WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman introduced a resolution Monday honoring the life and legacy of Nathaniel R. Jones, a Youngstown native and civil rights activist who died Jan. 26.

Jones served seven years on the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, was the first African American appointed as assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio and served 10 years as general counsel for the NAACP. A downtown Youngstown federal courthouse is named in his honor.

“Judge Jones devoted his entire life to answering the call for racial justice, and his unwavering commitment to this country is one we should all aspire to emulate,” said Brown, a Cleveland Democrat.

“Through his work as a lawyer he was a national leader in advancing civil rights and as a judge a distinguished champion in protecting those rights,” said Portman, a Cincinnati-area Republican. “Through it all, he was a humble man of the highest integrity.”