[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 8 (Friday, January 13, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E97-E98]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        A TRIBUTE TO ED MADIGAN

                                 ______


                               speech of

                        HON. WILLIAM O. LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 11, 1995
  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Edward 
R. Madigan, former Secretary of Agriculture under President Bush and 
long time U.S. Representative from Illinois' 15th Congressional 
District. Although Mr. Madigan was undergoing aggressive anticancer 
treatment at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, IL, he died on 
December 7, 1994 from complications related to lung cancer. He was 58 
years old.
  When Mr. Madigan was first elected to the U.S. House of 
Representatives in 1972, he told a newspaper reporter that he had but 
one goal: ``I have the ambition to be an influential member of Congress 
and to use that influence to bring credit to myself and to help 
people.'' During his 18 year tenure in Congress, Mr. Madigan skillfully 
and more than adequately fulfilled his goal. He protected the interests 
of his constituents in rural Illinois through his ranking member status 
on the House Agriculture Committee and the House Committee 
[[Page E98]] on Energy and Commerce. In fact, Mr. Madigan played a 
significant role in amending the 1985 farm bill to ensure that it 
favored the free market approach instead of imposing production limits. 
He also helped craft the final compromise on the clean air legislation 
that encouraged the use of ethanol.
  As Mr. Madigan worked to best serve his constituents, he built a 
reputation with his congressional colleagues as an honest, charming, 
low-key consensus builder. He used his soft-spoken, behind-the-scenes 
style of compromise to get things done. He made a priority out of 
learning the first name of each Member of Congress so that each Member 
of Congress would then make it a priority to get to know him. Mr. 
Madigan's sincerity and dedication made him an influential member of 
the Republican Party and the Illinois delegation.
  I treasure the years I was able to serve in the U.S. House of 
Representatives with Mr. Madigan. I am also grateful that we were able 
to work closely as members of the Illinois delegation. Although we 
belonged to different political parties, we shared a strong commitment 
to the citizens of Illinois and of the United States. I offer my 
sincere condolences to his wife and three daughters. Mr. Madigan often 
mentioned how grateful he was for the support his family gave him. We 
will all miss Mr. Madigan but we always remember his remarkable 
contribution to the House of Representatives.


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