May 29, 2007
Founding CBC Member Dies At 85
Former Rep. Parren Mitchell (D), Maryland's first black congressman and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, died in Baltimore yesterday. He was 85.
Mitchell received a purple heart for his military service in World War II and was elected to Congress in 1971. He ran for lieutenant governor in the 1980s, after his eighth term as a representative ended, but he and running mate Stephen Sachs were defeated in the Democratic primary by incumbent Gov. William Donald Schaefer.
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D), who now holds Mitchell's 7th District seat, told AP that Mitchell "was a true servant leader, never concerning himself about fame or fortune but, rather, devoting himself entirely to uplifting the people he represented."
