Louis Stokes

Template:Short description Template:More citations needed Template:Infobox officeholder Louis Stokes (February 23, 1925 – August 18, 2015) was an American attorney, civil rights pioneer and politician. He served 15 terms in the United States House of Representatives – representing the east side of Cleveland – and was the first African American congressman elected in the state of Ohio.<ref name="LS"/> He was one of the Cold War era chairmen of the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, headed the Congressional Black Caucus, and was the first African American on the United States House Committee on Appropriations.<ref name=AP1/>

Early life

Stokes was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Louise (née Stone) and Charles Stokes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He and his brother, politician Carl B. Stokes, lived in one of the first federally funded housing projects, the Outhwaite Homes. Stokes attended Central High School and later served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946. After attending Western Reserve University and the Cleveland State University College of Law on the G.I. Bill,<ref name=AP1/> Stokes began practicing law in Cleveland in 1953. He argued the "stop and frisk" case of Terry v. Ohio before the United States Supreme Court in 1968.<ref name=AP1/> Later in 1968, he was elected to the House, representing the 21st District of Ohio on Cleveland's East Side. He shifted to the newly created 11th District, covering much of the same area following a 1992 redistricting. Stokes served 30 years in total, retiring in 1999.Template:Citation needed

Career

Stokes' tenure in the House of Representatives included service on the House Appropriations Committee, where he was influential in bringing revenue to Cleveland. He was particularly interested in veterans' issues and secured funds for health-care facilities for veterans in Cleveland.<ref name=AP1/> Template:Multiple image In the 1970s, Stokes served as chairman of the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations, charged with investigating the murders of President John F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. He served on the House committee that investigated the Iran–Contra Affair. As chairman of the United States House Committee on Ethics, Stokes oversaw the committee's investigation of a corruption scandal known as Abscam in 1979–80, which eventually led to convictions of one senator and six House members. Recalling Stokes, U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach said: "We were in the midst of a huge ... corruption scandal, and public service was taking a public beating. But Lou Stokes was there as a shining beacon of integrity, of excellence and most important of all for us, of justice."<ref name=AP1/>

In 1971, he was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

File:CBCfoundingmembers.jpg

Stokes (standing, fourth from right) with fellow founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus in 1971

In 1992, Stokes ran for president as an Ohio favorite son, winning the delegates from his home district in Ohio, and then, in a minor Democratic convention drama, refused to release the delegate's votes until the Clinton campaign formally asked for them.<ref name=AP1/>

Following his time in Congress, Stokes became a distinguished visiting professor at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. He actively served in this role until the time of his death.

Personal life

Stokes' daughter, Angela, is a former Cleveland Municipal Court judge who served from 1995 through 2015, while another, Lori, was Co-anchor of The 5 O'clock News and The 10 O'clock news and Anchor of The 6 O'clock News until 2022 and earlier Co-anchor of Good Day New York WNYW Fox 5. His son, Chuck, is also a journalist with WXYZ-TV in Detroit. His daughter, Shelley, is a historic preservationist, writer and public relations professional. Stokes' brother, Carl B. Stokes, was the first African American mayor of a large American city.<ref name=AP1>"Longtime Ohio Congressman Louis Stokes dies at 90", aol.com, August 19, 2015; retrieved August 20, 2015.</ref> Stokes was a cousin of funk and R&B musician Rick James.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Stokes was a Prince Hall Freemason,<ref name=PHOHIO>Template:Cite book</ref> and a member of the Cleveland Alumni chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

Later life and death

Stokes retired in 2012 as senior counsel in the law firm of Squire Patton Boggs, with offices in Cleveland and Washington.<ref>"Squire Sanders Announces Louis Stokes' Retirement as Senior Counsel", Squire Patton Boggs, December 6, 2012.</ref>

On July 20, 2015, it was reported that Stokes had both brain cancer and lung cancer.<ref name="LS">Template:Cite web</ref> He died on August 18, 2015, at his home in Cleveland from the diseases at the age of 90.<ref name=AP1/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was interred at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland.<ref>Template:CongBio</ref>

Legacy

The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority opened the Louis Stokes Museum on September 13, 2007.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=LSMuseum>Template:Cite web</ref> This museum houses Stokes memorabilia, video interviews, miscellaneous video footage, awards and a written history about Stokes and his rise to prominence. The museum is located at Outhwaite Homes, 4302 Quincy Avenue.<ref name=LSMuseum/>

From 2006 to 2008, the Western Reserve Historical Society opened an exhibition on the lives of Congressman Stokes and his brother titled "Carl and Louis Stokes: From the Projects to Politics". The exhibit uses photographs, manuscript collections, and personal items to showcase Louis Stokes' rise from the Outhwaite homes, his legal career, and his Congressional service. The former Congressman was inducted into the Karamu House Hall of Fame in 2007 for his contributions to the continued legacy of Cleveland's black settlement house and theatre.Template:Citation needed

Many buildings throughout the country have been named in Stokes honor including: Howard University's medical library, the Cleveland Public Library's main building expansion, and Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority's Windermere station Louis Stokes Station at Windermere. The greater Cleveland area Veteran's hospital was renamed the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center. Building 50 on the National Institutes of Health campus is named the Louis Stokes Laboratories.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Congressman Stokes' alma mater, Case Western Reserve University, offers the Louis Stokes Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Scholarship worth full tuition to an incoming first-year or transfer undergraduate student. It is intended to help economically and educationally disadvantaged students attain an education at the school.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Autobiography

• Louis Stokes with David Chanoff (2016): The Gentleman from Ohio. (Foreword by Congressman John Lewis). Trillium Books, The Ohio State University Press. Template:ISBN

See also

• List of African-American United States representatives
• List of Cleveland–Marshall College of Law alumni
• List of members of the House Un-American Activities Committee

External links

• History.house.gov
• Western Reserve Historical Society's website about the lives of Louis and Carl Stokes
• Collections
• Stokes: An American Dream on PBS's World channel
• Template:Cite web The National Science Foundation has funded "Louis Stokes Alliances" to support post-secondary education of minority students.
• Template:C-SPAN
• Template:Find a Grave