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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E219]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING MEMPHIS LAWYER JAMES S. GILLILAND
______
HON. STEVE COHEN
of tennessee
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Memphis
lawyer, public citizen and community leader James S. Gilliland, who
passed away Monday at 86. Jim was one of the great lawyers of Memphis
with a sterling national reputation, having received every award for
his phenomenal professionalism and active role in community affairs
throughout his career. That included the 2018 ``Pillars of Excellence''
Award from the University of Memphis School of Law. Well respected in
his hometown, Jim's service in Washington, as general counsel to the
Department of Agriculture during the Clinton Administration, added to
his prestige.
Jim was born in Memphis and graduated from my alma mater, Vanderbilt
University, and its law school, being named the Most Outstanding of the
Law Class of 1957. After passing the bar, he served as a full-time
prosecutor in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific and Far East, after which he
returned home to join the then seven-lawyer firm now known as Glankler
Brown PLLC. He became a partner and remained with the firm for 30
years. By 1964, he had met and married Lucia Flowers and the couple had
three fine children--Katherine, Elizabeth and James Jr.--who continue
to reflect their parents' spirit of community involvement.
Jim's civic commitment was seen in his service chairing the Liberty
Bowl, the Memphis Cotton Carnival, the Memphis Arts Council and
LeMoyne-Owen College boards of directors. Jim also oversaw the Memphis
Mayoral Transition Team for our city's first African American Mayor,
Willie Herenton. He received the Memphis Bar's Sam A. Myar, Jr. Award
as the most outstanding young lawyer in 1972. In 1995, baseball
champion Hank Aaron presented him with the United Negro College Fund's
``Beacon of Hope'' Award for his work supporting minority education. He
was a close friend and counsel to Al Gore throughout his political
career.
In 1993, President Clinton nominated Jim for the general counsel post
at the Department of Agriculture and he was confirmed by the Senate.
There he managed a legal staff of 200 lawyers in 23 regional offices
around the country, dealing with the legal issues involved in
agricultural production, international trade, food policy, the
interests of the forestry industry and rural small towns.
Returning to Memphis after his federal service, Jim became involved
in local and national boards, including serving as chair of the
American Battlefield Trust, the private partner of the National Park
Service focused on preserving American battlefields. Jim was always
supportive of me and other public servants and he and Lucia helped make
Memphis a more tolerant and inclusive community.
I extend my heartfelt condolences to Lucia, his wife of 55 years, and
his children, his grandchildren, his colleagues and his many friends.
His was a life well-lived.
____________________