The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“THE LIFE OF MS. JEWEL LAFONTANT MANKARIOUS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H4609 on June 25, 1997.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
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THE LIFE OF MS. JEWEL LAFONTANT MANKARIOUS
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Tiahrt). Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Davis] is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, as the Chicago Sun Times put it,
``A jewel has died.'' That is Jewel Lafontant Makarious. I rise to pay tribute to a great woman, a great lady, a great Chicagoan, an accomplished lawyer, civil rights advocate, a great American, friend of Presidents and mother of John Rogers who is President of the Chicago Park District and President of Ariel Mutual Funds.
Active in Republican politics, Mrs. Mankarious was a close friend of Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon and Bush. She was a longtime civil rights activist and broke down barriers for blacks and women in both government and corporate America.
During the Eisenhower administration, she was assistant U.S. Attorney, the first black woman to hold that post. She was a good friend of Richard Nixon and seconded his nomination for President at the Republican National Convention in 1960. In 1972, she became the Deputy Solicitor General in the Justice Department and later served as U.S. Ambassador at Large for 4 years in the Bush administration and finished her government career as Coordinator of Refugee Affairs.
Her longtime friend, George Johnson, founder and chairman of Johnson Products, described her this way:
She gave her legal services to the downtrodden people who could not fight for themselves. She fought for people who could not fight the system. She was a wonderful woman of great accomplishments.
Mrs. Lafontant was a trial lawyer, recognized for being one of the best. She was a founding member of the Congress of Racial Equality, participated in demonstrations and sit-ins. By 1969, she had sat on the board of 15 major corporations, including Jewel Foods, Mobile Oil and Trans World Airlines. She held office in the NAACP and was on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union.
I express my condolences to her son, John Rogers, and his family, and to her husband, Mr. Naguib Mankarious.
The Chicago Sun Times is indeed correct, she was indeed a jewel. America has benefited greatly from her life and her contributions. The annals of history will always remember the impact of Jewel Lafontant Mankarious.
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