[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 21, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H8850-H8851]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                CARLOS J. MOORHEAD POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 681) to designate the U.S. Post Office building located at 
313 East Broadway in Glendale, CA, as the ``Carlos J. Moorhead Post 
Office Building.''
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 681

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The United States Post Office building located at 313 East 
     Broadway in Glendale, California, shall be known and 
     designated as the ``Carlos J. Moorhead Post Office 
     Building''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the building referred 
     to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to the 
     ``Carlos J. Moorhead Post Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York [Mr. McHugh] and the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fattah] each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York [Mr. McHugh].
  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 681 was introduced by the gentleman from Illinois 
[Mr. Hyde]. As has been noted, the legislation designates the U.S. Post 
Office building located at 313 East Broadway in Glendale, CA, as the 
Carlos J. Moorhead Post Office Building and honors a colleague with 
whom many of us in this body were very familiar.
  Madam Speaker, though the sponsor of the bill, Mr. Hyde, is from 
Illinois, the measure did receive, as required by the committee rules, 
the support of the entire House delegation from the State of 
California, where the office is located, and many other friends and 
colleagues of Mr. Moorhead.
  Madam Speaker, Mr. Moorhead, as we all know, represented and served 
in this body with distinction from 1972 until he retired in 1997. Mr. 
Moorhead was a member of the Committee on the Judiciary and then became 
chairman of the Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property. He is 
a native Californian, having been born in Long Beach and attending 
public school in Glendale, receiving a B.A. from UCLA and a J.D. from 
the University of Southern California School of Law in Los Angeles. 
Former Representive Moorhead is a veteran of World War II and a retired 
judge advocate lieutenant colonel.
  Madam Speaker, I have a longer statement that I will submit for the 
Record. I will end my comments at this time by saying I am very pleased 
that the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Hyde] has acted to honor a dear 
friend and a very distinguished colleague, Congressman Moorhead. Those 
of us who had the opportunity and the privilege of serving with him 
knew him as a hard-working legislator, an honorable man and a good 
friend. I think this is the kind of tribute that this House makes that 
is so appropriate and so fitting.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FATTAH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. 
Let me join with the gentleman from New York in support of this 
measure. I think it is appropriate and fitting that this House take 
notice of the fine work of our colleague in this manner. I want to 
congratulate the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Hyde], the chairman of 
the Committee on the Judiciary, for offering this legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, let me first acknowledge and express my 
appreciation to the ranking member, the gentleman from Pennsylvania, as 
always for his leadership and his assistance in this and all matters 
involving the subcommittee. I deeply appreciate his support and his 
hard work.
  Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina 
[Mr. Coble] for some comments about a friend and colleague.
  Mr. COBLE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time. I also express my appreciation to the gentleman from Illinois 
[Mr. Hyde] of the Committee on the Judiciary for having introduced this 
bill and the committee of jurisdiction for having expeditiously handled 
it.
  During my time in the Congress, a little over a decade now, I served 
with Carlos Moorhead and with the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Hyde], 
the chairman, on the Committee on the Judiciary and served with Carlos 
Moorhead during the years that he was the ranking Republican and during 
the term when he served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Courts and 
Intellectual Property. Oftentimes, Madam Speaker, when one refers to a 
man, a male, a boy, or a man, as being gentle, sometimes that is 
perceived as being soft or being vulnerable. Carlos Moorhead was 
neither soft nor vulnerable, but he was, indeed, gentle. He was a 
gentle man. He loved this House, and he loved the Committee on the 
Judiciary, and for that matter the Subcommittee on Courts and 
Intellectual Property.
  I think it is very fitting, I say to those who have handled the bill 
and I say to my friend the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Hyde], I think 
it is very fitting that this bill be introduced and enacted and that 
that Post Office in Glendale, I have never been to Glendale, CA, one 
day I may ride by there and look with pride as it, is identified as the 
Carlos J. Moorhead Building.
  Mr. FATTAH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Ohio [Mr. Traficant].
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Madam Speaker, being here on the floor, I would just 
like to rise and pay tribute to the distinguished past chairman and 
also pay tribute to the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Hyde], the current 
chairman, for having brought this legislation. Mr. Moorhead was a great 
member, a good friend. He helped a lot of people like myself and 
others. I just want to rise and associate myself with the remarks of 
the previous speaker and add my little 2 cents in commending Mr. 
Moorhead and congratulating him on this.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Illinois [Mr. Hyde], the primary sponsor of this legislation, the 
distinguished chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary.
  (Mr. HYDE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. HYDE. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Madam 
Speaker, I have a prepared statement here which I will try to get 
through, but I just want to say this. I, in a long life have never met 
a nicer person than Carlos Moorhead. He was a gentleman. He had a sense 
of patriotism. He loved this country, he loved the law, he loved the 
Committee on the Judiciary, and we loved him back.
  Today I rise to pay tribute to a man who dedicated his professional 
life to the service of this country and to the people of California. 
Most Members are familiar with Congressman Moorhead who served this 
body with distinction until his retirement at the conclusion of the 
104th Congress. He was born in Long Beach, CA. He was a veteran of 
World War II, a retired judge advocate lieutenant colonel. Carlos was 
first elected to Congress in 1972 to represent the 27th District of 
California, which includes his hometown of Glendale where this post 
office is located, along with Pasadena, Burbank, La Crescenta, and San 
Marino.
  As a member of the Committee on the Judiciary and later chairman of 
the Subcommittee on the Courts and Intellectual Property, Carlos led 
some of the most controversial and important legislative debates that 
we have ever had in Congress. Throughout his 24 years of service to the 
people of California, Carlos typified the very best of what the House 
has to offer, vigorous

[[Page H8851]]

debate by a gentleman statesman. He worked hard and was highly 
respected by Members on both sides of the aisle, as evidenced by the 
fact that all 52 members of the California delegation are cosponsors of 
this legislation. He proved himself to be one of the most versatile and 
adaptable legislators this body has seen. He consistently had the most 
conservative voting record of any Member of Congress, and that did not 
stop him from being an effective legislator during his 22-year tenure 
in the minority.
  Always a loyal statesman, Carlos was also skilled in the art of the 
possible. He had a special ability to get past politics and negotiate 
legislation that achieved the best result possible under the 
circumstances. Nevertheless, after 22 years in the minority, Carlos 
wasted no time adapting to the majority.

                              {time}  1300

  He proved to be one of the most efficient and effective subcommittee 
chairmen of the 104th Congress. In just 2 years, he managed to 
favorably report several of the most important and controversial 
elements of the Contract With America. He went on to break decades-old 
log jams of legislation in the area of patents, copyrights, trademarks, 
and the Federal courts.
  In his short tenure as chairman of the Subcommittee on Courts and 
Intellectual Property, Carlos was responsible for the enactment of 14 
public laws, both qualitatively and quantitatively. That was the best 
record of any subcommittee chairman.
  I join with pride the California delegation in saluting this man of 
service, a great patriot, and wish him and his wife, Valerie, and his 
five children and grandchildren the very best.
  Mr. FATTAH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, let me again join with the chairman of the Committee 
on the Judiciary. I did take note while some of us were on break, he 
kept the home fires burning here in Washington and the committee was 
working.
  Madam Speaker, I want to again say that in terms of this bill, that 
we join on this side of the aisle in recognizing the achievements of 
our colleague, and want to see this post office in California named 
after him. I am happy he was able to serve for more than two decades in 
the House. As a newer Member of the Congress, I look forward to one day 
of having that type of lengthy service.
  I think it is very important to see that the experience a Member 
gains over those years comes to be admired by both sides of the aisle 
and comes to be appreciated, hopefully, throughout the country.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
California [Mr. Rogan], Mr. Moorhead's successor in this Congress.
  Mr. ROGAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. I 
especially want to thank the distinguished chairman of the Committee on 
the Judiciary for bringing this very well-deserved bill to the floor.
  As Carlos Moorhead's successor, I have both a benefit and a burden. 
It is a benefit, because I have enjoyed him not just as a friend, but 
as a mentor in my private and public career. It is also a burden, 
because he sets a very high-standard of respect and accomplishment for 
those who follow in his footsteps.
  As we walk through the Capitol, we see there is a propensity to build 
statues to heroes. Yet not all of our heroes are represented in statue. 
Although he deserves a statue, naming a post office for Carlos Moorhead 
is a modest way of thanking him for a job well done. In 32 years of 
public service, Carlos served his community and country with a sense of 
quiet dignity and resolve. And he did so without there ever being a 
hint of scandal or of impropriety. He is a man who has faithfully 
served his country for 24 years in this House, and in doing so he has 
left a lasting mark.
  As I meet both veteran and new Members of Congress, I have found that 
if I want to ingratiate myself, I simply tell them that I took Carlos 
Moorhead's place. Invariably this introduction brings a smile and a nod 
of appreciation for both Carlos as a friend, and for Carlos as a 
colleague.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor to join with so many distinguished 
Members of this House in paying tribute to a great Congressman, a great 
public servant, a great friend, and most of all, a great American. This 
bill is a fitting tribute to a well-deserving public servant, the 
Honorable Carlos J. Moorhead of California.
  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I am honored to yield two minutes to the 
gentleman from California [Mr. McKeon].
  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois, 
Chairman Hyde, of the Committee on the Judiciary for bringing forth 
this bill, the gentleman from New York, Chairman McHugh, and the 
ranking member, the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Fattah, for their 
expeditious handling of the bill to bring it to the floor in this 
timely manner.
  Madam Speaker, I just was thinking while people were talking, I was 
thinking about Carlos Moorhead. He was the first Congressman I had the 
pleasure of meeting in my lifetime. I was the mayor of our city and he 
was our Congressman.
  I was at work one day and received a phone call from our receptionist 
who said, ``There is a Congressman out front that would like to meet 
you.'' I did not know how to act or how to react to that, but I invited 
him to come into the office. Those of you who are colleagues who know 
Carlos know how quiet and unassuming he was. He came in, introduced 
himself, and we had a nice chat. That began a strong friendship.
  To me, Carlos represents all that is great about the House of 
Representatives. As has been mentioned, he had an unimpeachable 
character. He served this House and his countrymen for many years with 
great dignity. He practiced his Christian principles that he believed 
in. He was a humble, unassuming man. As was said earlier by the 
gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Coble], he was a true gentleman.
  The greatest praise my dad could give to someone was that he was a 
real gentleman. I cannot think of anything greater to say about Carlos.
  He was great to work with. He helped me very much in assuming my role 
here. He was my Congressman. I replaced part of his district when we 
had the reapportionment in 1992.
  Madam Speaker, I am happy to see this done. I have been to Glendale 
many times. I am happy this Post Office will be named after him. I know 
the people of that district will love to see this named after him, and 
they appreciate all the things he did for them.
  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and, 
with a final urging to my colleagues to support this very worthwhile 
legislation for a very distinguished colleague, I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Coble). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from New York [Mr. McHugh] that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 681.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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