[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 89 (Tuesday, July 12, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: July 12, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
HAPPY 72ND BIRTHDAY TO SENATOR MARK HATFIELD
Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise tonight for a very special and
personal reason. Senator Mark Hatfield from the State of Oregon is 72
years old today. I was going to say 72 years young because most people
would not suspect that he is 72. But Senator Hatfield is a friend of
this Senator. He is also a friend of practically every Senator in this
Chamber and many who have served and left. And today is his 72d
birthday.
I spoke to a couple members of his family today, and I thought it
might be appropriate just to come to the floor of the Senate and make
sure that everybody knew that this very distinguished, wonderful human
being was having a birthday today.
There are so many things that can be said about him in terms of his
career--his career in the military as a Navy man, his career in his
home State, his career as an educator and professor, and then his
career here, where he now marks a point in history where no other
person has served longer from the State of Oregon than Senator Mark
Hatfield.
I think people know that State is known for the longevity of its
Senators in past history. But I do not think it is just a time served
in the U.S. Senate that is important. I think it is the quality of this
man because, obviously, he is a man of great faith, he is a man of
great personal conviction, a marvelous family man and, yes, a man who
is truly, truly responsible to this U.S. Senate.
The traditions of the Senate are respected and honored by Senator
Mark Hatfield. He works within them and clearly does a marvelous job
for the people of his State and the people of this Nation.
I asked his office in coming to the floor, just to wish him this
personal happy birthday from his friend from New Mexico, if they would
put together a little bit of his background so we could spread it on
the Record of the Senate today so, thus, it will be part of the U.S.
Senate forever--an achievement record of Mark Hatfield, what he has
done in his life.
Obviously, as one looks it over, it is very, very interesting to see
what he has accomplished. I might say, long before most people today
who are environmentalists, part of environmental movements, Mark
Hatfield was a true environmentalist, kind of ahead of the pack, so to
speak, without any question.
As far as peace and the concern that we ought to find better ways to
accommodate that quality of life called peace as compared with war,
there has been no stronger proponent that we find new and interesting
and innovative ways to seek peace and find peace among nations and
among people.
So today I ask the Chair to have printed in the Record a detailed
account of the life of Mark Hatfield, from his birth through 72 years
of age. Obviously, everything that he has done in that remarkable time
is not included, but many things are. For those who look at the history
of the Senate, they need only look at today, July 12 of 1994, and they
will find a very exciting biography of Senator Mark Hatfield from the
State of Oregon, a friend to many and this Senator's very personal
friend.
I ask unanimous consent that the biography be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the biography was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Biography of Senator Mark O. Hatfield
Mark Hatfield has been a student, teacher, and practitioner
of the American political system for virtually his entire
life. A veteran of the Pacific Theater in World War II, Mark
Hatfield has dedicated his life to preventing and ending
armed conflict and improving the human condition through a
lifetime of public service.
early political career
While teaching political science and serving as Dean of
Students at his alma mater, Willamette University, Mark
Hatfield began his political career in the Oregon Legislature
in 1950. After two terms in the Oregon House of
Representatives and two years in the Oregon Senate, he became
the youngest Secretary of State in Oregon history in 1956 at
age 34. He was elected Governor of Oregon in 1958 and became
the state's first two-term governor in the Twentieth Century
when he was re-elected in 1962. He has never lost an
election.
u.s. senate service
In 1966, then-Governor Mark Hatfield was elected to the
United States Senate as an outspoken critic of the war in
Vietnam. In August of 1993, he became the longest serving
U.S. Senator from Oregon, surpassing the previous record set
by Senator Charles McNary.
A deeply religious man, Hatfield has always sought peaceful
resolutions to world conflicts and domestic disputes. As a
Lieutenant, j.g. in the U.S. Navy during World War II,
Hatfield witnessed battles at Iwo Jima and Okinawa and was
among the first U.S. servicemen to enter Hiroshima following
the atomic bombing.
His experience during the war and his compassion for life
have made him an ardent proponent for nuclear disarmament.
Hatfields's tireless efforts to bring an end to the
proliferation of nuclear weapons culminated in 1992 with the
passage of legislation he authored calling for an end to U.S.
nuclear testing.
From his position as the former Chairman and now Ranking
Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator
Hatfield has provided for the development of major public
works projects throughout Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.
The results of his efforts can be seen in the reforestation
of millions of acres of federal forest lands, in the Portland
Metropolitan area's light rail system, the new Bonneville
Lock on the Columbia River, the Oregon Health Sciences
University, the Marine Science Center in Newport, the
University of Oregon, the Alsea Bay Bridge and numerous other
projects around the state.
At the national level, Senator Hatfield constantly strives
to remind his colleagues of what he calls ``the desperate
human needs in our midst.'' He has consistently opposed
increases in defense spending and United States military
involvement abroad while focusing on improving health,
education, and social services programs throughout his tenure
in the Senate.
He is known as an independent legislator who votes his
conscience, a trait that has earned him bipartisan respect
from his colleagues. Much of his success in the Senate can be
attributed to his unique ability to work across party lines
to build coalitions which secure the enactment of
legislation.
energy and the environment
As a senior Republican member of the Senate Appropriations
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development as well as a
senior member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee,
Senator Hatfield has always sought to protect the environment
while preserving the economic fabric of Oregon and other
states which rely heavily on natural resources.
The amount of protected federal wilderness area in Oregon
has quadrupled to 2.1 million acres under legislation he has
introduced since 1967.
Senator Hatfield's efforts to diversify and strengthen
Oregon's economic base through the wise stewardship of its
human and natural resources date back to his years as the
state's Governor when his theme of ``payrolls and
playgrounds'' was put into action.
In the first year of his Senate career, Hatfield sponsored
legislation to create the Minam Wilderness in Northeast
Oregon and co-sponsored legislation with Senator Wayne Morse
to establish the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness. In subsequent
years, Hatfield succeeded in passing the Oregon Wilderness
Act (1984), the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act
(1986), the landmark Oregon Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (1988)
which provided protection for portions of 40 Oregon rivers,
and the Newberry Crater National Monument (1990).
Senator Hatfield is identified as a leader in the area of
conflict resolution and has sought to bring about regional
solutions to natural resource conflicts.
Amid growing controversy over the management of federal
forests in 1989, Senator Hatfield chaired a ``summit'' of
representatives of the timber industry, the environmental
community, Oregon's Governor and the state's entire
congressional delegation to develop a plan to protect
significant amounts of old growth timber while ensuring a
predictable supply of timber to Oregon's mills. The
compromise he negotiated resulted in a temporary solution to
the region's emerging timber supply crisis and formed the
foundation for a more permanent solution.
Senator Hatfield was also able to bring together an equally
wide range of interests at the Salmon Summit in 1990. At the
summit, representatives of the fisheries industry,
environmental interests, local governments, and Native
American tribes were able to negotiate a compromise to
protect the salmon while preserving fishing rights. The
``Salmon Summit'' has led to the appropriation of over $100
million since 1990 to fund salmon recovery projects supported
by this regional consensus process.
Senator Hatfield has also encouraged expanding research,
development, and commercialization opportunities for
efficient and renewable energy sources while pushing
reduction of the nation's dependence on foreign oil. He has
received numerous awards and recognitions from alternative
energy concerns.
arms control and foreign policy
Arms control and foreign policy have been among Senator
Hatfield's leading personal and legislative interests since
he walked through the rubble of Hiroshima as a young U.S.
Naval officer at the end of World War II. From his lone
dissenting vote on resolutions at the 1965 and 1966 National
Governors' Conferences supporting President Lyndon Johnson's
policy in Vietnam to his staunch opposition to United States
involvement in Kuwait in 1991, Senator Hatfield has stood--
often alone--against policies which he believes unnecessarily
seek military solutions to human problems.
Senator Hatfield is a leading advocate of international
human rights. He is a prominent spokesperson for the world's
14 million refugees and has received numerous national and
international awards for his work on their behalf.
A former chairman and active member of the Congressional
Arms Control and Foreign Policy Caucus, Senator Hatfield
authored the Harvest of Peace Resolution which calls for a 50
percent reduction in worldwide military spending and the
redirection of the money saved into health, education and
housing programs.
During the 1980's he worked to halt the nuclear arms race
with bills such as the Nuclear Freeze Resolution, co-authored
with Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA). Often the only Republican
Senator to receive a 100 percent voting record from arms
control organizations like the Council for a Liveable World,
Senator Hatfield has led the fight in the Senate against the
MX Missile, the Stealth Bomber and underground nuclear
testing. In October of 1992, President Bush signed into law
the nuclear test ban crafted by Senators Hatfield, George
Mitchell (D-ME) and James Exon (D-NE).
medical research
Senator Hatfield has regularly called for the reordering of
our nation's research priorities from activities focused on
destroying life to those which enhance life, such as
biomedical research. During his six years as chairman of the
Senate Committee on Appropriations, funding for the National
Institutes of Health increased by over $2.5 billion. He has
been a leading proponent of research into Alzheimer's
disease, working to increase research funds from $12.9
million in FY '80 to $291 million in FY '93.
Senator Hatfield has long sought to bring to the public an
awareness of issues surrounding lesser known disorders such
as Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
(SIDS), and tinnitus. He has brought national attention to
the widespread problem of sleep disorders both by helping to
establish the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research at
the National Institutes of Health and by supporting the
nationally recognized research into sleep disorders being
conducted at the Oregon Health Sciences University.
When the Department of Health and Human Services threatened
to block the implementation of Oregon's innovative plan for
health care financing, Senator Hatfield worked with the
Oregon congressional delegation to obtain a federal waiver
from the Secretary of Health and Human Services to allow
Oregon to enact its plan.
He has also been a leader in the effort to examine the long
term environmental and ethical implications surrounding the
emerging advances in biotechnology. He has introduced
legislation to establish a national commission on bioethics
and in 1992 convened a panel of international experts on the
subject.
other stands
Senator Hatfield's many other legislative initiatives
include his leadership role as lead Republican sponsor of the
National Voter Registration Act, the ``Motor Voter'' bill,
which President Clinton signed into law in 1993; his efforts
to improve the technological literacy of American students
through regional math and science education centers and
through parental involvement in education; and his
sponsorship of a national ``bottle bill'' modeled after
Oregon's successful recycling system. Senator Hatfield is
also known as a steadfast opponent of the death penalty as
well as a leading critic of the line-item veto. He has worked
to stabilize benefits to the elderly and disenfranchised and
has been a leading advocate of nuclear waste clean-up efforts
at Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
Senator Hatfield graduated from Salem High School and
earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Willamette University
in 1943.
Following World War II, Senator Hatfield earned a Master's
Degree in political science from Stanford University in 1948
and later returned to Willamette University to serve as
professor of political science and Dean of Students. He holds
more than 80 Honorary Doctorate Degrees.
He has a passion for rare books and presidential history
and is well known as an aficionado of Herbert Hoover and
Abraham Lincoln. He has also befriended presidents with whom
he has worked, including Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy
Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George Bush.
Senator Hatfield is the author of three books: ``Not Quite
So Simple'' (1967), Conflict and Conscience (1971), and
Between a Rock and a Hard Place (1976). He is the coauthor of
four additional books: Amnesty: the Unsettled Question of
Vietnam (1976), The Causes of World Hunger (1982), Freeze!
How You Can Help Prevent Nuclear War (1982), and What About
the Russians? (1984).
offices
Senator Hatfield has three offices, one in Washington and
two in Oregon:
711 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510,
(202) 224-3753.
727 Center Street NE, Suite 305, Special Districts Center,
Salem, OR 97301, (503) 588-9510.
One World Trade Center, 121 SW Salmon Street, Suite 1420,
Portland, OR 97204, (503) 326-3386.
Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the
absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________