[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 72 (Thursday, April 27, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E557]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO FORMER CONGRESSMAN EARL E. HILLIARD

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 27, 2017

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my good 
friend, former Congressman Earl Hilliard, who will celebrate his 75th 
birthday this weekend, at a gathering of his family and friends in 
Birmingham, Alabama.
  While a Member of this body, Earl and I worked very closely together, 
preserving the integrity of historically black colleges and 
universities and supporting the preservation and restoration of 
historic sites and buildings. At his weekend gathering they will 
establish a scholarship in his honor in order to help more rural 
Alabama young men and women have opportunities to further their 
education.
  I want to congratulate my friend for reaching this milestone in his 
life, a place I got to more than a year ago, and wish him a happy 
birthday and further success in establishing more benefits for young 
men and women throughout Alabama.
  Family: Former Congressman Earl Frederick Hilliard was born in 
Birmingham, Alabama on April 9, 1942 to Iola Frazier and William 
Hilliard. In 1967, Earl Hilliard married Mary Franklin. Both were the 
first person on both sides of their families to attend and graduate 
from college. They have two children: Alesia Hilliard-Smith (R. J. 
Smith) and Earl Hilliard, Jr. (Janine Hunt-Hilliard) and four 
grandchildren: Roderick Smith, Jr., Reginald Smith, Earl Hilliard, III 
and Nya Hilliard. In June 2016, the couple celebrated their 50th 
wedding anniversary.
  Education: Earl graduated from Western-Olin High School in 1960. 
Because of his experiences growing up in segregated Birmingham, he 
chose to attend historically black colleges and universities. He 
received a B.A. from Morehouse College in 1964, a J.D. from Howard 
University School of Law in 1967, and an M.B.A. in 1970 from Atlanta 
University (now Clark-Atlanta University) School of Business. He was 
awarded an Honorary Degree--Doctor of Humane Letters--in 2000 from 
Talladega College.
  Civil Rights/Black History: While a student at Morehouse College, in 
Atlanta, Georgia, Hilliard met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The meeting 
had a powerful effect on him, and he became ``one of King's foot 
soldiers in the war for racial equality. He worked with voter-
registration drives and participated in many protest marches. He 
continued his work when he was elected to the Alabama House of 
Representatives where he chaired the first Alabama Black Legislative 
Caucus.
  Political Career: In 1974, Earl F. Hilliard was elected to the 
Alabama House of Representatives where he chaired the Alabama Black 
Legislative Caucus. In 1980, he was elected to the Alabama State Senate 
and chaired the Alabama State Judiciary, Commerce, Transportation and 
Utility Committees. His Senate career focused on helping the urban 
poor, who constituted the bulk of his Birmingham-area constituents. He 
earned a reputation as a hard-fighting, tactical legislator.
  In 1992, Hilliard won a seat in the U.S. Congress, becoming the first 
black Representative from Alabama since Jeremiah Haralson left office 
after Reconstruction. ``We have not had a voice in 117 years,'' 
Hilliard declared upon his first election. ``I will be able to 
articulate the views and opinions of a group that hasn't had 
representation in a very long time. His district included three major 
cities--Selma, Montgomery, and Birmingham--all of which were 
battlegrounds at the heart of the 1960s civil rights movement.
  Hilliard's initial focus in Congress was creating economic 
opportunity for his constituents. He supported legislation that would 
help Alabama's urban poor. He called for a Southern Rural Development 
Commission, modeled after the Appalachian Regional Commission to assist 
economic development in rural communities in ten southern states. 
Congressman Hilliard reestablished Gees Bend Ferry. He attempted to 
protect and expand the Alabama military installations used by the U.S. 
Army and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He worked 
to protect a Tuscaloosa-area airport that was difficult to sustain 
because of the region's sparse population. ``Tuscaloosa and the 
surrounding communities would suffer terribly without local air 
service, and this travel option will become increasingly important as 
industrial development continues in the area,'' he wrote to a 
colleague. Due in large part to Congressman Hilliard's lobbying, the 
House and Senate Appropriations Committees diverted limited funding to 
Tuscaloosa in the Essential Air Service legislation. He successfully 
pushed funding to support Alabama's historically black colleges and 
universities and provided scholarship money for minority students. 
Hilliard was also crucial in convincing a Korean-based car manufacturer 
to open a plant outside Montgomery. While in Congress, he served on the 
Agriculture, Small Business, International Relations and Foreign 
Affairs Committees. An active member of the Congressional Black Caucus, 
Congressman Hilliard was elected vice chairman of the organization for 
the 105th Congress (1997 through 1999).
  Academic Career: Earl F. Hilliard began his career as a teacher at 
Miles College (1967 through 1968) and later was an assistant to the 
president of Alabama State University (1968 through 1970). While in 
Congress, he didn't forget what he'd learned and the importance of 
procuring funding to support Alabama's historically black colleges and 
universities and to provide scholarship money for minority students. 
Over the years, he has helped countless relatives, friends, and 
constituents achieve their educational goals by providing financial 
support to students who desired to pursue advanced degrees, but were 
financially unable to do so. He has mentored an innumerable amount of 
people, from high school and college students to seasoned 
professionals.
  Awards/Honors: In 1974, Earl F. Hilliard received Omega Psi Phi's 
Businessman of the Year Award and he was given Delta Sigma Theta's 
Distinguished Service and Achievement Award in 1975. He was awarded the 
Outstanding Alumnus Award, in 2010, from Morehouse College National 
Alumni Association. In 2011, Earl F. Hilliard received an Outstanding 
Alumnus Award from National Alumni Council of the United Negro College 
Fund and in 2015, he was one of the recipients of an Alabama Majesty 
Award from Miles College.
  Community Involvement and Associations: Earl Hilliard holds Life 
Memberships in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the National 
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He also 
holds or has held memberships in the National Bar Association, the 
Alabama State Bar Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, the 
Alabama Lawyers Association, the Morehouse College Alumni Association, 
and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Morehouse Athletic 
Foundation, Inc., of which he was one of the incorporators. He has 
served as Trustee of both Miles College Law School and Tuskegee 
University. He currently serves as a Deacon, Elder and a Sunday school 
teacher for the Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church of North Pratt 
and previously served as Chairman of both the Deacon and Trustee 
Boards.