III 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 878 

Honoring the life, legacy, and contributions of James Earl Jones. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024 

Mr. WICKER (for himself, Mrs. HYDE-SMITH, Ms. STABENOW, and Mr. 

PETERS) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 

agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life, legacy, and contributions of James Earl 

Jones. 

Whereas James Earl Jones was born on January 17, 1931, 

to Robert Earl Jones and Ruth Connolly Jones in 

Arkabutla, Mississippi; 

Whereas, at the age of 5, Mr. Jones moved to Dublin, Michigan, with his maternal grandparents, John Henry Connolly and Maggie Connolly, who raised him; 

Whereas, as a young boy, Mr. Jones spoke few words, suffering from a debilitating stutter; 

Whereas, in high school, an English teacher discovered Mr. 

Jones’s gift for writing and convinced him to read his poetry aloud, leading Mr. Jones to overcome his stutter; 


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Whereas, in 1949, Mr. Jones enrolled at the University of 

Michigan, where he joined the Reserve Officers’ Training 

Corps and initially prepared to study medicine before 

switching to drama; 

Whereas, in 1953, Mr. Jones commissioned in the United 

States Army, training at Fort Benning in Georgia, before 

being assigned to Camp Hale near Leadville, Colorado, 

and later being discharged as a first lieutenant; 

Whereas, in 1955, Mr. Jones moved to New York, New York, 

to study at the American Theatre Wing, paying his way 

by working as a janitor; 

Whereas, in 1958, Mr. Jones performed in his first Broadway 

production, Sunrise at Campobello, which launched his 

stage career; 

Whereas, over the course of his 60-year career, Mr. Jones 

gave life to nearly 90 television network dramas and episodic series, over 110 movies, and countless plays, including a 30-month span in which he appeared in 18 different stage productions; 

Whereas, in 1960, Mr. Jones joined Joseph Papp’s New York 

Shakespeare Festival, paving the way for his performances in ‘‘Henry V,’’ ‘‘Romeo and Juliet,’’ ‘‘Richard III,’’ 

‘‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’’ and ‘‘Othello’’; 

Whereas, in 1964, Mr. Jones debuted in the Cold War satire 

‘‘Dr. Strangelove,’’ which established him in Hollywood, 

both on screen and behind the microphone, his voice exuding a timeless depth and intensity which drew listeners 

in and left a lasting impression; 

Whereas, in 1969, Mr. Jones was the first celebrity guest on 

‘‘Sesame Street,’’ appearing in the second-ever episode of 

the children’s series and slowly reciting the alphabet; 


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Whereas Mr. Jones spent his career as a pioneer for Black 

actors of his generation, as exemplified in his becoming 

one of the first Black actors to have a continuing role on 

a daytime soap opera in ‘‘As the World Turns’’ and in 

becoming the first Black actor to win a 1969 Tony 

Award in the play category for his performance in ‘‘The 

Great White Hope’’; 

Whereas, in 1977, Mr. Jones gave voice to Darth Vader in 

George Lucas’s ‘‘Star Wars,’’ even humbly requesting 

that his name not appear in the credits out of deference 

to a co-star; 

Whereas it was not until the third film in the original Star 

Wars trilogy, ‘‘Return of the Jedi,’’ that Mr. Jones would 

be credited as the voice of Darth Vader; 

Whereas, in 1982, Mr. Jones wed the late Cecilia Hart, who 

had played Desdemona to his Othello, and together they 

had a son, Flynn Earl Jones; 

Whereas, in 1994, Mr. Jones embodied the voice of Mufasa 

in Disney’s ‘‘The Lion King’’ and was the only cast member to reprise his role in the 2019 remake of the film; 

Whereas, in 2015, at the age of 84, Mr. Jones returned to 

Broadway to appear in the revival of the 1976 play ‘‘The 

Gin Game’’; 

Whereas, in 2022, a Broadway theater, formerly known as 

the ‘‘Cort,’’ was renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre 

in his honor, the same house in which Mr. Jones began 

his career in 1958; 

Whereas Mr. Jones earned a remarkable number of awards 

and accolades throughout his career in theater and film, 

including— 


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(1) a National Medal of the Arts from President 

George Bush in 1992; 

(2) the Kennedy Center Honor in 2002; 

(3) the Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement 

at the 2011 Academy Awards; 

(4) the Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre at the 

2017 Tony Awards; 

(5) two Primetime Emmy Awards, 2 Tony Awards, 

a Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy Award for individual performances; and 

(6) a rare EGOT tally, achieving the ‘‘grand slam’’ 

of American show business by winning Emmy, Grammy, 

Oscar, and Tony awards; and 

Whereas, on September 9, 2024, Mr. Jones passed away at 

93 years old—Mississippi losing a beloved son, and the 

world losing an extraordinary talent: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) honors the life and legacy of James Earl 

3 Jones for his contribution to theater, film, his State, 

4 and his country; 

5 (2) recognizes that the voice and heart of Mr. 

6 Jones will be remembered for generations to come; 

7 (3) extends its heartfelt condolences to the fam8 ily and friends of Mr. Jones; and 

9 (4) requests that a copy of this resolution be 

10 transmitted to the family of Mr. Jones as a token 


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1 of the Senate’s respect and admiration for his life’s 

2 work. 

Æ 


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