[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 48 (Monday, March 20, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H2226]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE LATE ANTONIO CLAUDIO MARTINEZ

  (Mr. ESPAILLAT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today 
to pay tribute to a community leader, a pioneer, and a humanitarian.
  Mr. Antonio C. Martinez was one of the first Dominican-American 
members of the New York State Bar. He was born in Santiago, Dominican 
Republic, in 1926, and immigrated to the United States with his mother 
through Ellis Island. He passed away on December 16, 1999, leaving 
behind a great legacy.
  Antonio attended Hunter College in Manhattan and graduated from 
Brooklyn Law School in 1956. And when the call to duty came during 
World War II, Antonio selflessly enlisted in the U.S. Army and served 
honorably in the Pacific theater.
  Antonio dedicated his 43 years of legal career to immigration, 
assisting thousands of families through the process of legally entering 
the United States. His efforts and the cases he argued helped improve 
the law.
  I am privileged to speak from my heart about Antonio's great work in 
the legal field, because my family and I were fortunate enough to have 
Antonio represent us when we needed to navigate the immigration system 
here in the United States. Antonio's dedication to our legal system 
played an important role. I am proud to say that, as the first 
Dominican-American Congressman, my family and I are very proud of the 
work he did.
  Today, his professional legacy lives on. His son is here in the 
gallery. I am happy to recognize Antonio's work of many years.

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