[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13788]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              REMEMBERING FORMER CONGRESSMAN LOUIS STOKES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 2015, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. 
Hoyer) until 10 p.m.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise regretting that I was unable to be 
here when Marcy Kaptur, the gentlewoman from Ohio, was talking about 
Representative Louis Stokes.
  Congressman Stokes and I were very good friends. I had the 
opportunity to serve with him for many years. And I wanted to take this 
time, Mr. Speaker, to thank Ms. Kaptur for leading the special order.
  On August 18, we learned of the passing of our friend, former 
Representative Lou Stokes.
  He was a reluctant candidate, Mr. Speaker, who went on to serve his 
constituents for three decades. I have had the honor of serving here 
for 34 years.
  But when I first came here, of course, I thought Lou Stokes had been 
here forever. I don't really think I have been here forever.
  But he was a friend to all, respected by his colleagues on both sides 
of the aisle and beloved by his constituents. For three decades, he 
served here and left a lasting imprint on a State, our Nation, and, 
indeed, the world.
  Lou Stokes was the first African American to represent Ohio and the 
first to chair the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He was 
chairman as well of the Black Caucus and a tireless campaigner for 
civil rights and equality.
  Moreover, he was also the first African American to serve on the 
Appropriations Committee, where he and I were colleagues. I sat just 
two chairs from him for almost a decade along with Ms. Kaptur for a 
number of years.
  He chaired the Appropriations Subcommittee for Veterans Affairs and 
Housing and Urban Development. That chairmanship reflected 
Representative Stokes' longstanding mission to address the unmet needs 
of millions of Americans living in inner city neighborhoods, like many 
of those in Cleveland who sent him to Congress.
  Having been raised in a housing project himself along with his 
brother, former Cleveland Mayor Carl Stokes, he made it his mission to 
ensure that Congress was paying attention to the important issues of 
affordable housing, access to jobs, healthcare delivery, and crime 
prevention.
  As a veteran, Representative Stokes never wavered from his 
determination to make certain that Congress was meeting its 
responsibility to those who had served our Nation in uniform.
  I was saddened to learn of his passing. In his 90 years, 
Representative Stokes lived a very rich and full life. He was full of 
life and a deep and abiding love for his family, this House, the State, 
and Nation that he served so ably.
  Lou Stokes was a gentleman and a gentle man. He was a giant in 
integrity and in intellect, committed to common sense, courage, and 
seeking the right answers for his people, for his State, and for his 
country.
  It is a testament to him that his four children all followed him into 
careers that helped better their communities and our country.
  One is an administrator at Howard University. Another is a well-
respected journalist and news anchor in New York. The third is a 
Cleveland municipal court judge. And the fourth is an editor and public 
affairs director for a television station in Detroit.
  He was extraordinarily proud of his children and of his 
grandchildren. They, like all of us in this House who served with him, 
Mr. Speaker, were and are extraordinarily proud of Congressman Louis 
Stokes.
  I join in extending my condolences to them, to their mother, 
Representative Stokes' wife of 55 years, Angela, and to the seven 
grandchildren that Representative Stokes so cherished.
  The House of Representatives was made a better body by having Lou 
Stokes serve in this hall. A grateful Nation thanks him and his family 
for sharing his life with all of us who had the honor and privilege and 
joy of serving by his side in this revered House of the people that he 
loved and who loved him.
  I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________