[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 74 (Tuesday, June 3, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S5275]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     JEWEL S. LAFONTANT-MANKARIOUS

 Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. Mr. President, today I would like to offer 
my sincere condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Jewel 
S. Lafontant-Mankarious. I especially want to convey my most heartfelt 
condolences to Mrs. Lafontant-Mankarious's son and my dear friend, John 
Rogers.
  On Saturday, May 31, 1997, our Nation lost one of our finest 
citizens. Mrs. Lafontant-Mankarious, a native of my hometown Chicago, 
will be remembered by many as a courageous woman who broke barriers for 
African-American women in law and government.
  Jewel Lafontant-Mankarious was born of a distinguished family of 
African-American professionals and leaders, who had a long history of 
American patriotism. It was only natural that she would want to follow 
in this tradition of leadership. Mrs. Lafontant-Mankarious' desires led 
her to pursue an undergraduate degree in political science at Oberlin 
College, and later a law degree from the University of Chicago, where 
she graduated in 1946. Due to the level of institutional racism and 
sexism that existed in the legal field at that time, however, Mrs. 
Lafontant-Mankarious found herself unable to secure a job in a major 
firm, obtain office space in the downtown area, or even join the 
Chicago Bar Association. Mrs. Lafontant-Markarious was resilient, 
however, and would later rise to become a senior partner in the firm of 
Stradford, Lafontant, Gibson, Fisher & Cousins, senior legal partner at 
Vedder, Price, Kaufman & Kammholz, and a partner in the law firm of 
Holleb & Collef. Just this past year, in fact, Mrs. Lafontant-
Mankarious was cited as one of the top female attorneys in the city of 
Chicago.
  Her success never interfered with her commitment to public service. 
Mrs. Lafontant-Mankarious, has been remembered as ``a regal woman, a 
person of the highest integrity,'' who ``gave her legal services to the 
downtrodden people who couldn't fight for themselves.''
  It was this sense of fairness that led Mrs. Lafontant-Mankarious in 
her other endeavors. A longtime civil rights activist, Mrs. Lafontant-
Mankarious was a founding member of the Congress for Racial Equality, 
held office in the Chicago chapter of the NAACP, and was on the board 
of the American Civil Liberties Union. In this capacity she is 
remembered for showing the same sort of tenacity and resilience that 
brought her success in her legal career, and is known for using 
innovative, yet peaceful, methods to bring about change. In later 
years, Mrs. Lafontant-Mankarious would continue to be active in 
countless civic endeavors, using her influence and her legal skills to 
help African-American entrepreneurs.
  Mrs. Lafontant-Mankarious' activism was consistent and tenacious. She 
not only fought for the rights of African-Americans during the civil 
rights era, but fought to ensure that women, in particular, had a 
voice. In fact, by 1969, at a time when very few women had any real 
power in the corporate world, Mrs. Lafontant-Mankarious sat on the 
boards of 15 major corporations, including TWA and Mobile Oil. She 
elegantly broke barriers of both race and gender in all of her 
endeavors.
  Mrs. Lafontant-Mankarious was extremely active in Republican 
politics. A close friend of Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, and Bush, 
Mrs. Lafontant-Mankarious served as the first African-American woman to 
hold the position of assistant U.S. attorney during the Eisenhower 
administration. In 1972, Mrs. Lafontant-Mankarious became the highest 
female appointee named in the second Nixon administration, when she was 
selected as Deputy Solicitor General in the Justice Department. Years 
later, during the Bush administration, she would serve as U.S. 
Ambassador-at-Large for 4 years, visiting 28 countries. President Bush 
also appointed her to serve as Coordinator for Refugee Affairs for the 
State Department.
  We should all be proud of the life that Mrs. Jewel S. Lafontant-
Mankarious led. She was a woman of integrity, valor, and achievement, 
and was a personal heroine and role model to me. She rose above 
adversity, used her God-given talents to fight for the rights of 
others, and served as an example for following generations of what a 
strong heart and mind can achieve. Mrs. Lafontant-Mankarious will be 
sorely missed by all Americans who believe in the value of a true 
democratic society, who oppose discrimination, and who support the 
notion that we can all serve the good of humanity.
  Today, I salute Jewel S. Lafontant-Mankarious for her many 
achievements, and thank her for her legacy.

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