[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 123 (Thursday, July 27, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1528-E1529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              IN RECOGNITION OF JOHNSON CHESTNUT WHITTAKER

                                 ______


                           HON. LOUIS STOKES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 27, 1995
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Johnson 
Chestnut Whittaker. This individual, one of the first black cadets to 
attend West Point, was posthumously commissioned as a second lieutenant 
by President Clinton in a White House ceremony earlier this week. The 
road to achieving this high honor has been long and arduous for the 
descendants of this distinguished American.
  Many of us have followed closely recent press stories which detail a 
shameful incident in our Nation's history. In 1880, Johnson Chestnut 
Whittaker, a black West Point cadet, was found beaten and unconscious 
in his room. Although his legs had been tied and his face and hands 
were slashed, West Point administrators falsely accused Johnson of 
staging a racist attack on himself. Following a court martial in 1881, 
Johnson Chestnut Whittaker was expelled from the institution.
  Mr. Speaker, despite the grave injustice which he suffered at West 
Point, Johnson Chestnut Whittaker persevered and made great 
achievements. During his lifetime he practiced law, served as a high 
school principal, and taught psychology. Johnson Whittaker died in 
1931, never realizing that one day, his descendants would stand proudly 
to receive the rank and honor which was never afforded him by West 
Point.
  One hundred and fifteen years following the West Point incident, and 
64 years after the death of Johnson Chestnut Whittaker, his 
granddaughter, Cecil Whittaker Pequette, received the gold-plated bars 
from President Clinton, posthumously commissioning him as a second 
lieutenant. In his remarks at the White House ceremony, President 
Clinton noted that, ``We cannot undo history. But today, finally, we 
can pay tribute to a great American and we can acknowledge a great 
injustice.''
  Mr. Speaker, I am certain that many in this Chamber share the 
President's sentiments. I offer my heartfelt appreciation to Cecil 
Whittaker Pequette and other members of the Whittaker family for their 
unyielding pursuit of justice. We pause today in this Chamber to 

[[Page E 1529]]
pay special tribute to 2d Lt. Johnson Chestnut Whittaker.


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