[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 59 (Thursday, April 1, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E327]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE LIFE OF FORMER MICHIGAN ATTORNEY GENERAL FRANK KELLEY

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                          HON. DEBBIE DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 1, 2021

  Mrs. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and 
legacy of Former Michigan Attorney General Frank Kelley. His 
contributions to the State of Michigan and to our nation are worthy of 
commendation.
  Frank Kelley was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1924. The first in his 
family to graduate from college, he attended the University of Detroit 
where he earned his law degree and then moved to Alpena, Michigan to 
serve as city attorney. He was appointed to the position of Michigan 
Attorney General by Governor John Swainson in 1961. The longest serving 
attorney general in Michigan history, he served for thirty-seven years 
under five different Governors, both Republicans and Democrats. He 
often recalled what U.S. Attorney General Robert Kertnedy told him 
shortly before his appointment to the office of Michigan Attorney 
General: ``Reach out against injustice wherever you see it and protect 
the public.'' He truly was the people's lawyer.
  During his tenure as Michigan Attorney General, he was known for his 
leadership on the issues of the environment, civil rights, and consumer 
protection. He fought back against utility companies and powerful 
corporations regardless of if it could damage his political career. In 
the early 1960s, when it remained unpopular to advocate for racial 
justice, he prosecuted a White gang for the killing of a young Black 
man named Grady Little. From combating high interest rates and price 
fixing to protecting our natural resources, he was relentless in the 
pursuit of justice for all Michiganders. A chamion for the environment 
even in retirement, he was there in January 2020 when Governor Whitmer 
and Attorney General Dana Nessel announced a lawsuit against seventeen 
chemical companies accused of being responsible for PFAS contamination. 
The lasting impact of his work on the State of Michigan and its 
citizens is impossible to measure.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life 
and legacy of former Michigan Attorney General Frank Kelley, a friend 
and mentor to many. He has honorably served our State and this country. 
Our thoughts are with the Kelley family and the people of the State of 
Michigan at this time as they mourn the loss of the eternal general.

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