[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 97 (Friday, July 22, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 22, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                               HUGH SCOTT

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have awaited the conclusion of the 
Senate's business to comment about the passing last night of a great 
American, a very distinguished Pennsylvanian, Senator Hugh Scott, who 
would have celebrated his 94th birthday this November.
  Senator Scott served in this body as the Republican leader and was 
the first U.S. Senator elected from Pennsylvania for 3 terms. He was 
succeeded by my late colleague, Senator Heinz, who was in his third 
term when he suffered the tragic accident which took his life in April 
of 1991. I have the honor now to be serving Pennsylvania in my third 
term.
  Senator Scott was a native of Virginia, and moved to Pennsylvania to 
follow his uncle, Edwin O. Lewis, who was a very distinguished judge in 
the Court of Common Pleas No. 2 in Philadelphia. He was instrumental in 
the redevelopment of the Independence Mall section and had the mall 
named as the Edwin O. Lewis Mall.
  Hugh Scott was an instant success in Pennsylvania. He had a very 
distinguished career as an assistant district attorney. He was elected 
to the Congress, where he served in the House for some 16 years, and 
later in the U.S. Senate for 18 years.
  In the Senate, he was the Republican leader and was able to coalesce 
the minority forces with great skill. He served at a difficult time 
during the Vietnam war and during the Watergate incident, and I think 
was able to combine integrity and independence with the very great 
demands of leadership in the U.S. Senate.
  I had the opportunity to know Senator Scott when I first ran for 
district attorney of Philadelphia back in 1965. Senator Scott was very 
generous to me, providing his chief of staff, Robert L. Kunzig, who 
later became a distinguished Federal judge on the Federal circuit, to 
assist me in the campaign, and Gene Cowen, to help on public relations 
matters. That was a notable campaign, where Senator Scott, a resolute 
Republican, was dancing on election night on the table of ADA, the 
Americans for Democratic Action.
  Senator Scott was a giant in Pennsylvania politics. In 1962, when he 
was dissatisfied with what the Republican Party in Pennsylvania was 
doing, he declared for Governor himself and through that approach was 
able to secure the nomination and ultimately the election of William 
Scranton as Governor of Pennsylvania.
  Sometimes, Mr. President, I think we may forget, to some extent, the 
great privilege and great honor it is to be a U.S. Senator, as we come 
to this Chamber day after day, week after week.
  And while I have not been here as long as either of the two 
distinguished Senators on the floor--Senator Hollings from South 
Carolina, who came here in, I believe, 1966; and Senator Domenici was 
elected in 1972. But I recall at the time the thrill I had the first 
time I came to the Senate dining room as the guest of Senator Scott. I 
remember the wave of excitement that passed through Bart's Barbershop 
in the PSFS building in Philadelphia when Senator Scott placed a 
telephone call to me in 1965 to ask if I would be the Republican 
candidate for district attorney.

  I had not known Senator Scott personally before that time, and there 
was a wave of excitement. I think sometimes we forget when we are 
Senators and do the work day in and day out, perhaps looking more at 
the difficulties as opposed to the honor of serving, what it means to 
be a U.S. Senator. But Hugh Scott was a giant in every sense of the 
word.
  When my oldest son Shanin wanted to be an intern, he was welcomed 
with open arms in Senator Scott's office and learned a tremendous 
amount. He spent 6 weeks in Washington, DC, and came back a different 
young man. When Shanin heard of Senator Scott's passing, he called me 
this morning and said, ``Dad, I hear the memorial services will be next 
Thursday.'' He is a practicing lawyer and he has to be in Cumberland 
County and Williamsport. ``Can we arrange a memorial service for 
Senator Scott in Philadelphia?'' Which we will try to do.
  Senator Scott was the mentor of a whole generation of Pennsylvanians, 
Pennsylvania politicians and Pennsylvania elected officials. He was for 
Senator Richard Schweiker, he was for Senator John Heinz, he was for 
Governor Dick Thornburgh, and he was for me. In effect, he wrote the 
play book in Pennsylvania politics for Republicans.
  Pennsylvania is a very complicated State. As was recognized by 
Senator Scott and some of the rest of us, it is really an amalgam of 
some six States. If you contrast the farmlands in Lancaster County with 
the inner city of Philadelphia, there are two States. Then go to the 
steel mills of Pittsburgh, it is a totally different State; really a 
different State. Then the Allegheny National Forest, it is a fourth 
State. The coal mines in Wilkes-Barre and Scranton are a fifth State. 
And then the bend in the river around the Philadelphia Route 202, the 
industrial parks, it is a sixth State.
  Senator Scott mastered the art of accommodating many conflicting 
interests. He was elected as a Republican Senator from Pennsylvania as 
against a popular sitting Governor, George M. Leader, in 1958, and he 
won reelection, although Pennsylvania is predominantly Democratic in 
registration with very heavy labor union representation which 
customarily backs Democratic candidates, because he was able to 
accommodate many, many conflicting interests.
  I think one of the unfortunate factors is that Senator Scott left the 
Senate in 1977 and has been away for some 17 years. I think people tend 
to forget him. When he passed away, I heard a number of people say they 
did not know that Senator Scott was still living.
  He had an extraordinary relationship with his wife Mary. They were 
very, very devoted to each other. And he leaves many friends and many 
who admired him and have tried to emulate his courage and his tenacity 
and his integrity.
  So I wanted to make these few comments, Mr. President. He lived to a 
ripe old age. He would have been 94, as I say, in November, but the 
time is never right.
  So I commemorate a great Pennsylvanian, really a great American, 
Senator Scott of Pennsylvania.
  I thank the Chair and yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Carolina.


                               HUGH SCOTT

  Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, there is no necessity, obviously, to 
commend the Senator from Pennsylvania. But Senator Specter has been so 
tasteful and appropriate in his comments on Senator Hugh Scott. And 
that is one of the reasons I hung back.
  When I came here as a freshman Senator in 1966, already Senator Scott 
was a leader. The fact is, we had Tommy Kuchel as the whip, and Senator 
Everett Dirksen as the minority leader on that side. But it was not 
long before Senator Scott took over.
  I had the occasion, amongst other things, to get to know him and know 
various things about him, particularly with respect to his expertise in 
Chinese culture. I can see us both traveling in that regard and in that 
country. He was veritably a lecturer to me, going around and pointing 
out different things. He was a brilliant man. He was a giant. He was a 
leader. He was an outstanding friend.
  It was not that I did not know he was still alive; I did not know he 
was sick, and I was sorry to hear it during the debate this morning. I 
join in the sentiments of sympathy expressed so eloquently by Senator 
Specter.

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