[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 41 (Thursday, April 2, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3109-S3111]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               ELOQUENT TRIBUTES TO SENATOR ABE RIBICOFF

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, earlier this year, the Senate lost one of 
our ablest, most respected, and most beloved former colleagues, Senator 
Abraham A. Ribicoff of Connecticut.
  Senator Ribicoff served his constituents and his country with 
extraordinary distinction over a career that spanned more than four 
decades. His interests ranged far and wide, and his achievements were 
legion in both domestic and foreign policy. He led the effort to 
establish the Departments of Education and Energy. He was a consistent 
and eloquent advocate for civil rights, and an opponent of bigotry in 
all its forms. He was a brilliant leader in advancing the cause of 
peace in the Middle East. In these and many other ways, he was a giant 
for the people of Connecticut and the nation.
  For my family, Senator Ribicoff was far more than the distinguished 
leader of a neighboring state. He was a loyal friend and trusted 
adviser, and one of President Kennedy's closest and most loyal friends.
  My brother had immense respect for him. They had served together in 
the House of Representatives in the 1940's and early 1950's. After 
Congressman Ribicoff went on to become Governor of Connecticut, and my 
brother was elected to the Senate, they continued their close ties.
  At the Democratic Convention in 1956, Abe encouraged Jack to run for 
Vice President. Four years later, Abe was one of my brother's strongest 
supporters in his 1960 campaign for the White House.
  When Jack became President in 1961, he chose Governor Ribicoff to 
join his Cabinet as Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, and he 
did an outstanding job. But in many ways, he was a legislator at heart. 
He was elected to the Senate in 1962, the same year I was elected, and 
we served together for 18 beautiful years until he retired in 1980. In 
a sense, I inherited Abe from Jack, and our friendship was all the 
stronger because of that.
  At Senator Ribicoff's funeral, our colleague Senator Dodd and U.S. 
Circuit Judge Jon O. Newman delivered eloquent eulogies that captured 
the essence of Abe's remarkable public life. I ask unanimous consent 
that these moving tributes be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the tributes were ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                 Eulogy for Senator Abraham A. Ribicoff

                    (By Senator Christopher J. Dodd)

  The sadness of losing our friend Abraham Ribicoff is reflected in the 
faces gathered here today. Whether you called him Governor, Senator, or 
simply Abe, as the people of Connecticut did for more than four 
decades, he was truly in a class by himself. We are thus gathered to 
honor the memory of an outstanding American.
  Abe Ribicoff believed fervently that the highest calling one can have 
in American life is public service.
  He is the only person in our Nation's history to have served as a 
state legislator, a municipal judge, a United States Representative, a 
Governor, a Cabinet Secretary, and a United States Senator.
  As many of you recall--Abe had a gift of giving speeches short and to 
the point. He had to. It took so long to introduce him properly.
  But to appreciate Abraham Ribicoff, it is important to understand 
that he did more than occupy an impressive collection of public 
offices. What distinguished Abe Ribicoff from his peers, both past and 
present, is not the number of offices he held, but the manner in which 
he held them.
  In Abe Ribicoff's politics, there was no place for meanness, no place 
for personal attacks. Abe understood the importance of public opinion. 
But he never relied on polls to shape his political decisions.
  Abe was guided in his life's work by integrity, candor, high 
principle, and a deeply-held belief in the goodness and decency of 
Americans.
  I remember his 80th birthday celebration. It was a wonderful evening, 
Casey. He spent a good deal of his remarks reminiscing. Not about his 
work on the great issues of his day, nor the times he spent with Prime 
Ministers and Presidents. Abe Ribicoff spoke at length that evening 
about John Moran Bailey, the legendary Democratic party chairman from 
Connecticut. In John Bailey, Abe recognized a master of the political 
craft.
  Now, why do I mention this? Because to have a true understanding of 
the man, Abe Ribicoff, you must begin with this fact: Abe loved 
politics. At his core, Abe Ribicoff was a first class politician: a 
quality shared by all great political leaders.
  And Abe had uncanny political instincts. Abe could size up a 
situation, or spot a shift in opinion, on just the slightest whiff of 
information.
  Yet his gift was not to just understand swings in public mood, but to 
anticipate them, and then shape those swings for the public good.
  He was always several steps ahead of the average politician, but 
never out of step with the American people.
  Allow me to illustrate what I mean.
  In 1954, Abe won his first race for Governor by less than one 
percentage point. Then he went out and told the Connecticut State 
Police to arrest people who exceeded the speed limit. There are 
probably people here who can attest to the vigor and extent of that 
effort. His allies said the public would never support him.
  Abe thought differently. As one historian said, Abe had ``an unerring 
instinct for the right move at the right time in the complicated game 
of politics.''
  His get-tough policy saved lives, and it was extremely popular with 
the people of Connecticut.
  One of the defining moments in Abe's public life took place in 1968 
at the Democratic National Convention.
  Here was a man--a first-term Senator, not unaware that he was 
confronting the National leadership of his party--willing to stand and 
make a public plea for civility.
  In doing so, he appealed to what is best about our Nation and 
ourselves--our capacity for tolerance and understanding, our belief 
that, in a truly civilized society, we live by the rule of law, not the 
rule of force.
  In that moment, America learned what his family, his friends, and the 
people of Connecticut had long known--Abe Ribicoff was a National gift.
  On another occasion during Abe's tenure in the Senate, Mississippi 
Senator John Stennis introduced a resolution calling for northern and 
southern schools to be integrated at the same speed. The resolution was 
seen as pure symbolism designed to embarrass northern liberals.
  Abe Ribicoff confounded everyone. He supported Stennis. ``The 
North'', Abe said, ``is guilty of monumental hypocrisy.'' Thanks 
largely to him, the resolution passed. And thanks to Abe Ribicoff, the 
Senate went back to work debating civil rights, not symbols.

[[Page S3110]]

  Time and time again during his Senate years, Abe demonstrated his 
considerable political skills and his remarkable sense of timing. His 
Senate colleagues--regardless of political party--and Presidents--
irrespective of political persuasion--looked to Abe Ribicoff for 
leadership.
  He created the Departments of Energy and Education. He took the Tokyo 
Round trade legislation through the Senate, advancing the global trade 
that today strengthens prosperity in our country and so many others.
  Abe Ribicoff met with Anwar Sadat and saw in him a man seriously 
interested in peace--and Abe had the strength to say so, controversial 
as that was.
  Abe urged the newly elected President, Jimmy Carter, to make peace in 
the Middle East a priority, and he stood with him in that battle.
  Abe Ribicoff also believed deeply that America is a land of 
opportunity and equal justice. He abhorred discrimination in all its 
forms. He knew it in his own life.
  During his campaign for Governor in 1954, an ugly whispering campaign 
questioned whether Connecticut was ready for a Jewish Governor. Abe 
Ribicoff threw aside his notes and answered from the heart:

       In this great country of ours, anybody, even a poor kid 
     from immigrant parents in New Britain, [can] achieve any 
     office . . ., or any position in private or public life, 
     irrespective of race, color, creed, or religion.

  The voters of Connecticut answered by electing Abe Ribicoff their 
Governor.
  In 1956, a young Senator from Massachusetts was mentioned as a 
possible vice-presidential candidate. Ironically, many Catholics 
questioned whether America was ready for an Irish Catholic after what 
had happened to Al Smith less than three decades earlier.
  Abe Ribicoff, speaking to the Irish Catholic leadership of the 
Democratic party, took exception:
  ``I never thought'', he said, ``I'd see the day when a man of the 
Jewish faith had to plead before a group of Irish Catholics about 
allowing another Irish Catholic to be nominated for the position'' of 
Vice-President.
  In 1976, similar questions were raised about whether a born-again 
Baptist could serve as President of the United States. Without a 
moment's hesitation, this Connecticut yankee answered: judge the man, 
judge his ideas. But do not judge his personal faith.
  Abraham Ribicoff, this son of Polish Jewish immigrants, lived most of 
his professional life at the highest, most auspicious levels. He knew 
his share of Governors, Senators, Presidents, Prime Ministers and 
Kings.
  But he also knew the hardship of growing up poor among the factories 
and mills of New Britain, Connecticut.
  Perhaps those experiences help explain why even as he rose to the 
highest levels of American public life, he never forgot about those 
whom he served. He understood that the power of government, the laws of 
the land, mean nothing if not harnessed to help ordinary citizens 
surmount everyday obstacles as well as attain their noblest 
aspirations.
  It's hard to step away from politics. Most politicians don't do it 
very well. Abe surprised everyone in 1979 when he said he would not run 
for another term. As he said so often: ``there is a time to come, and a 
time to go.''
  Abe Ribicoff's impeccable sense of timing was at work again. I 
remember how proud I was that day in 1980 when he placed my name in 
nomination for his seat in the United States Senate. Even though he was 
leaving politics, he offered his assistance.
  I suggested we spend an early morning shaking hands with commuters 
headed for New York. I'll never forget what he said: ``Chris, if I were 
willing to stand in the cold dawn shaking hands on a train platform in 
Stamford, I'd run again myself.''
  I consider myself very fortunate to have succeeded Abe in the United 
States Senate, and to have been able to call on him many times for 
advice and guidance. No one of my generation could have had a better 
political mentor or friend.
  I have spoken of Abraham Ribicoff as a public servant. He was also a 
husband, a father, and a very proud grandfather. To you, Casey, and the 
family I convey--on behalf of Abe's colleagues in the United States 
Senate and the people of Connecticut--our deepest sorrow.
  Allow me to close with an appropriate reading from Hebrew text.

     Even a long life ends too soon,
     But a good name endures forever.
     Blessed is he whose noble deeds remain his memorial
     After his life on earth is ended.
                                  ____


                 Eulogy for Senator Abraham A. Ribicoff

                 (By U.S. Circuit Judge Jon O. Newman)

       Casey, Jane and Steve, Peter and Mercedes, Peter and Robin, 
     and all the family; Governor Roland, Governor O'Neill, 
     Senators and Members of Congress; and the many friends of Abe 
     Ribicoff.
       We are mourning the death yet celebrating the life of one 
     of the most remarkable public figures of our time. The 
     specifics of his career are well known to all of you. Who 
     else in American public life has served as state legislator, 
     state court judge, U.S. Congressman, Governor, cabinet 
     secretary, and three-term U.S. Senator?
       But the offices held do not convey the substance of the 
     man. Time does not permit a full chronicling of his 
     achievements nor would such a litany adequately reveal what 
     was most important about the public service of Abe Ribicoff--
     it was the way he went about the task of translating 
     representative government into action. He did not measure 
     public opinion to see what course was safe. He relied on his 
     instincts, his mind, his heart, and ultimately his conscience 
     to guide him toward leadership roles on the vital issues that 
     confronted his state, his nation, and the world.
       He was in the forefront of those issues, often identifying 
     them long before they became politically attractive. In 
     Connecticut, his issues were fiscal responsibility, court 
     reform, education, and highway safety. On the national scene, 
     he was a leader in the battles for federal aid to education 
     before that concept became a fact of American life; for 
     Medicare, when that program was just a distant proposal; for 
     welfare reform long before it was understood that welfare 
     needed reforming; and for a host of programs to aid children, 
     medical research, and environmental protection.
       Abe Ribicoff believed in civil rights and played a key role 
     in crafting the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964, skillfully 
     bridging the political chasm that separated legislators in 
     the North and the South.
       Years later, he led the efforts to create the Department of 
     Education and the Department of Energy.
       He was a major figure on the international scene. His 
     issues ranged from free trade to nuclear non-proliferation to 
     strategic arms control. Perhaps his major foreign policy role 
     concerned the Middle East peace effort that culminated in the 
     Camp David Accord. At a time when skeptics doubted the 
     possibility of any progress on that front and politicians 
     feared the risks of trying, he broached the matter 
     forcefully, yet tactfully, to the leadership of Israel and 
     Egypt and to then-President-elect Carter. It was Abe Ribicoff 
     who privately suggested to Anwar Sadat that he make his 
     historic visit to Jerusalem.
       Abe Ribicoff was that essential figure in the life of a 
     vibrant democracy--a link between the citizens who gave him 
     their votes and their trust, and the seats of governmental 
     power where he made the system work for the public interest. 
     He won votes but he did not pander. He exercised governmental 
     power but he did not abuse it. He respected people and 
     institutions, and he brought out the best in both.
       And always he conducted himself with dignity, and a keen 
     sense of who he was and where he came from. He was at east 
     with presidents and kings, with corporate leaders in Hartford 
     and shipyard workers in New London.
       He was a complex man--at times serious and reserved, at 
     times relaxed and full of cheer; tough when necessary, then 
     warm, sensitive and caring; a man admitted from afar who won 
     devotion from those who knew him well.
       It seemed to me that there was a wonderful blend of 
     characteristics in this uncommon man--always the urbane 
     sophistication yet on occasion just a trace of innocence that 
     never left the son of immigrant parents whose climb to the 
     top began in a tenement on Star Street in New Britain.
       Connecticut was always in his heart. He loved the State, 
     its cities and towns, its villages and countryside, and 
     especially his beloved Cornwall.
       Throughout his career, he enjoyed the loyalty and 
     dedication of his staff members, and he always encouraged 
     their advancement to careers on their own. I can assure you 
     that when Abe Ribicoff was in your corner, your changes to 
     success were immeasurably improved. He sponsored my entire 
     public and judicial career, and he was my closest friend in 
     public life.
       In an era of widespread cynicism about the political and 
     governmental systems of our Nation, Abe Ribicoff lived the 
     sort of public life that represented the best in the American 
     democracy. He did so because he believed in that democracy.
       On the night he needed his campaign for governor in 1954, 
     this is what he said to the people of Connecticut:
       ``When I was a boy growing up in New Britain, Connecticut, 
     as a young boy I would walk to the outskirts of the town 
     through the fields, heavy with the smell of summer

[[Page S3111]]

     growth, and I would lie under a tree and I would dream. Yes, 
     I dreamed the American Dream. And what was the American 
     Dream?
       ``Frankly, at that time, I never dreamed that some day I 
     would be a nominee for governor. I knew this great country 
     because I had studied its history, and loved it. I knew that 
     in this great country, any boy or girl could dream the dreams 
     that could send them vaulting to the sky, no matter high. I 
     knew that in America generations after generations, no matter 
     how humble, could rise to any position in the United States 
     of America, whether it be in private industry, in business, 
     in the professions, or in government.
       ``Now, it is not important whether I win or lose--that is 
     not important tonight at all. The important thing, ladies and 
     gentleman, is that Abe Ribicoff is not here to repudiate the 
     American Dream. Abe Ribicoff believes in that American dream 
     and I know that the American dream can come true. I believe 
     it from the bottom of my heart, and your sons and daughters, 
     too, can have the American dream come true.''
       Abe Ribicoff helped make democracy work, and he served 
     throughout his extraordinary career as he lived and as he 
     died--with decent instincts, with integrity, and with 
     dignity. He loved his family, his God, his state, and his 
     country, and all of us who knew him have lasting memories of 
     a remarkable human being.

                          ____________________