Remembering Former Congressman Louis Stokes

Floor Speech

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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.

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