[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 92 (Thursday, June 20, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1124]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         TRIBUTE TO HUGH B. MITCHELL, FORMER MEMBER OF CONGRESS

                                 ______


                           HON. JIM McDERMOTT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 19, 1996

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a former 
Member of both Houses of Congress, Hugh Burnton Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell 
died on June 10, at age 89, and his family and friends are gathering at 
Daybreak Star Center in Seattle to remember him today.
  Hugh Mitchell was a true son of the Northwest, and true Democrat. His 
belief, that government could help people realize their dreams, was at 
the core of his public service. He was born in Great Falls, MT in 1907, 
grew up on a dairy farm, and attended public schools. After graduating 
from Dartmouth College, he engaged in editorial work at an Everett, WA 
newspaper. In 1933, he joined the congressional staff of U.S. 
Representative Monrad Wallgren, and extended his service on the Hill 
for 12 years, including Wallgren's term in the Senate.
  When Wallgren was elected Governor of the State of Washington, he 
appointed Mitchell to serve the balance of his Senate term. Hugh 
Mitchell was just 37 years old when he was sworn on January 10, 1945--
the second youngest U.S. Senator at the time. He was defeated for 
election in 1946, but was elected to the House in 1948 and served in 
the 81st and 82d Congresses. He was not a candidate for renomination in 
1952, but mounted an unsuccessful bid for the governorship of 
Washington in 1952.
  Mr. Speaker, our country has changed dramatically in the 40 years 
since Hugh Mitchell graced the floor of this Chamber, but the principle 
that animated his public service is timeless: that government could and 
should aid the people he represented. He listened to the people, and 
tried to put government to work for them.
  Hugh Mitchell's congressional career began as World War II was 
ending; the country's agenda then was similar to that which faces it 
today in the post-cold war era. Mitchell urged conversion of America's 
war-related industries to peacetime infrastructure-building, both to 
put people to work, and to prevent a reversion to the hardships of the 
Depression.
  America's hard-won superiority in science and technology, he 
believed, should be used to relieve the tensions and miseries of the 
war-torn world. He supported the Marshall plan for Europe, but also 
proposed a similar program of engagement in Asia. Had the Congress 
heeded his prophetic advice, we might have avoided the disastrous route 
that took our country into conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. ``We must 
make allies in Asia,'' he warned, ``or we are doomed to protracted, 
costly, and indecisive wars.''
  His ideas about cultivating constructive cooperative relationships 
with Pacific Rim countries were part of the long tradition of trade and 
friendship among the people of the Northwest and their neighbors to the 
East. Our APEC program today is a culmination of the vision of 
Washington State advocates such as Warren Magnuson, Henry Jackson, and 
Hugh B. Mitchell.
  Mitchell's legislative agenda also included the careful stewardship 
of the abundant natural resources of the Pacific Northwest. Adoption of 
his plan for comprehensive management of the Columbia River Valley by 
the Congress might have averted the ecological crisis we now struggle 
to overcome.
  Hugh Mitchell's reputation as a far-sighted intellectual is 
complemented by his legendary attentiveness to the wisdom of his 
constituents. His civility of discourse and equanimity in the face of 
adversity sprang from his faith in the democratic process. His 
pragmatic vision of government of, by, and for the people is a legacy 
that enhances this body, Mr. Speaker, and I commend it to you.

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