[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 307 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 307
Honoring the life and legacy of Henry Louis Aaron.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 8, 2025
Mr. David Scott of Georgia (for himself, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr.
Carter of Georgia, Mr. Bishop, Mr. Loudermilk, and Mr. Thompson of
Mississippi) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Honoring the life and legacy of Henry Louis Aaron.
Whereas Henry Louis ``Hank'' Aaron was born 1 of 8 children on February 5, 1934,
to Herbert Aaron, Sr., and Estella (Pritchett) Aaron in Mobile, Alabama;
Whereas Mr. Aaron grew up during the height of Jim Crow and segregation and
faced racism and discrimination from a young age, including from the
stands while playing in the South as a minor league baseball player
early in his baseball career;
Whereas Mr. Aaron began his baseball career as a teenager in the Negro leagues,
first playing for the Prichard Athletics, then the Mobile Black Bears,
before being signed by the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American
League;
Whereas, in 1952, Mr. Aaron was signed by the Boston Braves, who assigned him to
play in the minor league for their Northern League farm team, the Eau
Claire Bears, where he made the Northern League's All-Star team and was
unanimously named Rookie of the Year;
Whereas, in 1953, Mr. Aaron was promoted to play for the South Atlantic League
affiliate of the Braves, the Jacksonville Braves, as one of the league's
first Black players, where he immediately helped the team win the league
championship and won the South Atlantic League's Most Valuable Player
Award;
Whereas, in 1954, Mr. Aaron was invited to attend spring training with the
Milwaukee Braves and signed his first Major League Baseball contract on
the final day of Braves spring training, making his Major League
Baseball debut against the Cincinnati Reds and hitting his first Major
League Baseball home run on April 23, 1954;
Whereas Mr. Aaron won his first batting title in 1956 and was voted the National
League's Most Valuable Player in 1957, helping the Braves win their
first pennant in Milwaukee and leading the Braves to a 1957 World Series
victory against the New York Yankees;
Whereas, in 1966, Mr. Aaron moved with the Braves to Atlanta, Georgia, and went
on to play 23 seasons in Major League Baseball, all but his final 2
seasons with the Braves in Milwaukee and then Atlanta;
Whereas, on April 4, 1974, Mr. Aaron tied Babe Ruth's home run record by hitting
home run number 714 in a game against the Cincinnati Reds on his first
swing of the season;
Whereas, on the evening of April 8, 1974, Mr. Aaron made history by breaking
Babe Ruth's record when he hit home run number 715 against the Los
Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia,
cementing his place in history as the Nation's home run king;
Whereas, during the historic moment, veteran baseball broadcaster Vin Scully
announced, ``What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous
moment for Atlanta and the State of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for
the country and the world. A Black man is getting a standing ovation in
the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol.'';
Whereas Mr. Aaron went on to hit 755 home runs in his career, a home run record
that went unbroken for more than 30 years, with his final home run
coming on July 20, 1976;
Whereas, at the time of his passing, Mr. Aaron held the Major League Baseball
records for the most career runs batted in (2,297), extra base hits
(1,477), and total bases (6,856);
Whereas, at the time of his passing, Mr. Aaron was 1 of only 4 players to have
at least 17 seasons with 150 or more hits, was in second place for most
in home runs and at-bats (12,364), and was in third place for most games
played (3,298) and hits (3,771);
Whereas, in addition to his records, Mr. Aaron achieved numerous career
highlights and awards, including--
(1) becoming the ninth player to achieve the 3,000 hit milestone and
the first player to achieve both 500 home runs and 3,000 hits;
(2) being a 2-time National League batting champion;
(3) winning the National League's single-season home run title 4 times;
(4) achieving a career batting average of .305;
(5) being voted an All-Star in all but his first and last seasons; and
(6) winning 3 Gold Glove awards for his play as a right fielder;
Whereas Mr. Aaron achieved these milestones while bravely facing racism at every
stage of his historic career, including being barred from hotels where
his minor league White teammates stayed, receiving many racist letters
and threats, and even needing protection from law enforcement at games
to protect against racist violence or harassment;
Whereas Mr. Aaron accomplished a stellar career without the use of steroids or
other performance enhancing drugs, and played the game of baseball with
the highest standard of integrity;
Whereas during his career, Mr. Aaron became a national symbol for perseverance
by demonstrating athletic greatness and strength while enduring vicious
racism and hate, helping advance the cause for civil rights and becoming
a civic leader in the Black community;
Whereas, Mr. Aaron became the first Black American to hold a senior management
position in Major League Baseball as a front office executive with the
Atlanta Braves, supported the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People (``NAACP''), and founded the Chasing the Dream
Foundation to support underprivileged youth through mentorship and
financial support;
Whereas, in April 1977, the Atlanta Braves retired Mr. Aaron's Number 44,
erected a statue in his honor in 1982, and named the address of their
second home, Turner Field, as 755 Hank Aaron Drive;
Whereas Mr. Aaron is an integral part of Mobile, Alabama, history and has been
recognized by the city through the construction of a stadium, opening of
a museum, and naming of a park, in his honor;
Whereas, in 1982, his first year of eligibility, Mr. Aaron was elected to the
Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving 97.8 percent of the vote, the second-
highest tally at the time only to Ty Cobb;
Whereas, on the 25th anniversary of Mr. Aaron's 715th home run, Major League
Baseball created the Hank Aaron Award, given annually to the players
with the best overall offensive performances in each league;
Whereas, in 2002, Mr. Aaron received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the
Nation's highest civilian award, from President George W. Bush, with the
citation noting that Mr. Aaron ``embodies the true spirit of our
Nation'';
Whereas, in 2015, Mr. Aaron was an inaugural recipient of the Portrait of a
Nation Prize from the National Portrait Gallery commemorating
``exemplary achievements in the fields of civil rights, business,
entertainment, science, and sports'';
Whereas, in 2022, the Library of Congress elected to preserve the television
broadcast of Mr. Aaron's 715th home run within the National Recording
Registry as an event of great cultural, historical, or aesthetic
importance in the history of the United States; and
Whereas, at the time of his passing, Mr. Aaron was long renowned for having
uplifted the Black community and improved human relations over his
career through his tremendous display of dignity and long record of
achievement in the face of racism and hate, cementing his legacy as a
leading figure for civil rights: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) honors the life and legacy of Henry Louis Aaron for his
accomplishments on and off the baseball field, and for defying
racism and breaking down racial barriers in the fight for
equality as one of the last Major League Baseball All-Stars to
have played in the Negro leagues;
(2) proclaims that Henry Louis Aaron indeed embodied the
true spirit and promise of the Nation, reflected the best of
the determination and perseverance of the people of the United
States, and exemplified the indomitable will of Black Americans
to overcome impossible odds to achieve greatness in the face of
relentless adversity and racism; and
(3) recognizes the life and legacy of Henry Louis Aaron as
an important figure in the fight for civil rights, as well as
one of the greatest and most prolific baseball players and
professional athletes of the United States, of all time.
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