[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 28 (Monday, March 16, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1968-S1970]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATOR WENDELL FORD: THE LONGEST-SERVING KENTUCKIAN IN THE HISTORY OF 
                               THE SENATE

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the Commonwealth of Kentucky has provided 
the United States Senate with some of its finer members. Take John 
Breckinridge, who in the early 1800's became his party's most effective 
spokesman and legislative leader during his first term in the Senate, 
and who would doubtless have achieved further greatness had he not 
succumbed to typhus fever at the age of 46. Despite this early death, 
Breckinridge did achieve a form of posthumous success when his son, 
John C. Breckinridge was elected first Senator and then vice-President. 
(It was, incidentally, the younger Breckinridge who, in 1859, provided 
such a moving tribute to the ``consecrated character'' of the old 
Senate chamber, before leading the Senators in procession to their new, 
and current home.)
  Or consider the great Henry Clay, who promoted the American system, 
whose powerful oratory and forceful personality made him one of the 
dominant figures during the Senate's golden age of the 1830's, 1840's 
and 1850's. And what of Alben Barkley, Majority Leader during the 
1940's, whose booming baritone and vast repertoire of humorous 
anecdotes made him one of the more popular Senators of his time?
  Not to mention John Sherman Cooper, who sat right here on the floor 
during the year that we served together. John Sherman Cooper was a 
former Ambassador to India. I first met him in 1955, at which time I 
was a Member of the House of Representatives and was traveling with a 
subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to the Pacific and 
the Far East. On that occasion we traveled 68 days. We went around the 
world in an old constellation. That would have been called a ``junket'' 
in these times. John Sherman Cooper was Ambassador to India when I and 
my House colleagues stopped there for a short time. John Sherman Cooper 
also played an outspoken role in the debates on the war in Vietnam. The 
list of outstanding Senators from Kentucky is a long list indeed.
  Mr. President, today Kentucky has another native son of whom it can 
be equally proud. That man is Wendell Ford, who on Saturday last, March 
14, became the longest serving Kentuckian in the history of the State.
  It seems only fitting that Senator Ford should hold this record, for 
few other politicians have served the great Commonwealth of Kentucky as 
ably or as successfully as has Wendell Ford. After service in World War 
II, Senator Ford returned to his home state and in short order became a 
state Senator, then a lieutenant governor, then Governor, before his 
election to the Senate in 1974.
  When Wendell Ford came to the U.S. Senate, I was the majority whip. 
Since that date in 1974, Senator Ford has earned acclaim as a smart and 
savvy legislator, particularly during his excellent chairmanship of the 
Rules Committee from 1986 to 1994. I count it a great privilege and 
honor and a pleasure to have served on the Rules Committee during those 
years of Wendell Ford's chairmanship. He did well. He was a mighty 
protector of the rules of the Senate and is one of the best chairman of 
any committee on which I have served. Senator Ford has also been 
prominent in the party leadership. He chaired the democratic senatorial 
campaign committee from 1976 to 1982 and he has served with distinction 
as party whip since 1990.
  As a Senator, Wendell Ford has endeared himself to colleagues and 
staffers alike with his warm personality and his vibrant sense of 
humor. He has also distinguished himself as a devoted and vigilant 
defender of the interests of his native Kentuckians. I should say of 
all Kentuckians, native or otherwise. I have always felt a kinship with 
Kentucky, which borders my own mountain II state. I have felt a kinship 
with the people of eastern Kentucky, whose rugged, mountainous terrain 
resembles that of West Virginia. And, as a fellow United States Senator 
representing another less well-off state whose needs have often been 
overlooked for too long, I have the utmost respect and admiration for 
Senator Wendell Ford's courageous and tenacious efforts to serve the 
interests of his state and its noble people. In this regard, Senator 
Ford may be seen as an heir to the legacy of Henry Clay, whose 
``American system'' favored federal spending on communications, 
transportation and other internal improvements. As a matter of fact, 
the Old Cumberland Road, as it is sometimes referred to, the Old 
National Road, began at Cumberland, MD, and went westward to Wheeling, 
WV and on to Vandalia, IL. The work on that road began in 1811, and by 
the year 1838 the Federal Government had invested the astounding sum of 
$3 million in that highway.

[[Page S1969]]

 That was the highway which many settlers traveling from the east and 
going to the west, took, as they made their way to the Ohio River. I 
should say that Henry Clay was one of the foremost supporters of 
appropriations for the Old Cumberland Road, and we who live in the 
mountainous terrain of West Virginia, and particularly in the northern 
part of the State, have not forgotten that nor shall we forget it. Few 
Senators have been as dedicated to serving the needs of their 
constituents as the able senior Senator from Kentucky, and I salute him 
for that.

  At the same time, Senator Ford has also done much good work on a 
national level. As a member of the Commerce Committee, Senator Ford has 
become a national leader on aviation issues, a leader who played key 
roles in shaping the 1994 Federal Aviation Administration Authorization 
Act and the 1987 Airport and Airways Capacity Expansion Act. On the 
Energy Committee, Senator Wendell Ford has worked tirelessly to lessen 
our country's dependence on foreign oil and to support clean, 
environmentally friendly coal technologies. And whether fighting for 
campaign finance reform or sponsoring the motor voter bill, Senator 
Ford has been a valiant soldier in the ongoing struggle to make this 
country's political system as fair, as open, and as representative as 
possible.
  Mr. President, the same words spoken by Senator Clay in his farewell 
address to the Senate 156 years ago could just as well be attributed to 
Senator Ford's career in the Senate. Senator Henry Clay declared in 
part:

     . . . that I have been actuated by no personal motives--that 
     I have sought no personal aggrandizement--no promotion from 
     the advocacy of those various measures on which I have been 
     called to act--that I have had an eye, a single eye, a 
     heart, a single heart, ever devoted to what appeared to be 
     the best interests of the country.

  Senator Ford's good work has not gone unappreciated by his 
constituents. The host of state records that he holds testifies to his 
popularity with Kentuckians. After all, Senator Ford was the first 
candidate to carry all 120 countries against opposition and, he did 
this in 1980. In 1992, he won the highest number of votes cast for any 
state candidate. And in 1996, he surpassed Alben Barkley's record of 
having the longest consecutive service of any Kentucky Senator. Now, 
with this latest accomplishment to his name, there can be no doubting 
that Senator Ford's position is as one of the most successful and 
popular politicians in the state's history.
  Mr. President, although Senator Ford has announced that he will not 
stand for re-election this fall, he may rest assured as he prepares to 
leave this chamber that his contributions and accomplishments have 
earned him a place in the Senate's and Kentucky's honor rolls. I am 
sure that I can speak for all of my colleagues when I say that Senator 
Ford will be sorely missed. His combination of personal charm and 
legislative skill is a rare one, and whoever fills his seat will have 
much to live up to.
  My wife, Erma, and I shall regret to see him and his lovely wife go.
  Wendell Ford in his service here and in his service to the people of 
Kentucky, reminds me of a bit of verse by John G. Holland, entitled 
``God Give Us Men'':

     God give us men!
     A time like this demands strong minds,
     great hearts, true faith, and ready hands.
     Men whom the lust of office does not kill;
     Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;
     Men who possess opinions and a will;
     Men who have honor; men who will not lie.

     Men who can stand before a demagogue
     And brave his treacherous flatteries without winking.
     Tall men, sun-crowned;
     Who live above the fog,
     In public duty and in private thinking.
     For while the rabble with its thumbworn creeds,
     It's large professions and its little deeds,
     mingles in selfish strife,
     Lo! Freedom weeps!
     Wrong rules the land and waiting justice sleeps.
     God give us men!

     Men who serve not for selfish booty;
     But real men, courageous, who flinch not at duty.
     Men of dependable character;
     Men of sterling worth;
     Then wrongs will be redressed, and right will
     rule the earth.
     God Give us Men!

  Mr. President, I yield the floor and I suggest he absence of a 
quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. FORD. Mr. President, as has been obvious last Friday and today, 
this Senator succeeded the service of the distinguished Kentucky 
statesman, Alben Barkley. It is an extraordinary gift that the people 
of my State have given to me, because it is a gift only they have to 
give; that is, through their votes. If there is any significance to 
this period of service, it is that I have served my people well, have 
voted the way they would have hoped I would vote, and they understand 
that I work hard even though I do not accomplish everything that I hope 
to.
  Mr. President, on Friday, one of the finest young men that I have 
known in a long time, Senator Daschle, said some very kind words about 
me and our association. I am grateful to him. John Glenn, whom 
everybody knows--and you want to stand close to him so you can get your 
picture made--John and his wife Ann and Mrs. Ford and I have become 
very close personal friends. John is going to do what he feels he can 
still make a contribution to, and that is how we can prevent aging. I 
wish him all the success in the world. After I leave here, I intend to 
form the Government Education Center in my hometown for high school 
students. The John Glenns of this world will do what they can do best. 
I hope that Wendell Ford can do what he does best and try to encourage 
young people to take an interest in government, whether it is local, 
State, or Federal. Maybe we can find another Henry Clay, or Henrietta 
Clay, as the times would dictate, in the class of high school students. 
We will begin that in January of next year when I leave the Senate.
  Harry Reid, who talked about Searchlight, NV, a very small community, 
reminds me of Yellow Creek, KY, where I came from; the little town of 
Thruston.
  Senator Kennedy, for the remarks he made on Friday, I am grateful to 
him.
  We have just listened to some words from the distinguished Senator 
from West Virginia, Robert Byrd. As he said, he was the whip when I 
came to the Senate, and he was almost a ``third Senator'' for Kentucky, 
because we had so much in common between West Virginia and Kentucky, 
particularly in eastern Kentucky.
  I thought I knew the love of this institution until I met Senator 
Robert Byrd and understood his love for this institution. I thought I 
understood ``to defend and support the Constitution'' of these United 
States until I met Robert C. Byrd and saw his tenacious support of the 
Constitution and how sometimes he would stand alone in his defense of 
it. So the years with Senator Robert Byrd have been very meaningful to 
me. We need people such as him to give us the legislative history not 
only of our beginning and prior to that but so that we understand why 
we are here and how we work.
  Mr. President, I may have formal remarks later on in this session 
before we leave, but I could not let this time pass without thanking my 
friends for their kind words and hope that somehow I may be able to 
develop and encourage young people to come and be a future Robert C. 
Byrd or a Tom Daschle or a Harry Reid or a Ted Kennedy.
  I thank all of them for their kind words, and particularly the people 
of my State who have been so kind to me in the years we have worked 
together for its betterment. Maybe I ought to apologize to some of my 
colleagues for being so tenacious at times in trying to serve the 
people in my State, whom I love so much. A lot of them I love I have 
never seen or met, but the relationship is still there. As we go 
through this trying time as it relates to support for the farmer in my 
State, I probably have been more tenacious than I have ever been 
because it is the largest political problem I have had since I have 
been in politics some 35 years.
  Mr. President, I thank you for the opportunity to speak. There being 
no

[[Page S1970]]

Senator wishing to be recognized, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair thanks the senior Senator from 
Kentucky, the longest serving Senator from the great State of Kentucky, 
and joins in the admiration of those who spoke of him.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, today marks another milestone in the 
extraordinarily successful tenure of my friend and colleague from 
Kentucky, Wendell Ford. He becomes the longest serving Senator in 
Kentucky history. I remember well when Senator Ford got his start; I 
was in law school at the University of Kentucky. I remember reading a 
story about a State Senate primary in Owensboro, KY, in which the 
Senate majority leader of the Kentucky State Senate was upset in the 
primary by an impressive young man named Wendell Ford, who had been 
involved in politics some time and had been in fact national president 
of the Jaycees.
  Then in my senior year in law school, I remember this young State 
senator, who obviously didn't want to stay in the State senate too 
long, running for Lieutenant Governor and defeating the attorney 
general of Kentucky in that primary.
  Then that November, an unusual thing happened in Kentucky--they 
elected a Republican Governor. It has not happened since. It is a 
fairly rare occurrence in our State. But State Senator Wendell Ford was 
elected Lieutenant Governor, so he beat one of those rare Republican 
tides in our State.
  Then, as if that were not enough, 4 years later everybody in Kentucky 
thought that former Gov. Bert Combs, who subsequently had a 
distinguished career as a U.S. court of appeals judge, was a lead pipe 
cinch to be the next Governor of Kentucky and at the very least to win 
the Democratic primary. But Lt. Gov. Wendell Ford defeated, against 
everybody's expectations, former Governor Combs in the primary, and the 
rest is, as they say, history.
  He came to the Senate, beating a Republican incumbent in 1974, and is 
into the final days of his fourth term. He has served Kentucky long and 
well, having had an extraordinarily successful public career. I join 
with all of my colleagues in congratulating him for his not only 
lengthy service but his excellent service on behalf of the Commonwealth 
of Kentucky and the people of the United States.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  Mr. FORD. Will the Senator withhold?
  Mr. McCONNELL. I withhold.
  Mr. FORD. Mr. President, it is hard to take all these kind words that 
are being said about me, and I think I will notify my grandchildren to 
listen in. But I do thank my colleague for a bit of history as it 
relates to my political career. His is somewhat akin to mine. When he 
ran for office, he was not expected to win, and he did. So I think we 
can relate to those periods in our lives and our political tenure. I do 
thank him for his kind words today, and I look forward to working with 
him to accomplish things for our Commonwealth and this country in the 
next few months we will serve together. I am grateful to him.
  I thank the Chair. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kentucky.

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