Obituary: William H. Gray III, Former Congressman and Reston Resident

Former United States Congressman William H. Gray III, a former Reston resident,  died last week in London at age 71.

Mr. Gray collapsed while attending Wimbledon with his family, his son told The Washington Post.

Mr. Gray was the the pastor of a Philadelphia church when he was elected to Congress as a Democrat from Pennsylvania in 1978 and served as chairman of the House Budget Committee in the 1980s.

He was eventually elected majority whip, the No. 3 job in the House leadership and the highest position occupied by a black elected official at that time.

Mr. Gray lived in Reston during his time in Congress, but more currently resided in Coral Gables, Fla.

Midway through his seventh term in 1991, Gray resigned from Congress to become president of the United Negro College Fund. Mr. Gray then moved the UNCF headquarters from New York City to Fairfax County. The fund’s web site notes that Mr. Gray raised more than $2.3 billion while he led the fund, from 1991 to 2004.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed Mr. Gray as a special adviser on Haiti.

A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at Bright Hope Baptist Church in Philadelphia at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Mr. Gray served as the pastor of that church for 35 years.

To read more about Mr. Gray's life, read this obituary in The Washington Post.