[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 72 (Wednesday, May 3, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6030-S6031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


               TRIBUTE TO FORMER SENATOR JOHN C. STENNIS

  Mr. HEFLIN. Mr. President, I would like to add my voice to those 
which have already lamented the passing of our dear former colleague 
from Mississippi, John Stennis. About 25 of us went down to Mississippi 
last week to his funeral to say goodbye to one of the true giants in 
the history of this institution.
  I recall about 10 years ago, some Senators, including myself, went to 
Senator Stennis' hometown of De Kalb, MS, where the people of De Kalb 
and surrounding areas had gathered to help celebrate his birthday. 
There was a great outpouring of love and genuine affection from friends 
and neighbors who had known him, his father, and others before him. No 
one really knows an individual in the same way that the people of his 
hometown do, and you could see that as they came together that day. 
There was an authentic feeling of closeness and friendship.
  De Kalb is a small community, probably smaller than the one I come 
from. The people there--the salt of the earth--knew their favorite son, 
John Stennis, for his character and integrity. The great outpouring of 
affection which was on display that day was the best evidence anyone 
ever needed of his graciousness, honesty, decency, and dedication to 
principle. All of us there could see that he stood very tall with those 
who knew him best.
  John Stennis and I had much in common, both of us from southern 
families that go back for many generations. I used to enjoy the stories 
he would tell about his early years and how his father would raise 
cotton, transport it over to Alabama, and ship it down the river to 
Mobile. We were both judges at one time, which gave us a unique 
perspective on government, individuals, and human nature in general.
  John Cornelius Stennis was born on August 3, 1901, in Kemper County, 
in the red clay hills of eastern Mississippi. He graduated Phi Beta 
Kappa from what is now Mississippi State University in 1923 and 4 years 
later, received his law degree from the University of Virginia. Just 1 
year later, he was elected to the Mississippi Legislature. He later 
went on to serve as a district prosecuting attorney and circuit judge.
  After 10 years on the bench, he ran in 1947 for the Senate seat held 
by the flamboyant Senator Theodore G. Bilbo and was elected over five 
opponents in November. His campaign theme was ``I want to plow a 
straight furrow right down to the end of my row,'' and that philosophy 
guided the rest of his career in public service.
  Until his last campaign, in 1982, he was never seriously challenged 
for reelection. Even then, facing future Republican National Committee 
Chairman Haley Barbour, then only 34, he won by
 a 2-to-1 margin.

  In his early days in the Senate, John would work 16 hours a day, 
staying in the Senate until it adjourned and then studying in the 
Library of Congress. He was meticulous in his work, someone who would 
go over something again and again until he finally mastered its 
complexities. He was a commanding 
[[Page S6031]] presence in the Senate Chamber, where his voice carried 
such resonance. Even after we had microphones, he would often speak 
without one.
  John Stennis served in the Senate longer than all but one other 
person in its history. When he retired on January 3, 1989, he had 
served for 41 years, 1 month, and 29 days. During the 1960's and 
1970's, he was the most influential voice in Congress on military 
affairs. He was chairman of the appropriations Committee, and was 
instrumental in the development of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, 
which was extremely important to both our States economically. He 
changed with the times, and began to support civil rights measures. Due 
to his integrity, diligence, and judgment, he was often called upon to 
investigate controversial political matters. It became routine to refer 
to him as the conscience of the Senate. He was a patriarch and teacher 
to younger Members.
  It his later years, while his voice remained clear and his mind 
sharp, he experienced serious physical problems. He was shot and 
seriously wounded by a burglar at his home in 1973, and had a leg 
amputated in 1984 due to cancer, but each time, he returned to his 
beloved Senate much sooner than had been expected.
  After he retired, Senator Stennis moved to the Mississippi State 
University campus, home of the John C. Stennis Institute of Government 
and the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service, created by Congress 
to train young leaders. In one of his last interviews, he said, ``I do 
believe the most important thing I can do now is to help young people 
understand the past and prepare for the future.''
  At that birthday celebration for John Stennis a decade ago, I had the 
honor and pleasure of speaking. I ended my speech with an old Irish 
prayer, which goes:

     May the road rise to meet you.
     May the wind always be at your back.
     May the Sun shine warm on your face
     And the rains fall soft on your shoulders,
     And may the Good Lord hold you in the
       hollow of his hand during the remainder of
       your days.

  He was a deeply religious man, and he told me he was particularly 
glad I used the prayer as a closing on that occasion.
  John Stennis' days are now over, and his passing gives us reason to 
pause, reflect, and remember that this body is a decidedly better 
institution, and the United States a better nation, for having had the 
benefit of this statesman's service for so many years.


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