[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12676]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING JUDGE MATTHEW J. PERRY

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, this weekend, South 
Carolina lost one of its greatest leaders, United States District Judge 
Matthew J. Perry. Judge Perry symbolized courage and leadership and was 
a towering figure during the civil rights movement of the 1950s through 
the 1970s.
  After having served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945 as a sergeant 
in the Quartermaster Corps, Judge Perry graduated from South Carolina 
State with a B.S. in business. He went on to graduate from South 
Carolina State Law School in 1951. As a young attorney, Judge Perry 
established his credibility in South Carolina by defending many of the 
students protesting segregation during sit-ins.
  In 1976, he was nominated by Senator Strom Thurmond to the U.S. 
Military Court of Appeals in Washington. In 1979, he was the first 
African American to be appointed as a U.S. District Judge for South 
Carolina. He has been the recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, the 
highest civilian honor of the State of South Carolina.
  Our Nation has truly lost a legend who has made a difference for all 
of the people of South Carolina.
  In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget 
September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

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