[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 168 (Wednesday, October 23, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1337-E1338]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO THOMAS LUDWIG JOHN D'ALESANDRO III TRANSFORMATIONAL MAYOR OF 
    BALTIMORE, CHAMPION OF CIVIL RIGHTS FOR ALL, AND SCION OF GREAT 
                            AMERICAN FAMILY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 23, 2019

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Thomas 
Ludwig John D'Alesandro III, the Mayor of Baltimore from 1967 to 1971, 
a champion of civil rights and equal treatment for all persons, the son 
of a former Member of Congress and Mayor of Baltimore, and the older 
brother of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the first and only woman to 
ascend to the height of national legislative power.
  Thomas Ludwig John D'Alesandro III died October 20, 2019 at his home 
in North Baltimore at the age of 90.
  Thomas Ludwig John D'Alesandro III was elected president of the 
Baltimore City Council in 1963 before winning election as Mayor of 
Baltimore in 1967 and served until 1971 and whose patience and care 
ushered Baltimore through a very difficult period.
  Thomas Ludwig John D'Alesandro III was born on July 24, 1929, in 
Baltimore, the first of seven children of Thomas Jr. and Annunciata 
(Lombardi) D'Alesandro.
  Thomas Ludwig John D'Alesandro III graduated from Loyola High School 
and Loyola College, and the University of Maryland School of Law, 
before serving in the United States Army from 1952 to 1955.
  When Thomas Ludwig John D'Alesandro III was elected mayor, 
Baltimore's public housing was in a state of terrible disrepair, crime 
was rising, and the middle class was retreating to the suburbs.
  Under the mayoral leadership of Thomas Ludwig John D'Alesandro III, 
things changed as civil rights laws were enacted in the city, 
neighborhood centers were opened, and a housing and community 
development department was created. He stood for justice and he wasn't 
afraid to fight for equal rights. He was privileged to meet Dr. Martin 
Luther King. He wanted all to live the American dream.
  During his first four months in office, Thomas Ludwig John 
D'Alesandro III appointed more African American persons to governmental 
offices than any predecessor did over an entire term.
  Once, at a neighborhood meeting with a conservative civic group in 
northeast Baltimore in 1967 and right before becoming mayor, ``was the 
only person in the room to speak in favor of equal housing.''
  According to his sister and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, ``Tommy 
dedicated his life to

[[Page E1338]]

our city'' and was a ``champion for civil rights,'' who ``worked 
tirelessly for all who called Baltimore home.''
  Thomas Ludwig John D'Alesandro III leaves to cherish his memory his 
beloved wife, Margaret; his children, Thomas, Dominic, Nicholas, 
Patricia and Gregory; a brother, Nicholas; 10 grandchildren; three 
great-grandchildren; and countless neighbors and friends who will 
always remember this family man and transformational mayor who opened 
up the City of Baltimore politically. My deepest sympathy to his entire 
family.

                          ____________________