[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 132 (Tuesday, September 20, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 20, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  1210
 
          A WARM FAREWELL TO WILLIAM H. BROWN, PARLIAMENTARIAN

  (Mr. MICHEL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MICHEL. Mr. Speaker, I think the news that was just announced 
here, that the Parliamentarian of the House is going to retire, comes 
as a sad note for many of us who have known Bill through all of these 
years, although I am happy that he is leaving in a commensurate year 
with my own retirement. He could not be leaving at a better time, from 
that standpoint.
  However, things have changed since I first started in this House. At 
that time the Parliamentarian was Lou Deschler, referred to by those 
who dared to call him ``the Judge.'' He was a tough old bird. He would 
not talk to staff, and he would hardly talk to Members.
  I remember one time I took him five different versions of an 
amendment prohibiting food stamps for strikers and said, ``Okay, Judge, 
one of these has got to be in order.'' And you see, he had the only 
copy of all the precedents of the House from 1936 on in his office, and 
he had all the power.
  Bill Brown has changed all that. He and his staff have done a 
magnificent job in compiling and publishing those the Judge had kept 
hidden. He has done an excellent job organizing the Office of the 
Parliamentarian and helping the membership. Many of the precedents are 
now ``on-line,'' available through the House Information System.
  Bill was born in West Virginia, receiving a bachelor of science 
degree from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania in 1951. He received his 
law degree from the University of Chicago, out our way in Illinois, and 
served in the Naval Reserve with active duty in the Persian Gulf, 
returning as a lieutenant commander in 1974.
  Bill was first appointed Assistant Parliamentarian by Speaker Sam 
Rayburn, and then became Parliamentarian in 1974 under Speaker Albert, 
and has served under six Speakers of the House.
  Bill has been a great Parliamentarian, but most do not realize that 
he is also a farmer. He lives in a 200-year-old home on the Oakland 
Green Farm, has expanded the log cabin with a stone addition, and later 
a brick addition. Bill, I am not sure about the aluminum siding you and 
your lovely wife Jean have now added.
  The Browns do have one daughter, Sarah, who is currently studying in 
Kenya.
  Being a farmer and a Parliamentarian involves a lot of work. he is 
often late coming in, as he has been birthing calves, or on snowy days 
he has had to drive his tractor to a main road to get a ride. You 
cannot miss his car in the Rayburn garage, as it looks like he keeps it 
in the chicken coop all night.
  Bill, we are sorely going to miss you, and can imagine you reciting 
precedents to your cows as the Congress continues writing new ones. I 
believe we will still use your expertise in attempting to finalize the 
publishing of the Deschler-Brown precedents, which I will always 
consider the ``Brown volumes.''
  Taking Bill's place in the top spot is someone who I also have known 
and argued with many a time, Charlie Johnson.
  We have had a good laugh telling the story of when Charlie first was 
working for the Judge, and Lou assigned Charlie the responsibility of 
compiling old contested election cases. Charlie worked for weeks, 
researching and writing, only to find out later that they were all 
neatly compiled in Cannon's precedents.
  Charlie still works harder than he needs to. He is a good guy and a 
dedicated worker. He is the perfect choice. Charlie, I hope you will 
last longer than Lehr Fess, who some of you may not know lasted just a 
year.
  Best to you, Bill, and we know, Charlie, John, Tom, and Muftiah will 
carry on the strong tradition of professionalism and cooperation that 
you started.

                          ____________________