III 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 489 

Honoring the life and achievements of Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 19, 2010 

Mr. ALEXANDER (for himself, Mr. BURRIS, Mr. CORKER, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. 

FEINGOLD, and Mr. DURBIN) submitted the following resolution; which 

was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life and achievements of Dr. Benjamin L. 

Hooks. 

Whereas Benjamin Hooks was born in Memphis, Tennessee 

on January 31, 1925; 

Whereas Benjamin Hooks died April 15, 2010, at the age of 

85 in Memphis, Tennessee, and is survived by his wife, 

Frances Hooks, his daughter, Patricia Gray, and 2 

grandsons; 

Whereas Benjamin Hooks was the fifth of 7 children born to 

Robert B. and Bessie Hooks, and was the grandson of 

Julia Hooks, the second Black woman in the United 

States to graduate from college; 


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•SRES 489 ATS 

Whereas Benjamin Hooks attended LeMoyne-Owen College in 

Memphis and, in 1944, graduated from Howard University; 

Whereas Benjamin Hooks joined the United States Army 

during World War II and was promoted to staff sergeant; 

Whereas in 1948, Benjamin Hooks received his law degree 

from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois and returned 

to Memphis, Tennessee to help breakdown segregation; 

Whereas Benjamin Hooks set up his own law practice and 

was one of a few Blacks practicing law in Memphis from 

1949–1965; 

Whereas Benjamin Hooks was appointed to a vacancy on the 

Shelby County criminal court, by Governor Frank G. 

Clement in 1965, making him the first Black criminal 

court judge in the history of Tennessee; 

Whereas Benjamin Hooks was a leader in the civil rights 

movement and joined the Southern Christian Leadership 

Conference of Reverend Martin Luther King in 1956; 

Whereas Benjamin Hooks became the first Black appointee 

to the Federal Communications Commission in 1972, 

when he was appointed by President Richard Nixon, and, 

in that capacity, worked towards minority employment 

and involvement in broadcasting; 

Whereas Benjamin Hooks was elected executive director of 

the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 

People (NAACP) on November 6, 1976, and served in 

that role until 1992; 

Whereas Benjamin Hooks was an ordained minister and delivered sermons for 52 years at the Greater Middle Baptist Church and as pastor at Greater New Mountain 

Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit; 


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•SRES 489 ATS 

Whereas Benjamin Hooks was honored in 1996 with the 

dedication of the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social 

Change at the University of Memphis, which he helped 

to create; 

Whereas Benjamin Hooks and Francis Hooks renewed their 

wedding vows on March 24, 2001, after almost 50 years 

of marriage; 

Whereas in November 2007, Benjamin Hooks was awarded 

the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian 

honor in the United States, by President George W. 

Bush; and 

Whereas the passing of Benjamin Hooks is a great loss: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the outstanding contributions of 

3 Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks to the civil rights move4 ment, the ministry, his family, and the community 

5 of Memphis, Tennessee; and 

6 (2) pays tribute to Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks, his 

7 passion for life, dedication to service, and commit8 ment to equality. 

Æ 


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