[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 195 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2627]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   MOURNING THE DEATH OF FORMER CONGRESSMAN AUGUSTUS FREEMAN ``GUS'' 
                                HAWKINS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. AL GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 19, 2007

  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I wish to mourn the passing of 
former Congressman Augustus Freeman ``Gus'' Hawkins, a committed public 
servant and civil rights leader, who died on November 10, 2007. 
Congressman Hawkins was born on August 31, 1907, in Shreveport, LA. He 
later moved to California where he would eventually serve 14 terms in 
the U.S. House of Representatives, advocating for his constituents in 
South Los Angeles. Prior to his passing, he was the oldest living 
former member of the House of Representatives at the age of 100.
  In his youth, Mr. Hawkins was a scholar and civil rights activist. In 
1931, he received his undergraduate degree in Economics from the 
University of California, Los Angeles. One year later, he continued his 
academic pursuits and studied political science at the University of 
Southern California. In addition to his intellectual skills and 
political savvy, Mr. Hawkins was a primary leader in progressive and 
civil rights campaigns in the urban areas of Los Angeles. His desire to 
eliminate injustice in his community propelled him to challenge a 
Republican incumbent in the California State Assembly. He defeated his 
opponent and quickly became the 62nd district's voice for civil rights 
and equality regardless of race, creed, or color. He remained in the 
California State Assembly from 1935 to 1963.
  In 1963, Mr. Hawkins was elected to serve California's 21st 
Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, making him 
the first African American elected from the State of California. He 
firmly demonstrated his commitment to public service by supporting 
legislation that would improve housing standards, labor, education, and 
conditions for the working poor. He made history by sponsoring the 
equal employment section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that created 
the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In addition, he fought 
consistently to raise the minimum wage and he and Senator Hubert 
Humphrey (D-Minnesota) crafted the Humphrey-Hawkins Act of 1978, which 
was designed to combat unemployment and inflation. During his 28 years 
in the House, he served as the chairman of the Committee on Education 
and Labor, and the chairman of the Committee on Administration. He was 
also one of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus, 
which was founded in 1971. When he retired in 1991, he had created over 
half a century's worth of landmark legislation on both the State and 
Federal level.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to remember the legacy and mourn 
the passing of former Congressman Augustus Freeman Hawkins.

                          ____________________