[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 143 (Sunday, October 11, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2054]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        IN RECOGNITION OF THE HONORABLE D. FRENCH SLAUGHTER, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 9, 1998

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, Virginians were saddened to learn of the 
recent death of the Honorable D. French Slaughter, Jr. Our colleagues 
may recall that he represented the 7th District of Virginia, areas of 
which are now part of the 10th District, which I represent.
  We don't have many heroes today, sadly, but French Slaughter was a 
true American hero. He fought in World War II, was wounded and 
decorated. When his country needed him, he went.
  He was also a true Virginia gentleman. He served in the General 
Assembly for 20 years. He was the father of the community college 
system in Virginia. Mr. Slaughter and I worked together in Congress to 
help save a number of historic Civil War battlefields. We also worked 
together to help the Virginia Inland Port in Front Royal, Virginia.
  Mr. Slaughter was a dedicated public servant. I was proud to call him 
my friend and to serve in Congress with him. We send our deepest 
sympathies to his family.
  I would submit for the Record the obituary notice from the October 4, 
Washington Post.

        D.F. Slaughter Dies at Age 73; Congressman From Virginia

                            (By Martin Weil)

       Daniel French Slaughter Jr., who was elected to Congress 
     four times as a Republican from Virginia's 7th District, 
     which includes parts of the Washington suburbs, died Oct. 2 
     in a nursing home in Charlottesville. The 73-year-old lawyer, 
     a Culpeper resident, had Alzheimer's disease.
       Mr. Slaughter was elected to Congress in 1984 and announced 
     in 1991 that he was resigning after a series of mild strokes.
       The district he represented stretched from Manassas 
     southeast to Fredericksburg and west to Charlottesville. 
     While in Congress, Mr. Slaughter was known for providing 
     residents of his district with a high level of constituent 
     service.
       During one of his congressional campaigns, a Democrat 
     criticized Mr. Slaughter for maintaining a low profile on 
     Capitol Hill. ``He does what he gets paid for,'' a state 
     Republican official said in his defense, ''and that's why 
     people like him.''
       In 1991, after his retirement was announced, another state 
     party official praised his integrity and said that he 
     ``epitomizes what is a real Virginia gentleman.''
       While in Congress, Mr. Slaughter was viewed as one of the 
     last Virginia officials who had sprung from the rural, 
     conservative political machine founded by the late senator 
     Harry F. Byrd (D).
       While serving in the General Assembly from 1958 to 1978, 
     Mr. Slaughter supported ``massive resistance,'' a policy 
     under which many Virginia localities shut down the public 
     schools rather than integrate them.
       Mr. Slaughter said later that he could not think of 
     specific votes that he would change if he had the chance. He 
     added that he believed ``in equal opportunities for 
     everyone.''
       Mr. Slaughter, who generally used his first initial and was 
     known as French, was born in Culpeper. He attended Virginia 
     Military Institute before serving in the Army infantry in 
     World War II, and receiving the Purple Heart.
       After the war, he graduated from the University of Virginia 
     and its law school and practiced law in Culpeper.
       While in the General Assembly, he was regarded as a key 
     proponent of the state's community college system.
       In Congress, he served on the Judiciary, Small Business, 
     and Science, Space and Technology committees. He emphasized 
     issues of significance to the elderly, particularly health 
     care. A Health Care Safety Account bill he introduced would 
     have allowed tax credits for people older than 65 who set up 
     special savings accounts to pay health care expenses.
       In 1990, he boycotted a speech given to a joint 
     congressional session by Nelson Mandela, now South Africa's 
     president. He said he believed that Mandela refused to rule 
     out violence in the struggle against apartheid.
       Survivors include a son, D. French Slaughter III, of 
     Charlottesville; a daughter, Kathleen Slaughter Smith, of 
     Gilbert, Ariz.; a brother, Johnson Slaughter, of Houston; and 
     nine grandchildren.

     

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