Louis Stokes

2002 Honoree

On November 6, 1968, Louis Stokes was elected to the U.S. Congress on his first try for public office, becoming the first African-American member of Congress from the state of Ohio.

Each year since 1971, Congressman Stokes has been named by Ebony magazine as one of the 100 most influential Black Americans. In 1979, he was nominated by Ebony magazine in three categories for the Second Annual American Black Achievement Awards. His nomination was based upon his role as the first African American to head a major congressional investigation and to preside over nationally televised hearings, which revealed new facts about the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

In his second term of office, the congressional representative was appointed as the first African American to sit on the powerful Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. In addition, Congressman Stokes has served as a member of the Budget, Education and Labor, and House Un-American Activities Committees (now the House Internal Security Committee).

A graduate of Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University’s law school, Congressman Stokes practiced law for 14 years in Cleveland, Ohio, prior to his election.

Congressman Stokes can be proud of his family’s achievements in addition to his own. His brother, Municipal Court Judge Carl B. Stokes, made history in Cleveland in 1967 by becoming the first African-American mayor of a major American city. Their mother, Louise Stokes, was named Cleveland’s Woman of the Year in 1968 and Ohio’s Mother of the Year in 1969.

In 1980, Congressman Stokes was awarded the William L. Dawson Award by his colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus. This coveted and prestigious award was presented to him in recognition of his “unique leadership in the development of legislation.”

The Cleveland native asks today’s youth to get back to the basics with this advice: “Stay in school. Learn everything you can learn. Be considerate of others. Be concerned about those who are around you and who are less fortunate than you. Reach back and help those less fortunate than you. Above all, believe in yourself.”