[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 173 (Thursday, October 26, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1444-E1445]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IN MEMORY OF ATTORNEY THEODORE ROOSEVELT BOWERS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. AL LAWSON, JR.

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 26, 2017

  Mr. LAWSON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
veteran, educator, civic leader, dedicated citizen and a great 
American, Attorney Theodore Roosevelt Bowers, who served his community, 
state and country well.
  Attorney Bowers was raised in Bascom, Florida. After graduating from 
Rosenwald High School, he attended Florida A&M University (FAMU) in 
1950. He was drafted into the United States Army but volunteered to 
serve in the U.S. Air Force instead from 1951 to 1954. After being 
honorably discharged in 1955, Attorney Bowers returned to FAMU and 
completed his Bachelor's Degree in Political Science in 1958. He later 
obtained a Bachelor of Laws in 1961 from Howard University Law School.
  Attorney Bowers started his legal career clerking at the 
International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. In 1962, he was 
admitted to the Florida Bar and remained a member for more than fifty 
years. He became the first African American to practice law in Bay 
County. Since that time, he has engaged in the private practice of law 
in the 1st, 2nd, and 14th Judicial Circuits of Florida. From 1962 to 
1964, Bowers was an instructor of Political Science at FAMU. He served 
as a cooperating attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund for five 
years (1965-1970). In standing tall for equality, he worked to 
integrate the schools so Black children in Bay County and surrounding 
counties would have access to equal education opportunities. His legal 
work was also instrumental in integrating the Bay Medical Maternity 
Ward and several local businesses in Bay County, His goal was always to 
``change the system and try to make America what it should be.'' 
Attorney Bowers received many opportunities to practice law in 
Washington, DC however, he was committed to the cause of Civil Rights 
and felt his services were better served at home in Northwest Florida. 
With this decision, he paid a high price both financially and 
personally including several attempts at bombing his car after leaving 
civil rights meetings in Marianna, Florida in the 1960's.
  He served on numerous boards and commissions including the Board of 
Trustees for Gulf Coast Community College (1973-77) and the Governor's 
Commission on the Status of Women (1979-1982). He was also elected and 
served as the first Black member of the Bay County School Board,
  In June 2009, he was honored by the Florida Chapter of the National 
Bar Association as one of Florida's First Black Lawyers. In June 2012, 
the Florida Bar honored him for fifty years of practicing law in 
Florida.
  Attorney Bowers was recommended to become a U.S. Attorney by 
President Jimmy Carter but his recommendation was blocked by the power 
structure in Florida. And he was instrumental in President Nixon 
withdrawing the name of Federal Judge G. Harrold Carswell, a southern, 
strict constructionist conservative as a nominee to the Supreme Court.
  Throughout the ensuing decades of his life and career he fashioned a 
powerful place in the public discourse on race and influenced the 
thinking of generations of young attorneys. Driven by an enormous heart 
and keen intellect, Attorney Bowers worked his entire life to ``level 
the playing field'' for all Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, with an unwavering dedication, strong values, and an 
avid pursuit of civil and human rights, Attorney Bowers made a 
tremendous impact in his community, the state of

[[Page E1445]]

Florida, and in our country. He will be remembered by a grateful 
nation.

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