IV 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 70 
Honoring the life and legacy of Henry Louis Aaron. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 28, 2021 
Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia (for himself, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Mr. 
BISHOP of Georgia, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. FERGUSON, Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of 
Georgia, Mr. CARTER of Georgia, Mrs. MCBATH, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. 
LOUDERMILK, Mr. BROOKS, Mr. CARL, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. 
HICE of Georgia, and Ms. BOURDEAUX) submitted the following resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform 
RESOLUTION 
Honoring the life and legacy of Henry Louis Aaron. 
Whereas Henry Louis ‘‘Hank’’ Aaron was born 1 of 8 chil-
dren on February 5, 1934, to Herbert Aaron, Sr., and 
Estella (Pritchett) Aaron in Mobile, Alabama; 
Whereas Mr. Aaron grew up during the height of Jim Crow 
and segregation and faced racism and discrimination 
from a young age, including from the stands while play-
ing in the South as a minor league baseball player early 
in his baseball career; 
Whereas Mr. Aaron began his baseball career as a teenager 
in the Negro leagues, first playing for the Prichard Ath-
letics, then the Mobile Black Bears, before being signed 
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by the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American 
League; 
Whereas, in 1952, Mr. Aaron was signed by the Boston 
Braves, who assigned him to play in the minor league for 
their Northern League farm team, the Eau Claire Bears, 
where he made the Northern League’s All-Star team and 
was unanimously named Rookie of the Year; 
Whereas, in 1953, Mr. Aaron was promoted to play for the 
South Atlantic League affiliate of the Braves, the Jack-
sonville Braves, as one of the league’s first Black players, 
where he immediately helped the team win the league 
championship and won the South Atlantic League’s Most 
Valuable Player Award; 
Whereas, in 1954, Mr. Aaron was invited to attend spring 
training with the Milwaukee Braves and signed his first 
Major League Baseball contract on the final day of 
Braves spring training, making his Major League Base-
ball debut against the Cincinnati Reds and hitting his 
first Major League Baseball home run on April 23, 1954; 
Whereas Mr. Aaron won his first batting title in 1956 and 
was voted the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 
1957, helping the Braves win their first pennant in Mil-
waukee and leading the Braves to a 1957 World Series 
victory against the New York Yankees; 
Whereas, in 1966, Mr. Aaron moved with the Braves to At-
lanta, Georgia, and went on to play 23 seasons in Major 
League Baseball, all but his final 2 seasons with the 
Braves in Milwaukee and then Atlanta; 
Whereas, on April 4, 1974, Mr. Aaron tied Babe Ruth’s 
home run record by hitting home run number 714 in a 
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game against the Cincinnati Reds on his first swing of 
the season; 
Whereas, on the evening of April 8, 1974, Mr. Aaron made 
history by breaking Babe Ruth’s record when he hit 
home run number 715 against the Los Angeles Dodgers 
at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, 
cementing his place in history as the Nation’s home run 
king; 
Whereas, during the historic moment, veteran baseball broad-
caster Vin Scully announced, ‘‘What a marvelous moment 
for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and 
the State of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the 
country and the world. A Black man is getting a stand-
ing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of 
an all-time baseball idol.’’; 
Whereas Mr. Aaron went on to hit 755 home runs in his ca-
reer, a home run record that went unbroken for more 
than 30 years, with his final home run coming on July 
20, 1976; 
Whereas, at the time of his passing, Mr. Aaron held the 
Major League Baseball records for the most career runs 
batted in (2,297), extra base hits (1,477), and total bases 
(6,856); 
Whereas, at the time of his passing, Mr. Aaron was 1 of only 
4 players to have at least 17 seasons with 150 or more 
hits, was in second place for most in home runs and at- 
bats (12,364), and was in third place for most games 
played (3,298) and hits (3,771); 
Whereas, in addition to his records, Mr. Aaron achieved nu-
merous career highlights and awards, including— 
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(1) becoming the ninth player to achieve the 3,000 
hit milestone and the first player to achieve both 500 
home runs and 3,000 hits; 
(2) being a 2-time National League batting cham-
pion; 
(3) winning the National League’s single-season 
home run title 4 times; 
(4) achieving a career batting average of .305; 
(5) being voted an All-Star in all but his first and 
last seasons; and 
(6) winning 3 Gold Glove awards for his play as a 
right fielder; 
Whereas Mr. Aaron achieved these milestones while bravely 
facing racism at every stage of his historic career, includ-
ing being barred from hotels where his minor league 
White teammates stayed, receiving many racist letters 
and threats, and even needing protection from law en-
forcement at games to protect against racist violence or 
harassment; 
Whereas, during his career, Mr. Aaron became a national 
symbol for perseverance by demonstrating athletic great-
ness and strength while enduring vicious racism and 
hate, helping advance the cause for civil rights and be-
coming a civic leader in the Black community; 
Whereas Mr. Aaron became the first Black American to hold 
a senior management position in Major League Baseball 
as a front office executive with the Atlanta Braves, sup-
ported the National Association for the Advancement of 
Colored People (‘‘NAACP’’), and founded the Chasing 
the Dream Foundation to support underprivileged youth 
through mentorship and financial support; 
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