[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 62 (Wednesday, April 18, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4720-S4721]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE LIFE OF OLIVER WHITE HILL

  Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 161 which was 
submitted earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 161) honoring the life of Oliver 
     White Hill, a pioneer in the field of American civil rights 
     law, on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I join my colleague from Virginia, Senator 
Webb, in recognition of the 100th birthday of an exceptional American, 
Oliver White Hill. I am proud to say that this champion of civil rights 
is a fellow Virginian whom I have come to know personally over these 
many years. It is my privilege today to join Senator Webb in honor of 
this great man.
  After earning his law degree from Howard University School of Law 
where, I might add, he finished as the salutatorian to none other than 
future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall--Oliver White Hill began 
his law practice in Roanoke, VA, moving soon thereafter to Richmond to 
serve the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 
or NAACP, as the leader of its legal team in our Commonwealth. In his 
work with the NAACP from 1940 to 1961, Mr. Hill contributed 
tremendously to the progression of civil rights in our country, 
particularly in his role as a principal attorney on the landmark case 
of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
  Working diligently for the NAACP, Mr. Hill was legal counsel for many 
historic cases regarding equal opportunity in education, employment, 
housing, transportation, and justice.
  As a person who has spent many years in public service, I have a 
special appreciation for the dignity with which Mr. Hill answered the 
call to duty throughout his career, first as a veteran of World War II, 
as the first African American elected to the Richmond City Council 
since the Reconstruction era, and later as a Federal appointee to the 
Federal Housing Administration and the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development.
  It is my honor today to stand before the Senate in appreciation for 
the efforts of Mr. Hill on behalf of his country and his Commonwealth. 
Certainly, the legacy of his strong career in support of equal rights 
will continue to be felt through the determination of the many 
Americans mentored or inspired by Oliver White Hill, and I join with 
Senator Webb in gratitude for his dedication and longevity.
  Mr. WEBB. Mr. President, I commend to my colleagues a Senate 
resolution that I have cosponsored with my esteemed colleague, the 
senior senator from Virginia.
  As my home State celebrates its 400th anniversary, this resolution 
recognizes one of Virginia's most esteemed citizens, as he is preparing 
to celebrate an important milestone of his own. Oliver White Hill, a 
pioneer in the field of American Civil Rights law, will soon celebrate 
his 100th birthday at a gathering of hundreds of his friends, family 
and other admirers in Richmond, VA. I am honored to be counted among 
the list of guests, and it is with immense pride and an even greater 
sense of humility that I filed this resolution honoring the life and 
work of Mr. Hill.
  Oliver Hill was born on May 1, 1907 in Richmond, and his family later 
moved to Roanoke, VA, and then Washington, DC, where he graduated from 
Dunbar High School. After leaving Dunbar, Mr. Hill enrolled at Howard 
University, earning both an undergraduate and law degree from that fine 
institution. As a testament to his brilliance, he graduated second in 
his class, a group whose valedictorian was none other than legal giant 
and future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
  Although much of America was racially segregated, Mr. Hill 
nonetheless became a member of the Virginia Bar in 1934, and began his 
law practice in Roanoke. He later moved to Richmond and began a 
remarkable tenure leading the Virginia legal team of the National 
Association for the Advancement of Colored People from 1940 to 1961. 
Often forgoing lucrative legal work in pursuit of equal rights under 
the law for African Americans, Mr. Hill worked as one the principal 
attorneys on the historic Brown vs. Board of Education case in 1954. 
His dedication to this nation was further demonstrated when, in the 
midst of World War II, Mr. Hill interrupted his private law practice to 
serve in the Armed Forces from 1943 to 1945.
  Mr. Hill was appointed by President Harry S. Truman to a committee to 
study racism in the United States. In 1948, Mr. Hill made history as 
the first African-American elected to Richmond's City Council since the 
days of Reconstruction. His public service career also included stints 
at the Federal Housing Administration and at the Department of Housing 
and Urban Development during that agency's early days.
  Over the years, Mr. Hill acted as legal counsel in numerous landmark 
civil rights cases. His work encompasses equal opportunity in 
education,

[[Page S4721]]

employment, housing, transportation, and the justice system. Mr. Hill's 
age has not deterred him from continuing to actively engage in civic 
activities throughout the United States and the world. He has been 
received countless awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom 
from President William Jefferson Clinton in 1999, the prestigious 
Spingarn Medal from the NAACP in 2005, the dedication of a building in 
his honor on the grounds of the Virginia State Capitol in 2005 and 
professional accolades too numerous to count. Oliver Hill is living 
history, and an American of the finest order.
  Generations of attorneys, activists and public servants, including 
myself, have been inspired and mentored by Oliver Hill. In recognition 
of his outstanding service to our country advancing the cause of 
freedom for all Americans, I am proud to have submitted this resolution 
in his honor on the occasion of his 100th birthday.
  Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating 
thereto be printed in the Record, without intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 161) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 161

       Whereas Oliver White Hill was born on May 1, 1907, in 
     Richmond, Virginia, moved with his family to Roanoke, 
     Virginia, and graduated from Dunbar High School in 
     Washington, DC;
       Whereas Mr. Hill earned his undergraduate degree from 
     Howard University and received a law degree from Howard 
     University School of Law in 1933, graduating second in his 
     class behind valedictorian and future Supreme Court Justice 
     Thurgood Marshall;
       Whereas, in 1934, Mr. Hill became a member of the Virginia 
     Bar and began his law practice in Roanoke, Virginia, and 
     continued in Richmond, Virginia, in 1939, leading the 
     Virginia legal team of the National Association for the 
     Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1940 to 1961 and 
     serving as one of the principal attorneys on the historic 
     Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954;
       Whereas Mr. Hill interrupted his law practice to serve in 
     the United States Armed Forces from 1943 to 1945, and was 
     later appointed by President Harry S. Truman to a committee 
     to study racism in the United States;
       Whereas, in 1948, Mr. Hill became the first African-
     American elected to the Richmond, Virginia, City Council 
     since Reconstruction, and later served in appointed 
     capacities with the Federal Housing Administration and the 
     then-newly-created Department of Housing and Urban 
     Development;
       Whereas Mr. Hill served as legal counsel in many of the 
     Nation's most important civil rights cases concerning equal 
     opportunity in education, employment, housing, 
     transportation, and the justice system;
       Whereas Mr. Hill has remained actively engaged with civic 
     enterprises at the community, State, national, and 
     international levels, and earned numerous accolades and 
     awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from 
     President William Jefferson Clinton in 1999; the NAACP 
     Spingarn Medal in 2005; and the dedication of a building on 
     the grounds of the Virginia State Capitol in his honor by the 
     Commonwealth of Virginia in 2005; and
       Whereas Mr. Hill served as a mentor to generations of 
     attorneys, activists, and public servants: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate honors the life and legacy of 
     Oliver White Hill, a pioneer in the field of American civil 
     rights law, on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

                          ____________________