[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 46 (Thursday, March 15, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E325]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING JOHN CLAY SMITH, JR.

                                  _____
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 15, 2018

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in recognizing John Clay Smith, Jr. for his 
years of service as interim chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity 
Commission (EEOC) and as Dean of Howard University School of Law. John 
passed away on February 15, 2018, due to complications from Alzheimer's 
disease. My thoughts are with John's family during this difficult time.
  John Clay Smith, Jr. was born in 1942 just outside of Omaha, 
Nebraska. He knew he had a passion for law at a very early age. He 
moved to Washington, D.C., to work as a judge with the Army Judge 
Advocate General's Corps and as an associate at the law firm Arent Fox. 
In 1974, he joined the Federal Communications Commission as chief of 
the cable television bureau, but later became an associate general 
counsel there. John Clay Smith, Jr. was named interim chair of the EEOC 
in 1978. It was also during this time that he was elected as the first 
African American national president of the Federal Bar Association.
  As the first female to chair the EEOC, I served alongside John to 
reform it and to develop and implement guidelines related to workplace 
sexual harassment. Once John stepped down from his post at the EEOC, he 
went on to serve as Dean of Howard University School of Law from 1986 
to 1988, obtaining updated equipment and increased funding for faculty 
members not only to raise the school's profile, but also to assist in 
it maintaining its accreditation. In addition, John helped raise 
scholarship funds for the law school. During his time at the law 
school, he also served as president of the National Bar Association and 
the Washington Bar Association. In 2004, John retired from Howard.
  John graduated in 1964 from Creighton University, where he paid his 
tuition through scholarships and part-time jobs, and graduated from 
Howard University School of Law in 1967, where he was class president. 
He later went on to receive master's and doctoral degrees in law from 
George Washington University.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in 
remembering the life and legacy of John Clay Smith, Jr. as interim 
chairman of the EEOC and as Dean of Howard University School of Law.

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