Congressman Bill Gray has passed away. Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Philadelphia minister William Herbert Gray III is dead, according to a family spokesperson. The spokesperson says Gray was attending the Wimbledon Championships in London on Monday when he suddenly died. He was 71-years-old. The spokesman says he had not been ill and that it appears he died from natural causes. Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Gray graduated from Simon Grats High School in Philadelphia back in 1959. In 1972, he became the senior minister at Bright Hope Baptist Church in Philadelphia. In 1978, he was elected as a Democrat to represent Philadelphia in the United States House of Representatives. He represented Pennsylvania’s 2nd congressional district until he resigned in 1991. Gray was also the first African American to chair the House Budget Committee and the first to serve as the Majority Whip. While chairman of the Committee on Budget, Gray introduced H.R. 1460, an influential anti-Apartheid bill. From 1991 to 2004, Gray served as president of the United Negro College Fund. Gray leaves behind a wife and three sons. The family spokesperson says funeral services will be announced. Stay with NBC10 for more details on this developing story. Photo Credit: NBC10 Share Story © 2013 NBCUniversal, Inc. All rights reserved. Portions by Broadcast Interactive Media. A Division of NBCUniversal Full Site
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 22:52:27 +0000