[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 21433-21434]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




AMERICA SALUTES THE MEMORY OF MARGARET BUSH WILSON: CIVIL RIGHTS ICON, 
                   CHAMPION OF EQUAL JUSTICE FOR ALL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. WM. LACY CLAY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 10, 2009

  Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I stand today to salute the memory of 
Margaret Bush Wilson, a civil rights pioneer. Ms. Wilson was 90 years 
old when she died quietly on August 11, 2009. She was an integral force 
in human rights advocacy, having been a tireless champion for equality 
and justice. The St. Louis community and our entire nation have lost a 
giant, and I have lost a dear friend.
  After earning a law degree from Lincoln University, Ms. Wilson became 
the second woman of color licensed to practice law in the state of 
Missouri. Ms. Wilson would go on to serve as Missouri's Assistant 
Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney for the Rural Electrification 
Administration. After World War II, she and her husband, Robert E. 
Wilson Jr., started a law firm in St. Louis.
  A civil rights lawyer who specialized in housing law, Ms. Wilson led 
the fight in St.

[[Page 21434]]

Louis to upend restrictive neighborhood covenants in what eventually 
became the landmark 1948 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Shelley vs. Kraemer. 
The outcome of this case ensured that states could not defend nor 
enforce restrictive covenants as a state action, effectively giving 
blacks the legal right to move into the neighborhood of their choice.
  After presiding over both city and state branches of the NAACP, Ms. 
Wilson became the first African American woman to head the national 
NAACP board in 1975. After completing nine terms as Chairwoman, Ms. 
Wilson returned to St. Louis, where she continued to practice law, 
champion justice and equality, and mentor young law students and civic 
leaders until her death.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that all Americans honor Margaret Bush Wilson 
for her exceptionally brave career as a legal advocate and human rights 
pioneer. Her life has brought honor to all of us and she will live 
forever in our memories. I ask that my colleagues join me in paying 
tribute to Margaret Bush Wilson.

                          ____________________