INTRODUCTION OF A RESOLUTION HONORING RETIRED HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN JOHN CONYERS, JR. ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 82
(Extensions of Remarks - May 16, 2019)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E616-E617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
INTRODUCTION OF A RESOLUTION HONORING RETIRED HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
CHAIRMAN JOHN CONYERS, JR. ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY
______
HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE
of texas
in the house of representatives
Thursday, May 16, 2019
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to introduce this
resolution honoring retired Congressman John Conyers on the occasion of
his 90th Birthday. Congressman Conyers was born in Highland Park,
Michigan, on May 16, 1929, and grew up in the city of Detroit. Like
many men of his generation, he served in the military and was stationed
in Korea, during the Korean War, as an officer in the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers, where he was awarded combat and merit citations.
Following the completion of his military service, he earned both his
B.A. (1957) and LL.B. (1958) degrees from Wayne State University and
became an active member of the Michigan Bar. He had the distinction of
working on the staff of Congressman John Dingell, serving as counsel to
Detroit-area labor union locals and as a referee for Michigan's
workmen's compensation department.
His commitment to civil rights was forged during the great movement
of the 1960's, when traveling throughout the South, and was in Selma,
Alabama, for the Freedom Day voter registration drive in 1963. In
correspondence, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., would later
remark that Conyers presence in Selma, Alabama ``had an electric effect
on the voteless and beleaguered Negro citizens of this city, state and
nation.''
Conyers legislative career began in 1964 when he ran for an open seat
in Michigan's 1st District, following the landmark 1964 Baker v. Carr
decision, and defeated his opponent with 84 percent of the vote. In
this race, Congressman Conyers received the only known political
endorsement from Dr. King and Rosa Parks, known for her prominent role
in the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott, moved to Detroit and served on
Conyers' staff between 1965 and 1988.
Congressman Conyers went on to serve 26 terms, winning re-election
twenty-five times, and is the third longest-serving member of the House
in history, and the sixth longest-serving member of Congress in
history. He was one of the 13 members who founded the Congressional
Black Caucus in 1969 and was considered the Dean of the Caucus during
his tenure.
As a freshman member, Congressman Conyers won a seat on the Judiciary
Committee and went on to serve as Chairman of that committee from 2007
to 2011, along with serving as the ranking Democratic member on the
Committee from 1995 to 2007 and again from 2011 to 2017. During his
tenure, he successfully worked to oppose initiatives that violated
Constitutional values and served as a beacon of hope to those facing
poverty and injustice. He was the first member to introduce legislation
or hold hearings on an important series of civil rights issues,
including: police misconduct; LGBTQ protections; violence against the
Arab and Muslim American communities; AIDS in the African-American
community; environmental racism; and restorative justice, just to name
a few.
Over the course of his legislative career, Congressman Conyers was
responsible for more than 100 bills, amendments, and resolutions being
enacted, including 57 on which he was the overall lead sponsor, and an
additional 56 that he managed or was the lead Democratic sponsor. From
his position on the Judiciary Committee, he led many of our most
notable legislative efforts on civil rights and civil liberties,
including: the Martin Luther King Holiday Act, the Voting Rights act
Reauthorizations, the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorizations, the
Hate Crimes Prevention
[[Page E617]]
Act, Pattern and Practice Enforcement Act, the USA Freedom Act, the
Fair Sentencing Act, the ``Motor Voter'' Act, and the Innocence
Protection Act.
For these reasons, Congressman Conyers is recognized as a champion of
civil rights and civil liberties, receiving numerous honors, including
the NAACP Spingarn Medal and the Leadership Conference on Civil and
Human Rights Hubert H. Humphrey Award. Always a leader and gentleman,
Congressman Conyers walked the halls of this institution for more than
50 years, leaving a lasting impact through his dedication to freedom
and justice for all people.
Like so many in this body, I am proud to have been his colleague and
friend. The celebration of his 90th birthday is an ideal time to
reflect on his accomplishments and celebrate his distinguished
legislative career. His dedication and commitment to service is an
example for us all. He will always be the Chairman.
____________________