[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 126 (Monday, September 21, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10646-S10647]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO SENATOR MURIEL HUMPHREY BROWN

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, Muriel Humphrey Brown was an outstanding 
woman, and all of us who knew her and had the opportunity to serve with 
her in the Senate mourn her loss today. The people of Minnesota have 
lost one of their finest public servants, and this country has lost one 
of its finest crusaders.
  Muriel was an outstanding campaigner for her husband, Hubert 
Humphrey, who was a great Senator himself, and a great Vice President 
too. Together, they made a extraordinary team. She was the soft-spoken, 
gentle, guiding force behind Hubert's mayoral, Senatorial, Vice 
Presidential and Presidential campaigns. In fact, Muriel changed the 
rules of Presidential campaigning by becoming one of the first wives to 
speak out by herself on the Presidential campaign trail. Muriel's 
eloquence and wisdom could still be heard in recent days, as she 
celebrated the victory of her son, Skip, in the primary last week in 
his campaign to became the next Governor of Minnesota.
  Muriel was an eloquent activist in her own right. She became the 
twelfth woman to serve in the U.S. Senate, when she was appointed in 
1978 to complete the unexpired term of her husband. During her service 
in the Senate that year, Muriel's courage, wisdom, and ability enabled 
her to carry on the high ideals and important social programs of her 
husband.
  She was an able leader on issues important to women, and her vigorous 
support for legislation to extend the deadline for States to ratify the 
equal rights amendment was a major step

[[Page S10647]]

forward for women's rights throughout the Nation.
  As a member of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, Muriel 
introduced civil service reform amendments to protect employees who 
provided information on illegal Government activities and 
mismanagement. Her proposals became the foundation for the well-known 
``whistleblower'' protections that employees have today.
  Muriel also actively supported the passage of the Comprehensive 
Rehabilitation Amendments in 1978, which provided a wide range of new 
services for the handicapped and the retarded. Prior to her service in 
the Senate, she became a leading crusader for the disabled.
  She had served on a committee for mental retardation during the 
administration of President Johnson, and she encouraged many reforms to 
improve mental health and care for the mentally ill.
  And above all else, Muriel Humphrey was deeply committed to the 
enactment of the Humphrey-Hawkins full employment bill. Its goal was to 
do more to reduce unemployment in communities across the country, and 
the enactment of this legislation was a major accomplishment for Muriel 
and the entire Nation.
  In every respect, Muriel was a wonderful wife, mother, Senator and 
leader. She served the American people for 34 years as the wife of our 
distinguished colleague, Hubert Humphrey, and also in her own right as 
a highly respected Member of the Senate. She had a remarkable grasp of 
the issues and a genuine interest in helping others. She earned the 
respect and admiration of all of us who had the privilege to serve with 
her, and her spirit and courage and determination will be long 
remembered by the American people.
  My thoughts and prayers are with the Humphrey family. America has 
lost a unique leader, and the Kennedy family has lost a wonderful 
friend.

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