John Mercer Langston Post Office Building

Floor Speech

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Ms. MACE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7385) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 29 Franklin Street in Petersburg, Virginia, as the ``John Mercer Langston Post Office Building''.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 7385

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. JOHN MERCER LANGSTON POST OFFICE BUILDING.

(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal Service located at 29 Franklin Street in Petersburg, Virginia, shall be known and designated as the ``John Mercer Langston Post Office Building''.

(b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the ``John Mercer Langston Post Office Building''.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would rename a post office in Petersburg, Virginia, for Mr. John Mercer Langston.

Mr. Langston grew up in Ohio and became an attorney who helped recruit African-American troops during the American Civil War. Later, Mr. Langston went on to serve as Virginia's first African-American Member of Congress from 1890 to 1891 and the first president of Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute, known today as Virginia State University.

I support naming a post office in memory of former Congressman Langston, and I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.

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Ms. MACE. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Ms. MACE. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my House colleagues to support this bill honoring an American academic leader and former Member of Congress.

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