Former Rep. John Conyers dies at 90
Former Michigan Rep. John Conyers, the longest-serving African American in congressional history, died Sunday in Detroit, a family spokesperson confirmed. He was 90.
A Democrat, Conyers was first elected in 1964. He was a vocal critic of the Vietnam and Iraq Wars, and was known for being one of the most liberal members of Congress. He also was a founder of the Black Congressional Caucus in 1971, and served on the House Judiciary Committee during the impeachment inquiries against former Presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton.
In the wake of the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he began his push to have a national holiday in King's honor, and in the 1970s, called for single-payer health insurance and banning private ownership of guns, spurred by assassination attempts against former President Gerald Ford. During the 1980s, Conyers worked to ensure police officers and firefighters who died while on the job received more federal death benefits.
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In 2017, he resigned from Congress, after two women accused him of making unwanted sexual advances; Conyers denied the allegations. He is survived by his wife, Monica, and sons John and Carl.
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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