Louis Stokes

Louis Stokes (February 23, 1925 – August 18, 2015) was an American attorney, civil rights pioneer and politician. He served 15 terms in the United States House of Representatives – representing the east side of Cleveland – and was the first African American congressman elected in the state of Ohio. He and his brother, politician Carl B. Stokes, lived in one of the first federally funded housing projects, the Outhwaite Homes. Stokes attended Central High School and later served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946. After attending Western Reserve University and the Cleveland State University College of Law on the G.I. Bill, Stokes was a cousin of funk and R&B musician Rick James.

Stokes was a Prince Hall Freemason, and a member of the Cleveland Alumni chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

Later life and death Stokes retired in 2012 as senior counsel in the law firm of Squire Patton Boggs, with offices in Cleveland and Washington.

On July 20, 2015, it was reported that Stokes had both brain cancer and lung cancer. He died on August 18, 2015, at his home in Cleveland from the diseases at the age of 90. He was interred at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland.

Legacy The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority opened the Louis Stokes Museum on September 13, 2007. This museum houses Stokes memorabilia, video interviews, miscellaneous video footage, awards and a written history about Stokes and his rise to prominence. The museum is located at Outhwaite Homes, 4302 Quincy Avenue.

Congressman Stokes' alma mater, Case Western Reserve University, offers the Louis Stokes Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Scholarship worth full tuition to an incoming first-year or transfer undergraduate student. It is intended to help economically and educationally disadvantaged students attain an education at the school.

Autobiography Louis Stokes with David Chanoff (2016): The Gentleman from Ohio. (Foreword by Congressman John Lewis). Trillium Books, The Ohio State University Press.