[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 15 (Wednesday, February 25, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN TRIBUTE TO JOHN E. HOGAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GUTKNECHT. Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise today to pay tribute to a 
sturdy Irishman, a fine farmer, a distinguished lawyer, a committed 
naval officer, a devoted family man, a solid churchman who has served 
the farmers and ranchers of America, the United States House of 
Representatives, and indeed all of his countrymen for better than a 
quarter of a century. I am, of course, speaking of the recently retired 
Chief Counsel of the House Committee on Agriculture and, Janesville, 
Minnesota's favorite son, John E. Hogan.
  It is tough for any of us to measure the loss to this body that will 
result from John's departure. This is not because we cannot quantify 
his many contributions to the United States House, not the least among 
them are five farm bills. Rather, we cannot predict the loss this body 
will sustain because few Members of this Congress can imagine a day 
without John Hogan. To be exact, only seven Members of this body, seven 
Members were around when John committed himself to public service back 
in 1969.
  John Hogan grew up in rural Waseca County on the family farmstead. He 
and his sister, Agnes, still own that farm today. Those years growing 
up on a farm in southern Minnesota left an indelible impression on John 
and he never, ever, in style or substance, lost his roots.
  Even today far from home, John Hogan farms in southern Maryland and 
drives an old Dodge truck when negotiating the streets of this capital. 
It was not at all unusual to see John wearing work boots at the office 
when Congress was not in session. And occasionally you could even find 
denim overalls folded behind John's desk.

                              {time}  1630

  But this is not mere window dressing. Passion for agriculture and 
those who provide Americans with the most abundant, affordable and 
safest food supply in the world courses through John Hogan's veins. For 
nearly 29 years John Hogan gladly and dutifully put in a farmer's 
workday on behalf of America's farmers and ranchers.
  Mr. Speaker, John Hogan is living proof that you can take the boy out 
of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy. Having 
lost his father at a very early age, the young and determined John 
Hogan pulled himself up by his own bootstraps.
  Equipped with little besides his intellect, work ethic and the strong 
values instilled in him by his devoted Irish Catholic mother, John 
headed off to the University of Minnesota, where he graduated with a 
Bachelor of Arts degree. John Hogan became first in his family to 
graduate from college.
  Upon his graduation, John was commissioned as an officer in the 
United States Navy and served aboard the USS Hood. During his active 
military duty, the Navy ultimately transferred John to the Nation's 
capital, whereupon the young and industrious naval officer took 
advantage of any spare time and the GI bill to enroll at George 
Washington University School of Law.
  In 1957, John Hogan left the U.S. Navy to practice law and further 
pursue higher learning. In that tradition, in the tradition of an 
Irishman, John Hogan did so with a happy vengeance. Between 1967 and 
1969, John Hogan would work as a legal assistant for the Federal 
Reserve Board of Governors, as a law clerk for a Federal judge, as an 
assistant U.S. Attorney, as senior trial attorney for the Small 
Business Administration, and as a director of the Commission of the 
Organization of the Government of the District of Columbia.
  Meanwhile, John would earn his Master's in Law at Georgetown School 
of Law, a Master's in Business at American University and would do 
graduate work in government and politics at the University of Maryland.
  Through all of this, John somehow managed to find time to search for 
a bride. He courted and caught Edith Howard. Together for 36 years, 
they would raise two children, Christi and Terry, and nurture along 
three grandchildren, Cassie, T.J., and Abigale.
  John Hogan made his way to Capitol Hill in 1969, where he began his 
29 year career for the House of Representatives. In that year, John 
took a position with Minnesota Congressman Anchor Nelson, the ranking 
member on the House Committee on the District of Columbia. But it was 
not until 1975 when John Hogan finally arrived at the place where he 
has since become an institution in his own right, the House Committee 
on Agriculture.
  In that year, Congressman Bill Wampler, the ranking Republican, added 
John Hogan to his committee staff as associate counsel and 4 years 
later promoted him to minority chief counsel. John Hogan remained 
minority counsel until January, 1995, when the GOP took control of the 
House; and to the incoming chairman of the committee, Pat Roberts, it 
was a foregone conclusion that John Hogan would be elevated to 
committee chief counsel.
  John Hogan has served in 15 consecutive Congresses, outlasted all but 
seven Members of this House, outran four Committee on Agriculture 
chairmen and six ranking members and worked on five farm bills, 
effectively shepherding U.S. agriculture law for the past 23 years. He 
did it all with a keen wit and sense of humor, which is characteristic 
of the Irish but perfected by John.
  In short, in two lifetimes' worth of achievement, John Hogan never 
compromised principle, never forsook his family and never shrunk from 
his duty to God and country. We can all be thankful that John served 
us.
  To John Hogan I wish to say good luck and may God bless you.

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