…his Detroit offices before she retired in 1988. Conyers was also an outspoken critic of the Iraq war, and was the first black lawmaker to sit on the House Judiciary Committee as chairman. He sat in on the impeachment hearings of Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. In 1989 and 1993, he ran for Detroit mayor but lost both times. He was inducted into the Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2005.
His 53-year career ended in December 2017 after a number of women who used to work for the Congressman claimed they had been sexually assaulted by him. He resigned following calls from senior Democrats, including House speaker Nancy Pelosi and was the first sitting politician to do so amid sweeping revelations and allegations of sexual misconduct in the nation’s corridors of power, Hollywood and beyond. Conyers denied any wrongdoing. “My legacy can’t be compromised or diminished in any way by what we’re going through now,” he said at the time.
Detroit mayor Mike Duggan said he was “deeply saddened” by Conyers, adding: “From co-founding the Congressional Black Caucus to leading the fight in Congress to enshrine Martin Luther King’s birthday as a national holiday, John Conyers’ impact on our city and nation will never be forgotten,” Reuters reported.