[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 137 (Tuesday, September 22, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6900-S6901]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 265--HONORING THE LIFE, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND LEGACY 
                      OF CONGRESSMAN LOUIS STOKES

  Mr. BROWN (for himself and Mr. Portman) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 265

       Whereas Louis Stokes was born on February 23, 1925, in 
     Cleveland, Ohio, to Charles and Louise Cinthy Stokes;
       Whereas, in 1943, Louis Stokes graduated from Central High 
     School in Cleveland, Ohio;
       Whereas, from 1943 to 1946, Louis Stokes served as a 
     personnel specialist in the United States Army;
       Whereas, following these years of military service, Louis 
     Stokes returned to Cleveland and attended the Cleveland 
     College of Western Reserve University from 1946 to 1948 and 
     earned a Juris Doctor from the Cleveland Marshall School of 
     Law in 1953;
       Whereas Louis Stokes practiced law in Cleveland, Ohio for 
     14 years and was one of the founders of the Stokes, Stokes, 
     Character and Terry law firm;
       Whereas, during his time at his law firm, Louis Stokes 
     became involved in a number of civil rights related cases, 
     often working pro bono on behalf of poor clients and 
     activists;
       Whereas Louis Stokes argued 3 cases before the Supreme 
     Court of the United States, including the landmark case of 
     Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968), which defined the legality 
     of police search and seizure procedures;
       Whereas, on November 6, 1968, Louis Stokes was elected to 
     the House of Representatives, representing the 21st (later 
     the 11th) District of Ohio;
       Whereas, upon his election, Louis Stokes became the first 
     African-American to represent Ohio in the House of 
     Representatives;
       Whereas Congressman Stokes was a founding member of the 
     Congressional Black Caucus, an organization comprised of the 
     Black Members of the Congress and created to be the voice for 
     people of color and vulnerable communities;
       Whereas Congressman Stokes served as the chairman of the 
     Congressional Black Caucus for 2 terms;
       Whereas, in 1971, Congressman Stokes was the first African-
     American to serve on the Committee on Appropriations of the 
     House of Representatives and, by his retirement in 1998, had 
     earned the distinguished rank of ``Cardinal'' as chairman of 
     the Subcommittee on VA-HUD-Independent Agencies;
       Whereas Congressman Stokes chaired a number of historic 
     committees, including--
       (1) the House Select Committee on the Assassinations of 
     President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 
     the 95th Congress;
       (2) the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in the 
     100th Congress; and
       (3) the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct in the 
     97th and 98th Congresses;
       Whereas Congressman Stokes also served on the Committee on 
     the Budget of the House of Representatives and gained 
     national prominence as a member of the House Select Committee 
     to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran in 1987;
       Whereas, in 1998, Congressman Stokes successfully led the 
     House of Representatives in passing H.R. 1635, the National 
     Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act, which was his 
     final major piece of legislation;
       Whereas, after serving 15 consecutive terms in the House of 
     Representatives, Congressman Stokes ranked 11th out of 435 
     Members of Congress in seniority and was the dean of the Ohio 
     delegation;
       Whereas few Members have left such an indelible mark in the 
     House of Representatives;
       Whereas with kindness, integrity, and diligence, 
     Congressman Stokes worked hard with both sides of the aisle 
     to serve the constituents of his Congressional District, the 
     city of Cleveland, the State of Ohio, and citizens of the 
     United States;
       Whereas Congressman Stokes worked tirelessly for 
     minorities, the poor, and disadvantaged persons;
       Whereas Congressman Stokes played a pivotal role in the 
     quest for civil rights, equality, and justice;
       Whereas the Christian faith of Congressman Stokes was the 
     foundation of his service to others;
       Whereas Congressman Stokes often expressed gratitude for 
     the sacrifices of his mother--a young widow, former 
     sharecropper, and daughter of slaves--who inspired her sons 
     to get an education so that her sons would not have to work 
     with their hands as she had done as a domestic worker;
       Whereas Congressman Stokes received numerous awards and 
     honors during his lifetime that recognize his leadership and 
     his commitment to public service;
       Whereas there are several landmarks in the city of 
     Cleveland that bear the name of Congressman Stokes, including 
     the Louis Stokes Wing of the Cleveland Public Library, the 
     Louis Stokes Health Sciences Center at Case Western Reserve 
     University, and the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs 
     Medical Center;
       Whereas nationally, buildings named in honor of Congressman 
     Stokes include the Louis Stokes Laboratories at the National 
     Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland and the Louis 
     Stokes Health Sciences Library at Howard University in 
     Washington, DC;
       Whereas, given his commitment to education, the Louis 
     Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) in 
     science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at 
     the National Science Foundation also bears the name of 
     Congressman Stokes;
       Whereas LSAMP assists universities and colleges in 
     increasing the number of students completing high quality 
     degree programs in the STEM disciplines in order to diversify 
     the STEM workforce;
       Whereas Louis Stokes received 26 honorary doctorate degrees 
     from colleges and universities; and
       Whereas, on July 8, 2003, Congressman Stokes was honored by 
     the Congress with the

[[Page S6901]]

     Congressional Distinguished Service Award: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors the life, accomplishments, and legacy of 
     Congressman Louis Stokes; and
       (2) extends its heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the 
     family, friends, and loved ones of Congressman Louis Stokes.

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