[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 108 (Monday, August 8, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 8, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
              THOMAS F. EAGLETON UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE

  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4790) to designate the United States courthouse under 
construction in St. Louis, MO, as the ``Thomas F. Eagleton United 
States Courthouse.''
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4790

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The United States courthouse under construction at 111 
     South Tenth Street in St. Louis, Missouri, shall be known and 
     designated as the ``Thomas F. Eagleton United States 
     Courthouse''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the United States 
     courthouse referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a 
     reference to the ``Thomas F. Eagleton United States 
     Courthouse''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio [Mr. Traficant], will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Clinger] will be recognized for 20 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Traficant].
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield whatever time he may consume to 
the gentleman from California [Mr. Mineta], the distinguished chairman 
of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation.
  (Mr. MINETA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. MINETA. Mr. Speaker, let me first of all express my thanks to the 
chair of the Subcommittee on Public Buildings and Grounds, the 
gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Traficant], as well as to the gentleman from 
Tennessee [Mr. Duncan] and in his place the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
[Mr. Clinger] for their role in bringing these measures to the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise in support of H.R. 4790.
  Senator Thomas Eagleton was born in St. Louis, MO, in 1929. Eagleton 
had an impressive educational background, having graduated from Amherst 
College in 1950, and Harvard Law School in 1953.
  Eagleton chose a career of public service. In 1956, at the age of 27, 
he was elected circuit attorney of St. Louis. Four years later, he was 
elected attorney general of Missouri. He was elected Lieutenant 
Governor of Missouri in 1964, and in 1968, Eagleton was first elected 
to the U.S. Senate.
  In 1972, George McGovern tapped Senator Eagleton to be his running 
mate on the Democratic presidential ticket. He was reelected to the 
Senate in 1974 and 1980 and completed his Senate service in 1987.
  In recognition of his devotion to public service, not only in 
Missouri but also in the U.S. Senate, it is fitting and proper to honor 
Senator Thomas F. Eagleton by designating the United States courthouse 
under construction in St. Louis, MO, as the ``Thomas F. Eagleton United 
States Courthouse.''
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill.
  Mr. CLINGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4790, a bill to designate the 
U.S. Courthouse to be constructed in St. Louis, MO as the ``Thomas 
Eagleton United States Courthouse.''
  Thomas Eagleton is a native of St. Louis, having been born there on 
September 4, 1929. His education was interrupted by military service in 
the U.S. Navy from 1948 to 1949, and upon return to civilian life, was 
graduated from Amherst in 1950. In 1953 he received a law degree from 
Harvard.
  He returned to St. Louis, where he became circuit attorney at the age 
of 27. Four years later he was elected attorney general of the State of 
Missouri, and 4 years later, he was elected Lt. Governor of Missouri.
  In 1968, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served with 
distinction until his retirement in 1987. I urge passage of the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, Senator Thomas F. Eagleton of Missouri was elected to 
Congress in 1968. He gained a respected reputation in the Senate for 
progress, reason and justice.
  Prior to his re-election in 1974 Senator Eagleton was chosen to be on 
the Democratic Presidential ticket as the Vice-Presidential candidate 
in 1972. After the election, he returned to the Senate where he 
continued to serve his Missouri constituents. He was re-elected in 1974 
and 1980 and completed his Senate service in 1987.
  The subcommittee joins majority leader Gephardt in supporting this 
bill, and it is fitting and proper to honor Senator Eagleton by 
designating the courthouse in St. Louis, MO, as the ``Thomas F. 
Eagleton United States Courthouse.''

                              {time}  1310

  This bill has my strong personal support and the support of the 
chairman of Public Works, the gentleman from California [Mr. Mineta]. 
It is bipartisan, with the support of the gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. 
Duncan], the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Clinger], the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania [Mr. Shuster], and others.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of H.R. 4790.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CLINGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Emerson].
  (Mr. EMERSON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4790, a bill to 
designate the U.S. courthouse to be constructed in St. Louis as the 
Thomas Eagleton United States Courthouse.
  Tom Eagleton has been a dedicated public servant throughout his 
entire career. He entered politics at the age of 27 with election to 
the position of circuit attorney of St. Louis, and at the age of 31, he 
became attorney general of Missouri, and at the age of 35, he was 
elected Lieutenant Governor. In 1968 Tom Eagleton was elected to the 
U.S. Senate and served there with distinction until his retirement in 
1987.
  He returned to St. Louis upon his retirement, where he resides today, 
teaching, writing at least a weekly political commentary for many 
Missouri newspapers, and engaging in the practice of law.
  This is an appropriate honor that we do Tom Eagleton. I am delighted 
to be a cosponsor of the bill and to urge my colleagues to vote for its 
passage.
  Mr. CLINGER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the sponsor and the mover of this 
bill, the majority leader, the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Gephardt], 
and also for the outstanding work of two cosponsors, the gentleman from 
Missouri [Mr. Wheat] and the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Clay], and I 
also want to commend the fine gentleman on our subcommittee, the 
gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Emerson], for his work on that.
  With that, I urge adoption of this bill.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4790--to 
name the new Federal courthouse to be constructed in St. Louis in honor 
of a true friend of the American people, former U.S. Senator Thomas F. 
Eagleton.
  H.R. 4790 is cosponsored by the entire Missouri delegation. I am 
pleased that Senators Jack Danforth and Kit Bond are leading this 
effort in the U.S. Senate.
  Senator Eagleton will probably be embarrassed by this gesture, 
because he never wanted a monument to his good works. To him, waking up 
every day and working to improve the lives of the people of Missouri is 
its own reward. And the people he has helped--the families he has 
fought for--are the greatest monument he ever hoped to have.
  To this day, Tom Eagleton is as unassuming, as understated, as 
quietly effective as the day he was first elected St. Louis circuit 
attorney at the age of 27. Even as the youngest prosecutor in the 
Nation in the mid-1950's, stature and success never got the better of 
him.
  But throughout his career as my State's attorney general, as 
Lieutenant Governor, and as a respected member of the Senate, Tom 
Eagleton's calm and quiet voice was also a voice of passion, and 
progress--a voice for reason, and justice--a voice that sought to lift 
up all people, and make our country a better place.
  He championed the Older Americans Act, the cornerstone of so many 
Federal social programs for the elderly. He authored the War Powers 
Act. He was a leader of his party and a dear friend to his colleagues.
  We often say in the House of Representatives that the mark of a good 
Congressman is that he never forgets where he came from. Well, in the 
case of Tom Eagleton, not only didn't he forget--in spirit, in concern, 
and in commitment, he never really left the State of Missouri. That may 
be why he moved right back to St. Louis after he left the Senate, and 
remains a pillar of my community back home.
  When he first campaigned for the Senate, he acknowledged that ``One 
Senator cannot alone resolve the * * * inconsistencies of our age.'' 
But he also knew that ``One Senator, believing in our country's 
dedication to the redress of grievances and inequities of the past, can 
join * * * a chorus of hope for social and economic improvement.''
  Each and every day of Senator Eagleton's career here on Capitol Hill, 
his voice rang through that powerful chorus.
  It inspired so many of us to work harder for justice, and fairness, 
and progress.
  That's why I want his name to adorn this new hall of justice, in the 
State he loves so much and served so well--so that this legacy may 
continue to inspire, and his calm and quite decency may always endure.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and help establish 
the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse. I ask you to do it out of 
respect for an extraordinary leader, and out of commitment to the 
causes we share with the distinguished former Senator from the great 
State of Missouri.
  Mr. WHEAT. Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to express my 
support for H.R. 4790, a bill to name the new Federal courthouse under 
construction in St. Louis, MO, after one of the most distinguished 
public servants I have ever been privileged to know, former Senator 
Thomas F. Eagleton.
  He rose from the wards of south St. Louis powered by a driving 
intellect, a powerful charisma, and an ambition to see justice done for 
the people he served. Tom Eagleton was circuit attorney at 27, State 
attorney general at 31, and Lieutenant Governor at 35. Before he was 
40, Tom Eagleton was a U.S. Senator. The 18-year Senate career that 
followed was marked by a passion for peace, a desire to better the 
economic condition of his constituents, and a fiery independence.
  Tom Eagleton was a master lawmaker, using his unsurpassed political 
intellect to achieve progressive policy results. Sitting in a committee 
meeting one day in 1973, troubled by how to further his opposition to 
the war in Southeast Asia, he scrawled an amendment that banned the 
horrific bombing in Cambodia. When Turkey invaded the island of Cyprus, 
Senator Eagleton led the American reaction, sponsoring a cut-off of aid 
to the aggressor nation.
  At home, too, the Senator was driven by courageous dedication to 
principle. He crafted the Older Americans Act, which extended new 
services to senior citizens. Also, the Clean Air Act Amendments of 
1970, the Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, the District of Columbia 
Home Rule Act of 1974, the 1978 Inspectors General Act, the 1979 rescue 
of the Chrysler Corp., and many other pieces of legislation necessary 
for jobs, an improved quality of life, and a more efficient government 
had his active support and benefited by the application of his 
parliamentary acumen.
  Tom Eagleton's political career is a study in dedication. It stands 
as a model of selfless public service. When I arrived in Congress, 
Senator Eagleton sought me out to offer advice and encouragement. He 
was one of my earliest and most influential mentors. After giving 
decades of his life to creative, enthusiastic public service as an 
elected official, the Senator decided to continue giving, this time as 
a teacher of Missouri's young people about the important role that an 
innovative, compassionate Government can play in our lives.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to honor Thomas Eagleton's legacy, and I ask 
the committee to join me in supporting H.R. 4790.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Montgomery). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Traficant] that the 
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4790.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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