[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17975]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                       TRIBUTE TO EARL MIDDLETON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 25, 2001

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Earl 
Middleton of South Carolina, who was recently named Orangeburg South 
Carolina's Citizen of the Year. Mr. Middleton is recognized for his 
noteworthy contributions to the community as a successful realtor, 
businessman, political history-maker, and respected citizen of South 
Carolina.
  Along with having served the country during World War II as one of 
the Tuskegee Airmen, Mr. Middleton has displayed incredible service to 
his church and college. After returning to his hometown after his 
service during World War II, Mr. Middleton embarked on a career in 
business and politics. His hope was that through his career he could 
overcome the social inequalities that faced him as an African American 
during that time.
  In 1974, he became the first African-American to represent Orangeburg 
County in the South Carolina State House of Representatives since the 
Post Reconstruction Era. He would go on to serve in the legislature for 
10 years.
  Mr. Middleton worked as a barber and an insurance salesperson while 
contributing his time and effort toward various social causes and 
political campaigns. Later, his business grew to include real estate 
sales. In 1985 his real estate business, Middleton Agency, would grow 
to include a franchise of Coldwell Banker, becoming its first black-
owned affiliate. Honorably, Mr. Middleton accepted an invitation to 
serve on the governing committee of Middleton Place, a plantation near 
Charleston, South Carolina where his great grandfather had been held in 
servitude before the Civil War.
  Mr. Middleton is a life member of the NAACP. He has served on the 
trustee board of The Methodist Home, the mayor's and the governor's 
commission on employment of the handicapped and the Salvation Army 
board. His many awards include: being named to the Claflin University 
Hall of Fame and becoming a recipient of the Edisto Award.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me today in honoring 
my good friend and confidant, Earl Middleton for the dedicated service 
he has provided to the citizens of South Carolina and the noteworthy 
contributions he has made in the real estate business. I sincerely 
thank Mr. Middleton for his service to the country and to the state. I 
congratulate him on his recent recognition as Orangeburg's Citizen of 
the Year and truly wish him good luck and Godspeed in all of his future 
endeavors.

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