[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13769]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    MOMENT OF SILENCE IN HONOR OF FORMER REPRESENTATIVE LOUIS STOKES

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I rise this evening to pay tribute to an 
historic, distinguished former Member of this Chamber--Louis Stokes of 
Cleveland, Ohio.
  Congressman Stokes passed away on August 18, at the age of 90, with 
his loving wife of 55 years, Jeanette, by his side.
  On behalf of the people of Ohio and the Ohio delegation, I would like 
to express our deep sadness and enduring gratitude for the life of 
Louis Stokes.
  Growing up in Cleveland in public housing, with his brother, Carl, 
and their widowed mother, life was hard, but Lou triumphed over 
hardship to become a passionate voice for the less fortunate. He gave 
his life to public service, serving 3 years in the Army before using 
the benefits he earned under the GI Bill to attend college and law 
school; and, I might say, he served in a segregated Army. He worked 
closely with the NAACP and argued the landmark stop and frisk case, 
Terry v. Ohio, before the U.S. Supreme Court.
  In his 15 terms in Congress, he served as an ever-present voice for 
people of color and vulnerable communities across this country, playing 
a role to help found the Congressional Black Caucus in 1971. He was a 
foundational figure. His leadership was also historic, as he was the 
first African American Member of Congress ever elected to represent 
Ohio. Lou's resume in the House included stints as chairman of the 
select committee that investigated the assassinations of John F. 
Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., from 1976 to 1978; as chairman of 
the House Ethics Committee; as a member of the House select committee 
that investigated the Iran-Contra affair; and as the first Black person 
to chair the Intelligence Committee and serve on the influential House 
Appropriations Committee and chair its Subcommittee on Veterans, 
Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies.
  A month before his passing, Lou gave an interview to the Cleveland 
Plain Dealer. He said: ``I was a very blessed guy . . . I've been 
blessed with the opportunity to participate in history, to rise to 
opportunities I never envisioned . . . and to provide for people 
opportunities that, in many cases, they would have never had.''
  We stand here today in the footsteps of this historic champion. It is 
we who are blessed to have worked alongside Congressman Stokes; and our 
thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Jeanette; his beautiful 
daughters Angela, Shelley, and Lori; son, Chuck; and seven 
grandchildren. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of them during 
this difficult time of loss.
  Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Ohio delegation, I ask that the House 
observe a moment of silence in memory of the legendary, transformative 
life of former Congressman Louis Stokes, and I thank you all.

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