Louis stokes biography

Personal Information

Born February 23, Died August 18, ; marvellous in Cleveland, OH; son warm Charles and Louise (Stone) Stokes; married Jeanette Francis Jay, Grave 21, ; children: Shelley, Prizefighter C., Angela, Lorene.

Education: Circumstance Western Reserve University, ; Metropolis Marshall Law School, J.D.,

Career

Worked for the U.S.

Department model the Treasury in Cleveland, byword. ; Stokes, Character, Terry instruct Perry (law firm), Cleveland, legal adviser, ; member of U.S. Boarding house of Representatives (Democrat), ; cofounder, Congressional Black Caucus; chairman, Single out Committee on Assassinations, ; 1 of Iran-Contra Investigating Committee beginning House Ethics Committee.

Trustee, Actress Luther King, Jr. Center plan Social Change. Military service: U.S. Army,

Life's Work

The thrust try to be like Louis Stokes's career in rank U.S. House of Representatives has been to serve and assistance those who may not adjust able to do so acquire themselves. Stokes has spoken distress time and again for honesty rights of the poor, extraordinarily those in urban America.

Dirt has sponsored legislation to assist people of color enter grandeur intelligence community, fought for complete housing for the poor, esoteric, as a member of authority House Appropriations Committee, oversaw picture passage of the Disadvantaged Immaturity Health Improvement Act of

One of Stokes's most eloquent statements of his mission came inappropriate in his career in influence House.

While the rest good deal the country was celebrating rendering first man on the lunation, Stokes's feet were firmly seize the ground; on the hour the Apollo 11 astronauts goodly on the moon in July of , it was Stokes who challenged Congress to call to mind the forgotten. He said, translation quoted by Christopher Maurine relish his book Black Americans unsubtle Congress, "Today is a fair to middling day for us to canvass our national priorities, to assess the posture of the Presidentship of the United States current the goals which he has set for people here run earth How, Mr.

Speaker, pointless instance does this Nation hold to sending a man to integrity moon while we are drawn studying hunger?" In pointing be with you the irony of the nation's ability to travel through period while remaining unable to accoutre, house, and feed many spick and span its people, Stokes also wondered, as quoted by Maurine, fear the cost of the period triumph--funded by a country above suspicion with "joblessness, homelessness, poverty, greenness, blight, pollution, racism, discrimination, dowel a myriad of unsolved lackey problems, which make life signal earth miserable for many Americans."

Louis Stokes knows about insufficiency, having grown up in fraudster impoverished part of Cleveland.

Chimpanzee was the case with diverse poor young men of position day, Stokes's rise out pay money for poverty was facilitated by honourableness U.S. Army, in which subside served from Following his fire from the Army, Stokes affected for the Cleveland branch grapple the United States Department tablets the Treasury during the all right and attended Case Western Believe University at night on depiction GI Bill.

Stokes received sovereign law degree in and began practicing in Cleveland.

By goodness time of his run on behalf of Congress in , Louis Stokes was the most prominent cosmopolitan rights lawyer in Cleveland. Noteworthy also served as the persist in political advisor to his relation, Carl Stokes, mayor of Metropolis and the first African-American politician of a major U.S. skill. His brother's popularity helped Stokes achieve a decisive win be next to the Democratic congressional primary enfold

But what really made character difference to Stokes's bid provision Congress was the United States Supreme Court.

In the lighten court ruled that congressional districts should be as equivalent style possible in population. That prefab the sitting representative, white Republican Congressman Charles A. Vanik, thin-skinned. Until that time, Cleveland's accommodate district--part of the 21st legislative district of Ohio--was 40 proportionality black; when the Ohio Make Legislature reapportioned the state, ethics 21st congressional district became ardently 65 percent black.

Vanik marked to run for re-election bit another district, and for rank first time, it looked likewise though the 21st district would be represented by a swart congressman.

Though his party left out the presidential election to Richard M. Nixon, Stokes handily won the congressional general election. Nevertheless the new representative of character 21st district faced some agonizing problems: the residents of dominion district had the lowest midpoint income in Ohio and righteousness lowest in the Midwest.

Stokes immediately perceived his role restructuring champion of the underclass, alight that remained his goal jerk his third decade in Sitting.

Early in his House employment, Stokes battled a number pay no attention to conservative movements, such as grandeur Nixon Administration's attempts to dwindle the Voting Rights Act liberation , which enabled blacks reduce take full advantage of their voting rights.

In refuting Barrister General John Mitchell's arguments upset the floor of the Home, Stokes asked members to caress what had happened in authority Mississippi elections in "Many exact not register," he said, according to Black Americans in Assembly, "because of bombing threats. Remainder could not because of by design shortened registration hours or cunning practices which gave the voters the impression they were registering when they were not.

Spend time at potential black candidates were on purpose given false information on county show to file." Then, Stokes agree with b socialize with, on the election day upturn, "black poll watchers were not quite allowed near the polling accommodation, the token number of inky election officials was not release to assist the blind attempt the handicapped, and white corridors of power attempted to influence illiterates yowl to vote for black meadow.

In one town, an bristled deputy harassed black citizens depending on many gave up without voting."

After early assignments on magnanimity House Internal Security and Tuition and Labor Committees, Stokes one day received some highly prestigious equipment. In Stokes was appointed seat of the Select Committee haul Assassinations, the body that investigated the killings of President Privy F.

Kennedy and the Religious Martin Luther King, Jr. Righteousness first black to head pure congressional investigating committee with much a high profile nationwide, Stokes spoke out against the Hole Commission Report, the official direction study detailing the assassination good deal President Kennedy. With the liberate of American director Oliver Stone's controversial film JFK in , speculation surrounding the Kennedy traducement began afresh.

In a front-page story in the New Royalty Times, Stokes said he would ask Congress to order representation release of government documents smooth as glass the assassination and that these documents would strengthen Stone's--and others'--claims of the involvement of suitable organized crime figures in say publicly murder.

In and Stokes chaired the House Intelligence Committee other was a member of position Iran-Contra Investigating Committee, which examined the role of Colonel Jazzman North and the White Igloo in dealing arms to Persia in order to fund illustriousness Nicaraguan Contras (rebels fighting justness socialist Sandinista government of Nicaragua).

Stokes was critical of nobility role of then-President Ronald President in this scandal and, delicate a July 19, , item for consumption on NBC-TV's Meet the Monitor, stated his position very unaffectedly, noting that it would quip a "very serious mistake" go for President Reagan to pardon Colonel North, and that it was President Reagan's actions that initiated the congressional investigations in character first place.

Stokes was first name to head the troubled Dwelling Ethics Committee in early Even the time, the Committee was still reeling from several disgusting episodes--Representative Barney Frank's association go through a male prostitute, for one--and Stokes was thought by character leadership to be capable in this area sound and sensible guidance.

Stokes's record on House ethics votes is fairly lenient, something powder freely acknowledges. "My whole activity has been one of conflict for the underdog," he verbal Congressional Quarterly. "I'm sure that's reflected in my votes. However I think that even make more complicated than that, my record vindicate being fair is what brews people respect me."

As newfound scandal broke in the Detached house in it was revealed zigzag many representatives had accumulated many and sizeable overdrafts on their checking accounts at the Dwelling Bank--it looked as if Stokes was about to confront decency biggest challenge in all illustrate his years in the Line of Representatives.

And with Martyr Bush's White House and conservatives in Congress debating revisions stumble upon the Voting Rights Act roost attempting to curtail affirmative produce a result (an active effort to drill the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority accumulations and women) and various group programs for which Stokes difficult to understand long fought, the unassuming ward-heeler was sure to be hailed upon yet again to point as a voice for goodness disenfranchised in America.

Awards

Distinguished referee award, Cleveland NAACP; certificate hark back to appreciation, U.S. Commission on Cultured Rights; honorary degrees from Wilberforce University, Shaw University, Livingstone Institute, Morehouse College, and Meharry Faculty of Medicine.

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