[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 20 (Wednesday, February 1, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S1962]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


SENATE RESOLUTION 75--TO DESIGNATE OCTOBER 1996 AS ``ROOSEVELT HISTORY 
                                MONTH''

  Mr. MOYNIHAN (for himself, Mr. D'Amato, and Mr. Levin) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary:

                               S. Res. 75

       Whereas January 30, 1995, is the 113th anniversary of the 
     birth of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Hyde Park, 
     New York;
       Whereas almost a half-century after the death of President 
     Roosevelt, his legacy remains central to the public life of 
     the Nation;
       Whereas before becoming President of the United States, 
     Franklin Delano Roosevelt served in the New York State Senate 
     and later was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and 
     in 1928 became Governor of New York;
       Whereas as President of the United States between 1933 and 
     1945, Franklin Delano Roosevelt guided the Nation through 2 
     of the greatest crises of the twentieth century, the Great 
     Depression and the Second World War, and in so doing, changed 
     the course of American politics;
       Whereas a memorial in stone in the District of Columbia 
     will soon be dedicated to his memory, as authorized by 
     Congress in 1955; and
       Whereas a month commemorating the history of Franklin 
     Delano Roosevelt would complement the dedication of the 
     memorial: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That October, 1996, should be designated 
     ``Roosevelt History Month''. The President is requested to 
     issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United 
     States to observe the month with appropriate ceremonies and 
     activities.

  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, I rise to submit a resolution 
designating October 1996 as ``Roosevelt History Month,'' to coincide 
with the dedication of the new Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial now 
being built in the District of Columbia. A national history month 
celebrating the achievements of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt is an 
appropriate and necessary complement to the new memorial.
  Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882, in Hyde Park, 
NY, and entered politics in 1910 with his election to the New York 
State Senate. Later, he was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy 
and then sought and lost a bid for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Despite a 
debilitating attack of polio, he went on to become Governor of New York 
in 1928, establishing New York's first program of unemployment relief.
  As President of the United States from 1933 to 1945, Franklin Delano 
Roosevelt guided this Nation through two of the gravest crises of the 
20th century, the Great Depression and the Second World War. In so 
doing, he defined our national stature and secured his place as one of 
the greatest American Presidents of the 20th century.
  It is therefore fitting that our country honor his efforts, and those 
of his wife, with a celebration of Roosevelt History Month. Citizens 
and
 organizations across the Nation may observe the month with appropriate 
ceremonies and activities to learn about a President and a generation 
who gave much to the Nation. Soon, a new granite memorial will be 
dedicated to President Roosevelt. I rise today and urge my colleagues 
to join me in dedicating a month to his legacy, a memorial of thought 
and history to complement the one of stone.

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