WASHINGTON - One day before the 100th anniversary of his birth, the late Sen. Claude D. Pepper, a champion of rights for the elderly, will be honored Sept. 7 when the U.S. Postal Service issues a new U.S. postage stamp bearing his likeness.

"The Claude Pepper stamp is a fitting tribute to one of this country's finest leaders and is a enduring reminder of his life-long effort on behalf of our nation's elderly citizens," said Deborah K. Willhite, Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Public Policy for the Postal Service.

The stamp will be officially dedicated at a 10 a.m. first day of issue ceremony in the House Cannon Caucus Room on Capitol Hill. Several members of Congress are expected to participate. Seating is very limited. Stamp collectors wishing to attend should call 1-877-887-0417 for availability.

The honorable Claude Pepper, a Democrat from Florida, served in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. He was chairman of the House Select Committee on Aging and, in 1983, was named chairman of the House Rules Committee. While serving in these highly influential positions, Pepper focused on the needs of the elderly, with particular emphasis on Social Security and Medicare programs.

At 88, Pepper was the oldest sitting member of Congress when he died on May 30, 1989, in Washington, D.C. On May 25, 1989, five days before the Senator's death, President George J. Bush presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civil award of the U.S. Government.

Pepper was born near Dudleyville, Ala., on Sept. 8, 1900. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1921 and from Harvard Law School in 1924. During his five decades of public service, he was an effective advocate for making life better for millions of Americans. He sponsored bills for National Health Care, equal pay for equal work for women, cancer and heart disease research and the minimum wage.

As Chairman on the House Select Committee on Aging, Pepper crusaded for an end to involuntary retirement, strengthened the Social Security system and Medicare, fought age discrimination and pushed for stronger legislation to end abuse of the aging.

The 33-cent Claude Pepper stamp is the second stamp to be issued in the new Distinguished Americans series, joining the General Joseph W. Stilwell stamp issued Aug. 24, 2000, in Providence, R.I.