 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Louis Stokes" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(August 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Louis Stokes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of theHouse Ethics Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Julian Dixon |
| Succeeded by | Jim McDermott |
| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Charles E. Bennett |
| Succeeded by | Julian C. Dixon |
| Chair of theHouse Intelligence Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Lee Hamilton |
| Succeeded by | Anthony Beilenson |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOhio | |
| In office January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Vanik |
| Succeeded by | Stephanie Tubbs Jones |
| Constituency | 21st district (1969–1993) 11th district (1993–1999) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1925-02-23)February 23, 1925 |
| Died | August 18, 2015(2015-08-18) (aged 90) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Jay Stokes |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Carl Stokes (brother) |
| Education | Case Western Reserve University Cleveland State University (JD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1946 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Stokes presents theCongressional Black Caucus's FY1987 budget plan. Recorded May 15, 1986 | |
Louis Stokes (February 23, 1925 – August 18, 2015) was an American attorney, civil rights pioneer and politician. He served 15 terms in theUnited States House of Representatives – representing the east side ofCleveland – and was the first African American congressman elected in the state ofOhio.[1] He was one of theCold War era chairmen of theUnited States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, headed theCongressional Black Caucus, and was the first African American on theUnited States House Committee on Appropriations.[2]
Stokes was born inCleveland, Ohio, the son of Louise (née Stone) and Charles Stokes.[3] He and his brother, politicianCarl B. Stokes, lived in one of the first federally funded housing projects, theOuthwaite Homes. Stokes attendedCentral High School and later served in theU.S. Army from 1943 to 1946. After attendingWestern Reserve University and theCleveland State University College of Law on theG.I. Bill,[2] Stokes began practicing law in Cleveland in 1953. He argued the "stop and frisk" case ofTerry v. Ohio before theUnited States Supreme Court in 1968.[2] 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.[citation needed]
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.[2]
In the 1970s, Stokes served as chairman of theUnited States House Select Committee on Assassinations, charged with investigating the murders of PresidentJohn F. Kennedy and civil rights leaderMartin Luther King Jr. He served on the House committee that investigated theIran–Contra Affair. As chairman of theUnited States House Committee on Ethics, Stokes oversaw the committee's investigation of a corruption scandal known asAbscam 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."[2]
In 1971, he was a founding member of theCongressional Black Caucus.
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 untilthe Clinton campaign formally asked for them.[2]
Following his time in Congress, Stokes became a distinguished visiting professor at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences atCase Western Reserve University. He actively served in this role until the time of his death.
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 ofGood Day New YorkWNYW Fox 5. His son, Chuck, is also ajournalist withWXYZ-TV in Detroit. His daughter, Shelley, is a historic preservationist, writer and public relations professional. Stokes' brother,Carl B. Stokes, was the firstAfrican American mayor of a large American city.[2] Stokes was a cousin of funk and R&B musicianRick James.[4][5]
Stokes was aPrince Hall Freemason,[6] and a member of the Cleveland Alumni chapter ofKappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
Stokes retired in 2012 as senior counsel in the law firm ofSquire Patton Boggs, with offices in Cleveland and Washington.[7]
On July 20, 2015, it was reported that Stokes had bothbrain cancer andlung cancer.[1] He died on August 18, 2015, at his home in Cleveland from the diseases at the age of 90.[2][8] He was interred atLake View Cemetery in Cleveland.[9]
TheCuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority opened the Louis Stokes Museum on September 13, 2007.[10][11] 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 atOuthwaite Homes, 4302 Quincy Avenue.[11]
From 2006 to 2008, theWestern 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.[citation needed]
Many buildings throughout the country have been named in Stokes honor including:Howard University's medical library, theCleveland Public Library's main building expansion, andGreater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority's Windermere stationLouis 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 theNational Institutes of Health campus is named the Louis Stokes Laboratories.[12]
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.[13]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
