110 HRES 1116 IH: Honoring the life of Claude Denson Pepper, U.S. House of Representatives 2008-04-16 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

110th CONGRESS 2d Session

H. RES. 1116

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 16, 2008

Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. Buchanan, Mr. Mack, Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Putnam, Mr. Mica, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida, Mr. Keller of Florida, Mr. Miller of Florida, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Klein of Florida, Mr. Meek of Florida, Mr. Boyd of Florida, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Crenshaw, Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida, Mr. Stearns, Mr. Weldon of Florida, Mr. Young of Florida, Ms. Castor, Mr. Mahoney of Florida, and Mr. Feeney) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration

RESOLUTION

Honoring the life of Claude Denson Pepper, distinguished former Senator and Representative from Florida.

Whereas Claude Denson Pepper was born on September 8, 1900, in Dudleyville, Alabama; Whereas Claude Pepper graduated from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa in 1921 and Harvard Law School in 1924, afterwards moving to teach law at the University of Arkansas; Whereas Claude Pepper moved to Perry, Florida, to open a law practice in 1925; Whereas Claude Pepper was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1928 representing Taylor County and served 1 term; Whereas following the death of Senator Duncan Fletcher, Claude Pepper won a special election to the U.S. Senate in 1936 and served for 3 terms; Whereas after an unsuccessful reelection campaign to the Senate in 1950, Claude Pepper revisited the law practice and opened offices in Washington, DC, Miami, and Tallahassee, Florida, in 1951; Whereas in 1962, Claude Pepper returned to politics, winning an election to the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming one of the very few former Senators to be elected to the House after serving in the Senate; Whereas Claude Pepper was appointed as the ranking Democrat on the House Select Committee on Aging when it was created in 1975 and became Chairman of that Committee in 1977, thus emerging as the Nation’s foremost spokesman for the elderly; Whereas in his capacity as Chairman, Claude Pepper crusaded for an end to involuntary retirement, strengthened the Social Security system, fought age discrimination, and pushed for stronger legislation to end abuse of the elderly; Whereas Claude Pepper represented the 18th Congressional District of Florida in the House from 1962 until his death in 1989; Whereas during his 42 year political career, Claude Pepper won 3 Senate elections and 14 elections to the House of Representatives; Whereas Claude Pepper served in Congress and the Senate longer than any other Floridian and became known as the “grand old man of Florida politics”; Whereas in 1987 Claude Pepper coauthored his autobiography, Pepper: Eyewitness to a Century with Time correspondent Hays Gorey, presenting an engaging portrait of his life as a distinguished 20th century politician and statesman; Whereas on May 26, 1989, just 4 days before his death, Claude Pepper received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George H.W. Bush; and Whereas Claude Pepper passed away on May 30, 1989, living to the age of 89, his body lay in state for 2 days under the rotunda of the United States Capitol, the 26th American so honored: Now, therefore, be it

That the United States House of Representatives honors the life, achievements, and distinguished career of Claude Pepper, public servant and statesman.