[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 82 (Thursday, May 16, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E616-E617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF A RESOLUTION HONORING RETIRED HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE 
    CHAIRMAN JOHN CONYERS, JR. ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 16, 2019

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to introduce this 
resolution honoring retired Congressman John Conyers on the occasion of 
his 90th Birthday. Congressman Conyers was born in Highland Park, 
Michigan, on May 16, 1929, and grew up in the city of Detroit. Like 
many men of his generation, he served in the military and was stationed 
in Korea, during the Korean War, as an officer in the U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers, where he was awarded combat and merit citations.
  Following the completion of his military service, he earned both his 
B.A. (1957) and LL.B. (1958) degrees from Wayne State University and 
became an active member of the Michigan Bar. He had the distinction of 
working on the staff of Congressman John Dingell, serving as counsel to 
Detroit-area labor union locals and as a referee for Michigan's 
workmen's compensation department.
  His commitment to civil rights was forged during the great movement 
of the 1960's, when traveling throughout the South, and was in Selma, 
Alabama, for the Freedom Day voter registration drive in 1963. In 
correspondence, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., would later 
remark that Conyers presence in Selma, Alabama ``had an electric effect 
on the voteless and beleaguered Negro citizens of this city, state and 
nation.''
  Conyers legislative career began in 1964 when he ran for an open seat 
in Michigan's 1st District, following the landmark 1964 Baker v. Carr 
decision, and defeated his opponent with 84 percent of the vote. In 
this race, Congressman Conyers received the only known political 
endorsement from Dr. King and Rosa Parks, known for her prominent role 
in the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott, moved to Detroit and served on 
Conyers' staff between 1965 and 1988.
  Congressman Conyers went on to serve 26 terms, winning re-election 
twenty-five times, and is the third longest-serving member of the House 
in history, and the sixth longest-serving member of Congress in 
history. He was one of the 13 members who founded the Congressional 
Black Caucus in 1969 and was considered the Dean of the Caucus during 
his tenure.
  As a freshman member, Congressman Conyers won a seat on the Judiciary 
Committee and went on to serve as Chairman of that committee from 2007 
to 2011, along with serving as the ranking Democratic member on the 
Committee from 1995 to 2007 and again from 2011 to 2017. During his 
tenure, he successfully worked to oppose initiatives that violated 
Constitutional values and served as a beacon of hope to those facing 
poverty and injustice. He was the first member to introduce legislation 
or hold hearings on an important series of civil rights issues, 
including: police misconduct; LGBTQ protections; violence against the 
Arab and Muslim American communities; AIDS in the African-American 
community; environmental racism; and restorative justice, just to name 
a few.
  Over the course of his legislative career, Congressman Conyers was 
responsible for more than 100 bills, amendments, and resolutions being 
enacted, including 57 on which he was the overall lead sponsor, and an 
additional 56 that he managed or was the lead Democratic sponsor. From 
his position on the Judiciary Committee, he led many of our most 
notable legislative efforts on civil rights and civil liberties, 
including: the Martin Luther King Holiday Act, the Voting Rights act 
Reauthorizations, the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorizations, the 
Hate Crimes Prevention

[[Page E617]]

Act, Pattern and Practice Enforcement Act, the USA Freedom Act, the 
Fair Sentencing Act, the ``Motor Voter'' Act, and the Innocence 
Protection Act.
  For these reasons, Congressman Conyers is recognized as a champion of 
civil rights and civil liberties, receiving numerous honors, including 
the NAACP Spingarn Medal and the Leadership Conference on Civil and 
Human Rights Hubert H. Humphrey Award. Always a leader and gentleman, 
Congressman Conyers walked the halls of this institution for more than 
50 years, leaving a lasting impact through his dedication to freedom 
and justice for all people.
  Like so many in this body, I am proud to have been his colleague and 
friend. The celebration of his 90th birthday is an ideal time to 
reflect on his accomplishments and celebrate his distinguished 
legislative career. His dedication and commitment to service is an 
example for us all. He will always be the Chairman.

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