U. S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, was elected to Congress and served for more than five decades.
Here is a look at U. S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, who announced Tuesday he was retiring effective immediately in the wake of sexual harassment allegations:
Born: May 16,1929, in Detroit to Lucille Janice Simpson and labor leader John Conyers. Full name John James Conyers Jr.
Education: Northwestern High School, bachelor’s and law degrees from Wayne State University.
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Military Service: National Guard and U. S. Army Corps of Engineers during the Korean War
Political: Legislative assistant to former U. S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn; elected to Congress in 1964 as a Democrat from Detroit, re-elected every two years through 2016. Ran for Mayor of Detroit in 1989 and 1993, losing to Coleman Young and Dennis Archer respectively.
Personal: Married a staffer in his congressional office, Monica Esters; two sons John III and Carl.
Milestones: Longest-serving member currently in Congress; longest-serving African-American member of Congress; first African-American to serve as the chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee.
Civil rights activism: Marched in Selma, Ala., with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights icons; employed civil rights legend Rosa Parks as a receptionist and secretary in his congressional office until her retirement in 1988; one of 13 people to create the Congressional Black Caucus in 1971.
Other: Sponsor of a bill that designated the third Monday of January as a federal holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; member of the Judiciary Committee during the impeachment proceedings against former Presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton; leading voice for universal health care for all, reparations for descendants of African- American slaves; reforming mandatory sentencing guidelines for nonviolent drug offenders and life sentences for juvenile offenders sentenced to life in prison; more gun control and investigations into police brutality against African-American men.
