[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.
____________________