an end to a career that 
     had seen him as a close ally and friend of such greats as A. 
     Philip Randolph, Martin Luther King Jr., and others and a 
     member of the Maryland General Assembly for more than 20 
     years.
       Though he had been out of the Assembly for a number of 
     years, he was still referred to as senator, as a mark of 
     respect and affection for him.
       Funeral services have been set for Monday, October 10, at 
     12 noon at Leadenhall Baptist Church, 1021 Leadenhall St. The 
     family will receive from 11 a.m. until noon.
       Senator Brailey's body will lie in state on Saturday and 
     Sunday at the Leroy Dyett Funeral Home.
       He had strong ties to organized labor, and during the 
     height of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, he 
     was a participant in many of the campaigns.

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