U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Mourns the Loss of the Reverend Theodore Hesburgh, Champion of Civil Rights

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights mourns the passing of the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, for 35 years the president of the University of Notre Dame and appointed to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights at its inception in 1957 by President Eisenhower.  Father Hesburgh later chaired the Commission for several years, resigning in 1972 over busing and other civil rights differences with the Nixon administration. In 1964 Father Hesburgh was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Johnson and in the summer of 2000 the Congressional Gold Medal, the country's highest civilian award.

During his Commission tenure, hearings addressed abuses of voter registration and election procedures in Montgomery, Alabama, and implementation of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education in Tennessee. Commission reports during that era were part of the foundation for groundbreaking civil rights laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

Father Hesburgh was a respected and popular figure on campus and also beloved by many beyond its borders, yet was not deterred by opposition in his support of spirited but fair debate.  He stood up to student blockades of classrooms on campuses during the Vietnam war despite his personal opposition to the war and reformed intercollegiate sports to conform to the university's educational mission.

Father Hesburgh's commitment to principle regardless of controversy is a legacy honored by the Commission in its attention to gathering facts and making sound recommendations to the President and Congress regarding civil rights.

Chairman Martin R. Castro stated, "Father Hesburgh's leadership on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights profoundly shaped the history of the civil rights movement in our nation and the protections afforded to all Americans to this very day. His legacy will live on in the work of our Commission today and for generations to come. He will be sorely missed."

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is an independent, bipartisan agency charged with advising the President and Congress on civil rights matters and issuing a federal civil rights enforcement report. For information about Commission's reports and meetings, visit http://www.usccr.gov.

Media Contact: Lenore Ostrowsky
[email protected]
(202) 376-8591

SOURCE U.S. Commission on Civil Rights