In the early 1950s , the Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy attacked Celler 's patriotism . At the 1952 Democratic National Convention , Celler gave a speech in which he responded to Sen. McCarthy , saying : " Deliberately and calculatedly , McCarthyism has set before itself the task of undermining the faith of the people in their Government . It has undertaken to sow suspicion everywhere , to set friend against friend and brother against brother . It deals in coercion and in intimidation , tying the hands of citizens and officials with the fear of the smear attack . " As Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee from 1949 to 1973 ( except for a break from 1953 – 55 when the Republicans controlled the House ) , Celler was involved in drafting and passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , the Civil Rights Act of 1968 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 . In January 1965 , Celler proposed in the House of Representatives the Twenty-fifth Amendment , which clarifies an ambiguous provision of the Constitution regarding succession to the presidency . Also in 1965 , he proposed and steered to passage the Hart-Celler Act , which eliminated national origins as a consideration for immigration . This was the culminating moment in Celler 's 41-year fight to overcome restriction on immigration to the United States based on national origin . The US Gun Control Act of 1968 directly evolved from Celler 's Bill H.R. 17735
1952 Democratic National Convention
1952 Democratic National Convention
Emanuel Celler