[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 74 (Tuesday, June 3, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5197-S5198]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO SENATOR STROM THURMOND

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to pay 
tribute to the distinguished senior Senator from South Carolina.
  This is a very special occasion for the Senate, as we take this time 
to honor the longest serving Member of this body in history.
  Senator Thurmond is an institution within this institution. Among the

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American people, he is probably one of the best known--and most 
recognized--Members of the Senate, every morning opening the Senate 
dutifully here; almost every day when we open. On rare occasions he is 
not in the chair. And within this congressional family, he holds a 
place of respect that is truly unique. I have been honored to serve 
with him, privileged to learn from him, and proud to call him my 
friend.
  If the Senate had a Mount Rushmore, Strom would be on it.
  As my colleagues know, Senator Thurmond's stature in the Senate is 
not just a matter of longevity. It is a matter of accomplishment.
  He was first elected to this body on November 2, 1954, as a write-in 
candidate, and remains to this day the only person elected to the 
Senate in that manner.
  He has served here on both sides of the aisle, and in both the 
majority and the minority. But he will quickly tell you that the 
majority is better.
  He has chaired both the Armed Services Committee and the Judiciary 
Committee, and he thereby has made an enduring contribution to both our 
Nation's security and our system of justice.
  He has stood for causes that were popular and causes that were less 
so. He has been fearless in defending his views, and what may be more 
important, equally unafraid to change those views when convinced of the 
rightness of change.
  I can remember some of his speeches here in the Senate. He holds the 
record for the longest speech in the history of the Senate. But I 
remember as a brand-new Senator, he was standing in this aisle here and 
giving the most vigorous speech in behalf of the need for a criminal 
law reform that I believe I have ever heard. It was magnificent.
  When Strom Thurmond came to the Senate almost 42 years ago, he 
brought with him enough accomplishments already for a lifetime.
  He had already been a State senator and circuit judge in his native 
beloved South Carolina. He had been Governor of the Palmetto State and 
had been the States Rights candidate for the Presidency in 1948.
  Most telling of all, he had landed in Normandy on D-day with the 82d 
Airborne. Senator Thurmond has much to be proud of in his Senate 
career. But I doubt that any honors bestowed on him in the course of 
that career can rival the decorations he won in the Normandy landing: 
The Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster and the Bronze Star for 
Valor.
  All of this, of course, is a matter of public record. But what the 
public generally does not know, however, is the personality and the 
fantastic character that Senator Thurmond brings to his work in the 
Senate.
  I often wish I had his unfailing good humor, which, come to think of 
it, probably has something to do with his length of service here. He 
always comes in ready to go to work with a smile on his face, as he did 
this very morning.
  We all know firsthand how strongly he can argue his point, how 
fiercely he can defend his values, and how firmly he can put down an 
opponent who does not have the facts on his side.
  But we also know how courteous he is when the debate is over, how 
generous he is even to those who do not reciprocate that conduct 
sometimes, and how respectful he has always been to this institution--
and to every Member of this institution.
  He has been a master of the Senate's rules, for he has always 
understood that those rules--frustrating and bothersome as they may 
often seem--are what sets the Senate apart as the most extraordinary 
legislative body in the world.
  He has given so much to his country, in so many different ways, and 
yet he would resist any attempt on our part to thank him for his 
lifetime of dedication. For in this regard, Senator Thurmond is truly 
of the old school: He would rather thank his country for the chance to 
repay the honor of being an American. After all his years, after all 
those decades, that is the one appellation that best describes him. 
Though he has been a Democrat, a Dixiecrat, and a Republican, he has 
ever been and always will be, most of all, Strom Thurmond, proud 
American.
  Thank you, Senator Thurmond for what you have done for your State, 
for your country, and for all of us as individuals.
  I yield the floor.

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