Louis Stokes

A Representative from Ohio; born in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, February 23, 1925; educated at Cleveland College of Western Reserve University, 1946-1948; J.D., Cleveland Marshall Law School, 1953; served in the United States Army, 1943-1946; admitted to the bar in 1953 and commenced practice in Cleveland, Ohio; lecturer and writer for universities and bar associations; elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-first and to the fourteen succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1969-January 3, 1999); chair, Select Committee on Assassinations (Ninety-fifth Congress); chair, Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (Ninety-seventh, Ninety-eighth and One Hundred Second Congresses); chair, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (One Hundredth Congress); was not a candidate for reelection to the One Hundred Sixth Congress in 1998; is a resident of Silver Spring, Md. Former US Congressman Louis Stokes focuses his practice on legislative counseling in the domestic and international public and private sectors. He counsels clients on regulatory matters, specifically federal government and federal legislative issues, with an emphasis on legislative enactments and processes and effective legislative and administrative strategies. Internationally, he advises foreign government representatives and multilateral funding organizations on federal policies and procedures. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Stokes served 15 consecutive terms in the US Congress, representing the Eleventh Congressional District of Ohio. He was the first African American elected to Congress from the State of Ohio and the first African American to retire from the House of Representatives, having completed 30 years of service. Mr. Stokes served as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, chaired the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies, and served as the second-ranking Democrat of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. He is the former chair of the House Select Committee on Assassinations, the House Intelligence Committee, the House Ethics Committee and served as a member of the House Iran Contra Panel.