[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 121 (Tuesday, July 25, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S10661]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


             TRIBUTE TO JIM FINNEGAN, EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR

 Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
friend and New Hampshire institution--Jim Finnegan. Jim is retiring 
this week as the editorial editor of the Union Leader newspaper in 
Manchester, NH.
  Before moving to New Hampshire to begin writing editorials for the 
Union Leader 38 years ago, Jim was involved in talk radio in 
Pennsylvania where his populist, conservative principles, and 
commitment to his causes cost him his job. But he found a home at the 
Union Leader. Late publisher William Loeb and Jim were a perfect 
match--both unwavering, bedrock conservatives who used their pens to 
promote the ideals and traditions that reflect New Hampshire values. 
Bill Loeb's wife, Nackey, took over the helm after Bill passed away 
and, of course, she and Jim have the same relationship of mutual 
admiration and respect.
  Jim was born 65 years ago in Philadelphia. He attended the Milton 
Hershey School for boys where the Dickensian regimen instilled strict 
discipline and high moral standards in the young Jim. That discipline 
and commitment to excellence is behind the nearly 40,000 editorials Jim 
has written over the years.
  Jim's editorials have elicited strong responses from Union Leader 
readers during his nearly four decade tenure at the paper. The Union 
Leader has the most extensive ``Letters to the Editor'' section in the 
State, largely due to citizens reacting to Jim's outspoken opinions.
  Jim's editorials have received national awards and helped the paper 
remain in the American political spotlight. He is a leader in the 
national conservative movement, dedicated to preserving the right-to-
life, and a fan of opera and boxing. His love of boxing has helped Jim 
``take the gloves off'' when writing his opinions on the editorial 
pages of New Hampshire's largest newspaper.
  Jim's editorials have run the gamut from heaping praise to fearless 
criticism. However, he has never used party or personality as a 
criteria for criticism. His editorials have always been non-partisan, 
non-personal, and issue-oriented. He has used his pen to promote the 
issues in which he profoundly believes--faith, justice, good 
government, individual liberty, and freedom.
  Victims and beneficiaries of his words agree on one thing: Jim 
Finnegan is a man of integrity, wisdom, wit, and principle.
  On Tuesday August 1, 1995, Jim Finnegan will celebrate his 65th 
birthday and his final day as Editorial Editor of the Union Leader 
newspaper. I would like to join his family, friends, and colleagues in 
wishing him the happiness he so richly deserves. He will be missed by 
all of us who read the unique and thought-provoking editorial pages of 
the Union Leader.


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