[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 118 (Wednesday, September 9, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H7464-H7465]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              EDGAR C. CAMPBELL, SR. POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3939) to designate the United States Postal Service building 
located at 658 63rd Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the ``Edgar 
C. Campbell, Sr., Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 3939

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

     SECTION 1. EDGAR C. CAMPBELL, SR., POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The United States Postal Service building 
     located at 658 63rd Street, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Edgar C. Campbell, 
     Sr., Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     building referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Edgar C. Campbell, Sr., Post Office 
     Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Sessions) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions).
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3939 was introduced by our distinguished colleague 
and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Postal Service, the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah). The legislation was introduced on May 
21, 1998, and enjoys the cosponsorship of the entire House delegation 
from Pennsylvania pursuant to the policy of the Committee on Government 
Reform and Oversight.
  H.R. 3939 designates the building of the United States Postal Service 
located at 658 63rd Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, be known as 
the

[[Page H7465]]

``Edgar C. Campbell, Sr., Post Office Building''.
  Mr. Campbell senior was elected to five terms of city-wide office, 
including Councilman-at-Large and Clerk of the Quarter Sessions Court.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues to support this legislation, which 
is to honor Mr. Edgar C. Campbell, Sr.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, 
obviously in support of H.R. 3939, a bill that I have authored and does 
indeed have the full support of the entire Pennsylvania delegation.
  On many occasions we do this to honor the people that we are naming 
the buildings after, and in so many respects Edgar C. Campbell, Sr., 
honored us by his willingness to work and dedicate his life to public 
service. I knew him well personally. He taught me some of the more 
painful lessons of local politics, beating me in some of my earlier 
efforts at public office.
  He was known as the ``Dean of Black Politics'' in Philadelphia, but 
also had a hand in most all of the politics of our local city in 
Philadelphia. He was someone who served both on the city council and as 
clerk of the court. He served as what we call the ward leader, that is, 
the local political leader of the 4th Ward executive committee, which 
is the ward I was raised in and came of age in politically.
  Edgar C. Campbell, Sr.'s legacy continues through the great work of 
his daughter, who is now the ward leader there and head of a group of 
ward leaders, and also the leader of our local party, the leader of one 
of the head offices of our local Democratic party organization.
  So I just want to have the House understand the tremendous 
contributions of this person, who was a gentleman, but also had a way 
to make sure that everyone understood that he had a sense about 
politics and he understood how to make it work to the benefit of the 
people who were his neighbors, who entrusted him with the 
responsibility of serving in public office.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  I did not know that Mr. Edgar C. Campbell, Sr., was a mentor of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), but I must state that he must 
have been a gentleman who taught well, because he has always not only 
been a gentleman but fought vigorously for all those things he believes 
in.
  Mr. Speaker, it is an honor for us to name this post office in his 
honor, and it is great that the gentleman has brought this forth, and 
we appreciate that.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 3939.
  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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