[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 60 (Thursday, April 6, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E486]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING WILLIAM T. COLEMAN

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 6, 2017

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of a civil rights 
champion: Secretary William T. Coleman, who I had the privilege to know 
while working as a congressional staffer for another civil rights hero, 
Congressman Ron Dellums. Secretary Coleman served this country with 
character and conviction.
  He served in World War II and graduated first in his 1946 Harvard Law 
School Class. He also broke through racial barriers to become the first 
African American Supreme Court Clerk and the second African-American in 
U.S. History to lead a Cabinet-level department.
  Secretary Coleman believed deeply in the Constitution and fought to 
defend civil rights at all costs. It was his commitment to that belief 
that led Thurgood Marshall to recruit Secretary Coleman to coauthor the 
legal brief in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. I was honored to 
work in a bipartisan fashion alongside Secretary Coleman's Special 
Assistant, Elaine Jones during his tenure as Secretary of 
Transportation in the Ford Administration.
  Together we were able to include language on affirmative action in 
the Airport and Airway Development Act. Secretary Coleman's 
determination in the face of discrimination has served as an 
inspiration for me throughout my career.
  My thoughts and prayers are with Bill's wife and family during this 
trying time. I am confident that his legacy will live on through the 
lives of those he touched.
  May his soul rest in peace.

                          ____________________