PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. William H. Gray III, who rose to influential positions in Congress while remaining pastor of his north Philadelphia church for 3½ decades, has died, a family spokesman said. He was 71, and is survived by his mother, his wife and three sons.
President Barack Obama in a statement said Gray “was a trailblazer, proudly representing his beloved Philadelphia in Congress for over a decade as the first African-American to chair the Budget Committee and to serve as the majority whip.
Bill’s extraordinary leadership, on issues from housing to transportation to supporting efforts that ended apartheid in South Africa, made our communities, our country and our world a more just place. Michelle and I extend our deepest sympathies to Bill’s family, especially to his wife Andrea and their three sons.”
APARTHEID TO UNCF
Gray passed away suddenly Monday while at Wimbledon in London with one of his sons to attend the tennis
championships, said William Epstein, a former aide to Gray.
Born in Baton Rouge, La., Gray graduated from Franklin & Marshall College and Drew Theological Seminary in Jersey City, N.J., before being elected as a Democrat to Congress in 1978.
He served as chairman of the powerful Budget Committee and became the first African-American in the 20th century to become majority whip of the U.S. House.
During his tenure, he authored legislation implementing economic sanctions against South Africa.
In 1991, Gray surprised colleagues by resigning to run the United Negro College Fund, for which a biography on his company website says he raised more than $2.3 billion for minority institutions. In 1994, President Bill Clinton tapped him as a temporary special adviser on Haiti.
COMMUTING PASTOR
Succeeding his father as pastor of Bright Hope Baptist Church in 1972, he continued in that position until 2007. Epstein said he commuted back to the city on weekends to deliver Sunday sermons.
Gray also founded Gray Global Advisors, a business and consulting firm of which he was chairman emeritus at the time of his death.
Mayor Michael Nutter hailed him as “a transformative leader among leaders” and ordered flags at all city buildings to fly at half-staff beginning Tuesday.
“He knew guys on the corner, and he knew
Nelson Mandela and everyone in between,” Nutter said in a statement. “He created a political organization that for decades has continued to be one of the most powerful, productive and progressive forces in the social and political life of our city’s history.”
TRIBUTES
“The news of his passing was completely unexpected and very heartbreaking,” said U.S. Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-Fla.). “Our nation has lost a great advocate for the middle class, a dedicated public servant, an educator, and a man who broke down barriers.”
Gray’s “leadership and strength of character are a true inspiration,” Hastings added. “His legacy will speak for itself, and be a testament to all that he accomplished throughout his life.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) called Gray “a tireless advocate for the people of Philadelphia and a trailblazer for a new generation of African American elected officials.”
U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) credited Gray with helping to develop housing for low- and middle-income residents through the nonprofit Union Housing Corp. and with providing federal resources for renovations that have made the city’s Amtrak station “one of the best, most efficiently run train facilities in the nation.”
“And finally, Bill Gray was my friend — he was the very embodiment of how to turn the power and platform of the House of Representatives for true public service,” Fattah said.
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