Louis Stokes Biography
Personal Information
Born February 23, 1925; raised in Cleveland, OH; son of Charles and Louis (Stone) Stokes; married Jeanette Francis Jay, August 21, 1960; children: Shelley, Louis C., Angela, Lorene.
Education
Case Western Reserve University, 1946-48; Cleveland Marshall Law School, J.D., 1953.
Career
Worked for the U.S. Department of the Treasury in Cleveland, c. 1946-48; Stokes, Character, Terry and Perry (law firm), Cleveland, attorney, 1954-68; member of U.S. House of Representatives (Democrat), 1968--; cofounder, Congressional Black Caucus; chairman, Select Committee on Assassinations, 1977-79; member of Iran-Contra Investigating Committee and House Ethics Committee. Trustee, Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Social Change. Military service: U.S. Army, 1943-46.
Life's Work
The thrust of Louis Stokes's career in the U.S. 众议院一直在为那些可能无法为自己做到这一点的人服务和辩护. 斯托克斯一次又一次地为穷人，尤其是美国城市穷人的权利大声疾呼. 他发起了帮助有色人种进入情报界的立法, fought for adequate housing for the poor, and, as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, 监督了1989年《澳门新葡新京官方》的通过.
斯托克斯对他的使命最雄辩的陈述之一出现在他在众议院的职业生涯早期. 当整个国家都在庆祝第一个登上月球的人的时候, Stokes who challenged Congress to remember the forgotten. He said, Christopher Maurine在他的《澳门新葡新京官方》一书中引用了这句话, "Today is a good day for us to reexamine our national priorities, 评估美国总统的姿态和他为地球上的人们设定的目标.... How, Mr. Speaker, 例如，在我们还在研究饥饿问题的时候，这个国家有理由把人送上月球吗...?路易斯·斯托克斯(Louis Stokes)在克利夫兰的一个贫困地区长大，他知道贫穷是什么. As was the case with many poor young men of the day, Stokes's rise out of poverty was facilitated by the U.S. Army, in which he served from 1943-46. Following his discharge from the Army, 斯托克斯白天在美国财政部克利夫兰分部工作，晚上在凯斯西储大学学习《澳门新葡新京官方》. 斯托克斯于1953年获得法律学位，并开始在克利夫兰执业.
By the time of his run for Congress in 1968, 路易斯·斯托克斯是克利夫兰最杰出的民权律师. He also served as the main political advisor to his brother, Carl Stokes, 克利夫兰市市长，也是美国主要城市的第一位非洲裔市长.S. city.
Early in his House career, Stokes battled a number of conservative movements, 比如尼克松政府试图削弱1965年的《澳门新葡新京官方》, 是什么使黑人能够充分利用他们的投票权. 在众议院反驳司法部长约翰·米切尔的论点, 斯托克斯要求成员们考虑1969年密西西比州选举中发生的事情. 在众议院内部安全委员会、教育委员会和劳工委员会任职后, Stokes eventually received some highly prestigious appointments. 1977年，斯托克斯被任命为暗杀特别委员会主席, the body that investigated the killings of President John F. Kennedy and the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. 第一个领导国会调查委员会的黑人在全国范围内享有如此高的知名度. 1987年和1988年，斯托克斯担任众议院情报委员会主席，并担任伊朗门调查委员会成员.
1991年初，斯托克斯被任命为众议院道德委员会主席. 领导层认为斯托克斯能够进行合理而明智的指导. 斯托克斯坦率地承认，他在众议院道德投票方面的记录相当宽松. “我的整个职业生涯都是为弱者而战，”他对《澳门新葡京博彩》说. "I'm sure that's reflected in my votes. 但我认为更重要的是，我的公正记录让人们尊重我."
Awards
Distinguished service award, Cleveland NAACP; certificate of appreciation, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights; honorary degrees from Wilberforce University, Shaw University, Livingstone College, Morehouse College, and Meharry College of Medicine.