The longest-serving African-American Congressman in history is dead. Michigan Democrat John Conyers died at his home yesterday. He was 90. Conyers was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and pursued liberal causes for more than 50 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.
He resigned in 2017 after allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied. He submitted his resignation after then House Speaker Paul Ryan and then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi found the allegations credible and called for him to step down.
Conyers was the only member of the Judiciary Committee that oversaw the impeachment inquiries of both presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton.
- He was a vocal critic of the Iraq War and spoke out often against the PATRIOT Act. He called for President George W. Bush to be impeached for the anti-terrorism law, but dropped it because of lack of support by other Democrats. Conyers became chairman of the House Judiciary Committee in 2007.
- Conyers was first elected in 1964, winning his primary election by only 108 votes. He was one of the first critics of the Vietnam War and voted against funding it. He was the driving force behind making Dr. Martin Luther King Junior's birthday a national holiday. Conyers twice ran for Speaker of the House in the early 1970s, but lost by wide margins both times.
Source:The Hill