William Herbert Gray III

Congressman William Gray represented Pennsylvania’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1979 to 1991 (96th-102nd Congresses). Gray was the first African American in Congress to chair the powerful and partisan Budget Committee and the first Black representative to become the third-ranking Democrat in the House. Gray later served on the House Administration Committee and the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction. As chairman of the Committee on Budget, Gray introduced H.R. 1460, an anti-Apartheid bill prohibiting loans and new investment in South Africa and enforcing sanctions on imports and exports with South Africa. This bill was an instrumental precursor to the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 (H.R. 4868). Gray’s political expertise and integrity earned him a solid reputation among his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Before his tenure in Congress, he was a pastor and community activist. Following his tenure in Congress, he led the United Negro College Fund (later known as the College Fund/UNCF). Gray served as President and CEO of the College Fund/UNCF until March 2004. He also served as special adviser to President Clinton on Haiti, which was then embroiled in civil war. Gray earned a bachelor’s degree from Franklin and Marshall College, a master’s degree in Divinity from Drew Theological Seminary, and a master’s degree in theology from Princeton Theological Seminary.