Legislation	Clerk's Office	Members	Committees	Meetings	Home	Senate

HR 145 - Higginbotham, Honorable A. Leon Jr.; condolences

Brooks, Tyrone (54th)	Randall, William (Billy) C (127th)	Mobley, Barbara J (69th)
Reed, Kasim (52nd)	Ragas, Arnold M (64th)	Dean, Douglas C. (48th)

Status Summary	HC:		SC:		FR:	01/28/99	LA:	01/28/99	H - Passed/Adopted

First Reader Summary

A RESOLUTION in tribute to the Honorable A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr.; and for other purposes.

HR 145                                             LC 19 4072 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                             A RESOLUTION 
 
  1- 1  In tribute to the Honorable A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr.; and 
  1- 2  for other purposes. 
 
  1- 3  WHEREAS, on December 14, 1998, A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., 
  1- 4  one of the nation's most distinguished federal jurists, died 
  1- 5  in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of 70 years; and 
 
  1- 6  WHEREAS, in addition to being an outstanding federal judge, 
  1- 7  he was also an influential legal scholar, historian, and a 
  1- 8  champion of affirmative action and civil rights; and 
 
  1- 9  WHEREAS, he was the epitome of the people's lawyer, and 
  1-10  notwithstanding his individual achievements, he never 
  1-11  hesitated to lend a hand to the poor, the voiceless, the 
  1-12  powerless, and the downtrodden; and 
 
  1-13  WHEREAS, in recognition of his service to the nation, in 
  1-14  1997, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the 
  1-15  nation's highest civilian honor; and 
 
  1-16  WHEREAS, he sat on the federal bench for 29 years and from 
  1-17  1990 until his retirement, he presided as Chief Judge of the 
  1-18  United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which 
  1-19  has jurisdiction over Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, 
  1-20  and the Virgin Islands; and 
 
  1-21  WHEREAS, after graduating from Yale Law School in 1952, he 
  1-22  turned to public service, becoming assistant district 
  1-23  attorney in Philadelphia; and 
 
  1-24  WHEREAS, he later developed a private law practice and from 
  1-25  1960 to 1962 he was president of the Philadelphia chapter of 
  1-26  the NAACP; and 
 
  1-27  WHEREAS, in 1962, President John Kennedy appointed him the 
  1-28  first African American to sit on the Federal Trade 
  1-29  Commission; and 
 
  1-30  WHEREAS, he was named to the Federal District Court in 
  1-31  Philadelphia in 1964, at age 36, by President Lyndon 
  1-32  Johnson; and 
 
 
 
 
 
                                 -1- 
 
 
 
  2- 1  WHEREAS, in 1977, President Jimmy Carter elevated him to the 
  2- 2  U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, where he assumed the 
  2- 3  post of chief judge in 1990; and 
 
  2- 4  WHEREAS, following his retirement from the bench in 1993, he 
  2- 5  remained active, teaching at the University of Pennsylvania 
  2- 6  and Harvard University, as well as serving as a director on 
  2- 7  several corporate boards; and 
 
  2- 8  WHEREAS, in 1994, Nelson Mandela asked him to serve as a 
  2- 9  mediator during South Africa's first elections in which 
  2-10  blacks could vote; and 
 
  2-11  WHEREAS, throughout his life, Judge Higginbotham remained an 
  2-12  idealist, optimistic that America could be made fairer and 
  2-13  more caring as a nation. 
 
  2-14  NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF 
  2-15  REPRESENTATIVES that this body honors the memory of A. Leon 
  2-16  Higginbotham, Jr., who, as a jurist, scholar, advocate, and 
  2-17  national leader, made lasting contributions to law and 
  2-18  social justice in America. 
 
  2-19  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of 
  2-20  Representatives is authorized and directed to transmit an 
  2-21  appropriate copy of this resolution to the family of the 
  2-22  late A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                 -2-