Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN) introduced last week a bill to remove former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s name from an FBI building.
“The civil rights we enjoy today are in spite of J. Edgar Hoover, not because of him,” Rep. Cohen said in a statement. “Yet, his name adorns one of the most prominent buildings in our nation’s capital and one that houses one of the agencies of government responsible for justice. Given his well-document abuses and prejudices towards African Americans, gays and lesbians, I believe it is past time to remove his name from this place of honor.”
Hoover served as FBI Director from 1924 until his death in 1972. While in this position he acquired a reputation for his distrust of the civil rights movements taking place during his lifetime.
