[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 27, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E7]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E7]]


                 TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE JOHN E. MOSS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT T. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 27, 1998

  Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a former member of 
this body, my mentor and predecessor in this House, The Honorable John 
E. Moss. As Congressman Moss is memorialized today in the city which be 
represented so well, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in saluting 
his remarkable career in public service.
  Throughout the twenty-six years he represented the Sacramento area in 
this House, he served with distinction as an effective and 
compassionate champion for his constituents. As a skillful legislator, 
he played a key role in shaping and passing some of this century's 
great legislative achievements, all the while keeping the interests of 
his district at the forefront of his concerns.
  Born in the state of Utah in 1915, John Moss' family moved to 
Sacramento, California in 1923. There, he went to school and married 
Jean Kueny in 1935. The couple would have two daughters. After serving 
in the Second World War, Congressman Moss was a businessman, but he 
soon heard the call to serve in the public sector and he won a seat in 
the California State Assembly in 1948.
  Just four years thereafter, at the age of thirty-three, John Emerson 
Moss was elected to the House of Representatives, a position he would 
fulfill admirably for the next twenty-six years. One of Congressman 
Moss' first orders of business was to persuade then-President Harry S. 
Truman to approve the construction of a dam along the American River at 
the town of Folsom, just east of Sacramento. In a sign of his political 
prowess, Congressman Moss was able to successfully lobby the White 
House to support this important project.
  His other early achievements included winning federal support for the 
Sacramento Airport and the surrounding military bases. John Moss 
steadfastly represented and served as an advocate for a great cross-
section of Californians living in Sacramento, regardless of party 
affiliation or political persuasion. Yet his commitment to the needs of 
his district never overwhelmed his core devotion to civil and human 
rights, and to truth in government.
  From 1955 until 1966, John Moss devoted much of his time in this 
House to winning passage of the Freedom of Information Act. His crusade 
to create and enact a law which would allow for a more open, 
understanding, and responsible government was perhaps his greatest 
achievement in Congress and would earn him the title of ``Father of the 
Freedom of Information Act.''
  By the early 1970s, he had risen to the leadership of the House, 
serving as high as deputy majority whip under both Congressmen Carl 
Albert and Hale Boggs. At this same time, as the Watergate saga began 
to unfold and the U.S. involvement in Vietnam wound down, John Moss 
served as one of the great consciences of the House, always calling for 
greater government accountability and responsiveness to the concerns of 
the people.
  As his career concluded in 1979, Congressman Moss could look back and 
see a great string of legislative and political achievements: The 1970 
Federal Clean Air Act, the creation of the Consumer Product Safety 
Commission, and reform of the nation's anti-monopoly laws, to name but 
a few.
  Mr. Speaker, since Congressman Moss' passing, tributes have come 
forth from President Bill Clinton, former President and Mrs. Jimmy 
Carter, and countless other prominent Americans and Sacramentans. His 
passion and drive in defending the First Amendment, advocating consumer 
and environmental protection, and looking after the needs of his 
Sacramento constituency has cemented his legacy as one of this 
century's great legislative leaders. On a personal note, as my friend 
and mentor is eulogized today, I ask all of my colleagues to join with 
me in honoring this great and caring husband, father, and legislator.

                          ____________________