James Oberstar: “I rise in support of H.R. 1556, a bill to designate the land located on the site of the Thomas F. Eagleton United States…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 1556, a bill to designate the land located on the site of the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse in St. Louis, MO, as the Clyde S. Cahill Memorial Park. This parcel of land is bounded by South 10th Street, Clark Avenue, South 9th Street, and Walnut Avenue in St. Louis. Judge Cahill, a native Missourian, was born in St. Louis in April 1923. He attended local elementary schools and Vashon High School. After graduating from high school, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and served in World War II from 1942 until 1946. When he returned from the war he continued his education at the University of St. Louis. He graduated from St. Louis University Law School in 1951. After graduation, Judge Cahill engaged in private practice until 1954 when he joined the staff of the circuit attorney of the city of St. Louis. From 1958 to 1965, he served as the chief legal advisor to the Missouri NAACP and filed the first lawsuit in Missouri to implement the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. From 1975 until 1980, Judge Cahill served as a circuit judge on the 22nd Judicial Circuit of the State of Missouri in St. Louis. With his appointment to the Federal court by President Carter on May 23, 1980, Judge Cahill became the first African-American to be appointed to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Judge Cahill was known for being both compassionate and courteous.”