[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 146 (Wednesday, October 14, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H10896-H10901]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO THE HON. THOMAS J. MANTON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 7, 1997, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) is recognized 
for 45 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, being the senior member of the New York 
delegation is a great privilege, but one of the problems you have is 
that you have a responsibility to lead the tribute to say good-bye to 
so many New Yorkers who have served the delegation, the Congress, and 
the country so well. Of course, tonight is one of those nights where 
one of Congress' greatest Members, the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Thomas Manton), has decided after 14 years that he will be going into 
the private sector.
  I think the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tom Manton) is the perfect 
type of New Yorker. He was born in New York, the son of an Irish 
immigrant family. He went to school in the city of New York and became 
an attorney. He also was a New York City policeman, and served in my 
own community in central Harlem, where he was walking the beats of 
Harlem while I was serving as a desk clerk in the Hotel Teresa. We both 
were going to law school at the time.
  He then went into public office, having served 15 years as a member 
of the New York City Council, and finally came some 14 years ago to 
join us in the Congress.

                              {time}  1745

  Tom Manton serves on the Committee on Commerce, which is one of the 
most important committees in the Congress, but also one of the most 
important committees for the City of New York dealing with finance, 
energy environment, health, and a variety of other things that have 
been so important to our citizens of this city and of the State.
  In addition to that, he is one of the most powerful political 
figures. Even though he walks with a soft step and has a velvet glove, 
he did not epitomize what most people think would be the Democratic 
county leader. More, he has been pictured as one who has built bridges, 
made friendships, and as he has done it in the city and in our State, 
he has also done it in our national conventions and certainly here in 
the United States Congress.
  As we all look forward to peace throughout the world, and especially 
in Ireland, Tom Manton will know as a part of his legacy that he spent 
a lot of time in trying to reach a peace accord in the land of his 
forebearers.
  And so, Tom, it is with heavy heart that we are going to miss your 
friendship, your camaraderie, we are going to miss your strong support 
and your leadership that you have given us that serve on other 
committees, alerting us that matters were coming to the full committee 
or coming to the floor and working with the House leadership, both 
Republican and Democrat, to do the best for our country, our Congress, 
and the great City of New York.
  We are going to miss you, but fortunately you are not leaving our 
city. We look forward to working with you and your family. And your 
loved ones should know that we say thanks for a job that has been well 
done.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Ackerman) 
who took this time out for the delegation.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. Madam Speaker, let me thank the distinguished gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Charlie Rangel), Dean of the New York delegation, 
``Mr. New York,'' for bringing us together today. We share today, I 
think in the waning hours of the 105th Congress, another chapter in the 
American dream.
  A generation ago, Madam Speaker, Irish immigrants came here to these 
shores looking for a better way of life as young people seeking 
opportunity, as troubles brewed in their homeland of Ireland. One 
person was Peggy and the other one, Tom Manton. Tom came here, became a 
skilled laborer, married Peggy, got a job, and worked here in the 
capital of the free world. He was a tradesman, a plasterer, and he 
worked on the very buildings that we work and make our speeches in 
today.
  Little did Tom Manton from Ireland know at that time as he was 
applying his trade in these hallowed halls that one day his son would 
grow up to be a Member of the United States House of Representatives 
and work in the very building that he helped to build, in the land that 
with his hands he helped to build as well.
  Young Tom, when he was born, went to school in Queens, after being 
born in Manhattan. That was a wise choice, he came to Queens. He went 
to St. Joseph's Prep Elementary School. He went to St. John's Prep 
after that, and then he put himself through St. John's University and 
got a college degree. At the tender age of 19, still a teenager, he 
joined the Marine Corps and put in 3 years in the service, serving this 
Nation in Korea.
  After that, he became a New York City policeman, a tough job. We call 
them ``New York's Finest,'' and Tom epitomizes that. He certainly is 
one of New York's finest in every way and every aspect. As the Dean 
mentioned, he served a tour of duty while on the force on the job, as 
they say, on the beat in central Harlem, working with the people there.
  While he worked as a policeman in the City of New York, he put 
themselves through law school getting a degree from St. John's 
University during the night, a difficult thing to do while holding down 
a full-time job in the day.
  It was shortly after that that he ran for public office and was 
elected to the New York City Council and became the chairman of the 
powerful Housing Committee and served the citizens of our great city in 
that capacity for some 15 years with great distinction.
  Tom has always been a team player, but when it came time to being 
able to stand up for what he believed in, he was willing to step 
forward and rock the boat. He took on the establishment when it was 
necessary. He ran for the United States Congress and the rest, as we 
say, is history.
  He has been our good colleague now for 14 years. How time flies. For 
14 years, he served with us in the House of Representatives, serving 
originally on the Committee on Banking and Financial Services, serving 
on what was then House Administration, Merchant Marine Committee, and 
the Committee on Commerce, handling such matters as trade and 
telecommunications and securities and consumer protection, working 
hard.
  Here in a place, Madam Speaker, known as a stable for show horses, 
Tom proved to be a workhorse. Recognized by all of us as a Member's 
Member, doing the day-to-day work that was necessary to make this place 
run, to make it easier for other Members to be able to do their jobs. 
Doing many jobs that many other Members of Congress would ordinarily 
shun.
  In addition to that, he quickly assumed responsibilities as the 
cochair of the Congressional Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs, a 
cause, very, very dear to his heart, trying to argue the cause and work 
for peace with justice in the land of his ancestors. His work, along 
with that of many others, with his leadership, has begun to finally 
bear fruit. For that, I know that his dad, Tom, and mom, Peggy, who I 
know are looking down upon him today, would be very, very proud.

[[Page H10897]]

  It is hard for some of our Members to understand, because of his 
always friendly smile and congenial personality and attitude, working 
to build bridges with Members of both parties across both sides of the 
aisle, is that kind of a person. Yet at the same time, back home, I 
have to assure my colleagues he is a very partisan political player 
within the Democratic Party, fighting for the values that we all 
believe in on our side.
  A great leader, becoming the county leader of our Democratic Party 
for at least 12 years, taking the helm of our party in Queens County at 
a time when it previously had been racked with scandal and had many 
problems. He straightened out that county organization making it one of 
the proudest, cleanest, preeminent county parties in the State of New 
York. Always a person who is fair. Always a person we could count on. 
Always a person to step up to the plate and exert great leadership.
  Madam Speaker, I say this with a great deal of reverence and respect: 
We are losing in this Congress somebody who is one of the last of the 
old school Irish politicians from New York. He is a guy who will look 
you in the eye, give you his word, shake your hand and, you could count 
on the fact that he has been true and faithful to his word. His word is 
his bond, and we do not see a lot of that in politics too often these 
days.
  These are the days of ``blown-dry hair'' politicians, elbowing each 
other for time in front of the cameras, seeking publicity. Tom 
represents none of that. He is from the old school. He does the work 
quietly, behind the scenes, not looking to advance himself in other's 
eyes, but knowing that he is going to be doing the right thing.
  We are going to miss him down here in the Congress of the United 
States. It is going to be my privilege and pleasure, when I return back 
for weekends to my district which includes the County of Queens, to 
know that Tom is the county leader. After putting in all of these 
years, 14 in the Congress and 15 on the City Council, and a term in the 
Marines and all of that, he returns to private life after giving of 
himself, returning to his family that so graciously has shared him with 
us. To his wife Diane, to his children Catherine and Tom Junior and 
John and Jeanne, and all the grandchildren here and yet to come.
  We have been privileged to serve with the likes of Tom Manton in this 
Congress, Madam Speaker. He is a breed hard to find, a breath of fresh 
air reflecting the best of politics and the best that this system has 
to offer. I am happy to consider him my dear friend.
  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Bronx 
County, New York (Mr. Engel).
  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Rangel) for yielding to me. The gentleman from New York (Mr. Ackerman) 
really said it all. It is difficult to add anything, so I am just going 
to repeat some things. Because when we talk about Tom Manton, all the 
good qualities that we would like to have in an elected official really 
come out. Honesty, integrity, hard working. That is really what Tom 
Manton is all about.
  When I first came to Congress 10 years ago, and Tom had already been 
here for 4 years, he came and extended his hand and offered me any help 
that I would need. And that is why in the 10 years that I have been 
here, Tom Manton has been one of my best friends, because I always know 
that if there is something I need, I can go to Tom Manton, whether it 
is advice or a personal favor or anything else. He make its very, very 
easy.
  One thing about friends, we want friends to be approachable. We want 
to be able to come to our friends and be honest and know that we are 
going to get that same honesty back in return. That is what you have 
with Tom Manton.
  It has been a privilege to serve with him on the Committee on 
Commerce, and on that committee he is the ranking member of the 
Subcommittee on Finance Hazardous Material and has done a very 
wonderful job there as well. We are fighting for the good not only of 
New York, but for the good of the country. And it has been a pleasure 
to serve with Tom on the Committee on Commerce.
  When redistricting came in 1992, Tom saw his district change, as we 
all did. Part of his district, for the very first time, came to the 
Bronx where I was born and bred and have my district. Tom and I right 
now have adjourning districts, back to back, and we share a number of 
communities in the Bronx. And even though he is Queens' famous son, the 
Bronx has taken him as a son as well and we have worked very well 
together.
  The beauty of this country has been so many different groups have 
come to the shores, different immigrants, and we know that in New York 
where so many different groups have come together, the ethnic diversity 
of New York has been the treasure of New York. Those of us who have 
been born in New York and growing up in New York City share that 
diversity and share the culture of all the different ethnic groups, 
whether it is the culture or the food or just the family and the 
friendship, that is what we do.
  Tom has been very much a part of that culture. As was mentioned 
before, he has been a leader in the fight for peace and justice in the 
North of Ireland as one of the founders and the chairman for many years 
of the Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs. But he has always stood for 
right and against injustice all over the world, whether it was fighting 
injustice in South Africa, or whether it was fighting for the right of 
Israel to live in peace, or whether it was fighting for peace and 
freedom all over the world. Tom Manton has already been there.

                              {time}  1800

  It has been mentioned before, when Tom gives you his word, you can go 
to the bank with it. That is what we really want to see in our elected 
officials and in our friends.
  The fight for working people, one of the things that many of us who 
have grown up, again, in New York and across the country, Tom's father, 
with his blue-collar roots and my father with his blue-collar roots, 
Tom and I would often talk about the fight for working people, the 
fight for men and women in this country to ensure that workers have 
dignity and have the rights. That is why Tom has always been supported 
by working people and has always had a very, very high rating in terms 
of labor and in fighting for the rights of working people.
  So it was with a bit of sadness, Madam Speaker, when Tom announced 
that he was going to retire. But one of the joys that we have is, he 
may be retiring from the United States Congress but, as was mentioned 
before, he will be active in New York City politics as the chairman of 
the Queens County Democratic Party.
  So even though my district does not go into Queens, I am delighted 
that we will continue to work together for the betterment of the 
Democratic Party in New York, for the betterment of the people of the 
city of New York and the State of New York, and for the betterment of 
the people of the United States of America.
  Tom, we are really going to miss you. You are a great guy, a great 
Member. It has been an honor to be a colleague. It has been an honor to 
be your friend. I know that we are going to continue to work closely 
together in the coming years. God bless you. You are the type of 
elected official, you set the standard to which we all aspire. Thank 
you for your friendship and thank you for just being you.
  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Albany, New 
York (Mr. McNulty).
  Mr. McNULTY. Madam Speaker, I thank the dean of the New York 
delegation for yielding to me. I am delighted to join with the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) and the other members of the New 
York delegation today in saluting my dear friend, Tom Manton.
  I want to take the few moments available to me to talk about the 
subject of gratitude. I am a grateful man today because 10 years ago, 
when I first sought election to the United States Congress, the man 
from Queens, Tom Manton, reached to upstate New York and he helped me. 
He helped me to win that election.
  And after that election was over and before I even came to Washington 
for freshman orientation, he called me and invited me to come to his 
district office in New York City where we spent the day together. And 
he gave me tremendous advice and counsel on what I was about to face as 
a Member of the

[[Page H10898]]

United States House of Representatives. And I shall never forget that.
  When I did arrive in Washington and wanted to serve on a couple of 
special committees, he helped me do that as well. That kind of support 
and assistance has gone on for the past 10 years. I have not been the 
only recipient, but on my own behalf today, I want to thank my good 
friend, Tom Manton, for all that he has done for me over the period of 
the past 10 years.
  Charlie and my friends, it got better than that. During one of my 
reelection campaigns, the folks in the capital district and the Irish 
American community decided to get together and have an event in support 
of my reelection. And simultaneous with the planning of that, Tom 
Manton came up to me on the floor of the House one day and said, is 
there anything I can do to help you in your reelection campaign? I 
said, well, the Irish American community is having this event and maybe 
it might be possible for you to come up to Albany and appear at that 
event with me. He immediately said yes.
  And he did that. And he came up and we had a great big party up in 
Albany, and he spoke on my behalf. And then, Dean Rangel, what he did 
was, he sang on my behalf. And I am here today to report back to the 
New York delegation and the entire country that despite the fact that 
Tom Manton sang in my behalf, I still won that election.
  I am so grateful to have Tom Manton as a friend. I speak for many, 
many people who do not have access to a microphone like this today to 
speak to all New Yorkers and to the rest of the country.
  Tom, what I simply want to say to you today is, you have rendered 
outstanding service over a very long period of time to your community 
and your country, and I am deeply grateful that you have allowed me to 
be among your many friends.
  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from 
Westchester County, New York (Mrs. Lowey), and Queens and the Bronx.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, actually, those boundaries are pretty 
important in the last couple of years. Because of those boundaries, as 
a result of redistricting, I have gotten to work even more closely with 
our good friend, Tom Manton.
  I wanted to rise today, Madam Speaker, in tribute to our friend and 
our distinguished colleague, Thomas Manton. Actually, I have known Tom 
since the early 1960s. As some of you may know, my district does run 
from Westchester through the Bronx to Queens, but we both raised our 
children in Queens. And when I lived in Queens raising my children, I 
guess it is about 40 years ago, a while ago, Tom and I were both 
raising our children and we got to know each other in Queens politics. 
And Tom is an example of what is good and right in politics today.
  Tom understands that government and politics is the way to make life 
better for people, make life better for families in our communities. He 
has been very involved in politics and government in Queens County and, 
in fact, the entire State for a long, long time.
  We can all learn a lot from Tom because, as my colleagues have said, 
and I think that is probably one of the core traits of Tom, is that he 
is the kind of person you can trust. His word is his bond. He has 
absolute integrity. He is a man you can count on to tell the whole 
story, not part of the story.
  He is a man who stands up and tells it like it is and we can respect 
that. We need more people like that in this body and in politics and 
government today.
  As a member of the New York delegation, I have developed a great 
relationship with Tom and, more importantly, a warm friendship. In 
fact, my respect for Tom, my admiration for Tom, has only grown 
throughout the years.
  First, it was local politics, and then when I was elected in 1988 I 
had the privilege of working with Tom as a member of the delegation.
  I am sad to see Tom leave this body but I know that he will be happy 
and successful in whatever he does. Tom Manton was born in 1932, of 
Irish immigrant parents on the west side of Manhattan, having grown up 
in Astoria. He is a product of the area he was elected to serve.
  After attending both St. John's University as an undergraduate, and 
St. Johns's Law School, which are both in my district, Tom served as a 
flight navigator in the United States Marine Corps and then joined the 
New York City Police Department.

  Tom has, as I mentioned before, a long and distinguished record of 
leadership in the Democratic Party of New York State. He began as a 
member of the executive committee in 1972, and in 1986 he was elected 
chairman of the executive committee of the Queens County Democratic 
Organization. In 1988, Tom was unanimously reelected county chairman 
and has served continuously in that capacity since then.
  During his tenure in Congress, Tom has been active on a number of 
environmental issues. He has used his seat on the Committee on Commerce 
to fight for much needed improvements in the Superfund program in order 
to accelerate the cleanup of toxic waste sites. As chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Fisheries Management, during the 103rd Congress, he 
also took a lead in improving conservation of our Nation's fisheries 
resources.
  Perhaps Tom's greatest legacy, as my colleagues have mentioned, will 
be his tireless and effective work regarding Northern Ireland. I am 
pleased to be a member of the Congressional Ad Hoc Committee on Irish 
Affairs, and Tom has been and continues to be a great cochairman.
  The committee was founded in 1977, to bring about peace, justice and 
an end to all violence and discrimination in Northern Ireland, and as 
the leader of this committee, Tom Manton has held hearings, introduced 
legislation, written letters in support of the rights of the Irish. The 
committee crosses over partisan and geographic lines to advocate and 
represent the interests of the Irish American community and to ensure a 
friendly and productive relationship between America and the people of 
Northern Ireland.
  Efforts such as this and the great leadership of our colleague Tom 
Manton paved the way for the historic Good Friday Peace Agreement. When 
deportation proceedings were tearing apart the Irish American community 
in my district, Tom Manton was there to fight to keep these families 
together. His commitment to the peace process is unquestioned, and as 
the people of Northern Ireland struggle through perhaps this most vital 
and important time, you can be assured that Tom Manton, even after 
leaving this body, will continue to lead this effort and standing with 
them.
  Tom has doggedly represented his constituents for 14 years. The 
people of the 7th District of New York and Congress will be losing a 
wonderful representative, but I can assure you that Congressman Tom 
Manton will continue to stand up for what is right.
  I am very pleased that my district is right near where Tom currently 
resides, and I know we will continue to be good friends. I look forward 
to spending time with Tom and Diane, and I wish you both good luck. God 
bless. I have been privileged to be your friend. I am proud to be your 
colleague and I look forward to continuing to work with you to stand up 
for what is right and just. Thank you, Tom.
  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York 
City (Mrs. Maloney).
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I thank the dean of the New 
York delegation, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), for yielding 
me this time and being here with us as we all pay tribute to our dear 
friend and outstanding colleague, Tom Manton.
  It is always very good to have neighbors you can rely on. Tom Manton 
is my neighbor. He literally lives in my congressional district. It has 
been a pleasure working with him and sharing the New York Queens 
Borough with him. I know how the New York Police Department must have 
felt when officer, Police Officer Manton, left the force.
  We will truly miss this law enforcer, turned law maker on the front 
lines of this House of Representatives. The residents of Queens are now 
feeling the same loss as the entire New York delegation feels this 
loss.
  Tom Manton has made clear through his years of public service, first 
as a police officer and later as a fellow member of the New York City 
Council, his commitment to mankind. He has made, many contributions in 
his work for the residents of New York City on the New York City 
Council Housing Committee,

[[Page H10899]]

and I worked with Tom on that committee. He was chairman of that 
committee. I had to work hard many years to even get on that committee.
  Madam Speaker, I can remember when Tom was elected to Congress. He 
came in late to a city council meeting and we sat there and waited 
about an hour or two for him to come in. He had been up all night and 
he came in and chaired his last meeting as chairman of the Housing 
Committee.
  Tom is also a leader and is chair of the Ad Hoc Committee for 
Ireland. He was grand marshal for the St. Patrick's Day Parade, and he 
told me that his mother was not particularly impressed when he became a 
Member of Congress but when he was grand marshal on St. Patrick's Day, 
that was really, really important to her.
  Tom and I had the good fortune of traveling to Northern Ireland and 
Ireland with President Clinton. I had the great opportunity of meeting 
his family, his aunts, his sisters, his extended family that still 
lived in Ireland, and Tom was really a leader in working with President 
Clinton for the Good Friday agreement and very recently working in a 
bipartisan way with the gentleman from New York Congressman (Mr. Walsh) 
in increasing the number of peace visas for the Irish to come here to 
New York.
  Tom is also, and has been for many years, the county chair of the 
great County of Queens. He has been recognized as the most outstanding 
county chair really, I believe, in New York City. He was the first 
county chair in the borough to endorse President Clinton.
  I personally think that he would make an outstanding State chair of 
New York State and bring the same balanced leadership and commitment 
and understanding and time that he gives to all of the problems of New 
York City and to this delegation daily in helping us work through our 
problems.
  He is a great friend. He has been a rock on which to lean. He has 
helped me and other Members of this delegation on so many issues that 
we work on.
  I remember also he is a very personal and wonderful friend. I 
remember being in his office one day, and he looked around the office, 
and he said, my father, when he came to this country, he worked on the 
House office buildings. He helped modernize them. He was tremendously 
proud that the building that he helped modernize and helped restore was 
the office that his son later took as a Member of Congress.
  He told me, on the day that his father was here when he was sworn in 
to this great body, that his father left the celebration and just 
walked around the buildings trying to find the exact spots that he had 
worked on many years ago and was deeply moved that his son later was 
elected to this body.
  Tom will leave many marks of achievement here in Washington, and he 
will be remembered for a long time to come. While we will miss him here 
in Washington and in New York, I admire his decision to pursue his 
personal dreams.
  So I wish you well, Thomas. All your constituents and friends do. I 
am sure that your goodwill and dedication will follow you as you enter 
this new world. Best of luck to you. Our friendship is always with you. 
Thank you for all that you have done for New York City, New York State, 
the great Borough of Queens and all your many friends and supporters.
  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Bronx, New 
York (Mr. Serrano), home of the New York Yankees.
  Mr. SERRANO. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for 
mentioning the greatest team on Earth. In fact, there is no score 
between those other two teams that are just playing today for a chance 
to get beaten by the Yankees next week.
  Tom, I was wondering as I was watching these proceedings on TV if the 
folks who visit us here and the folks who watch on TV fully understand 
what goes on when we do one of these, when we come together as a 
delegation, when we come together as colleagues to say farewell from 
this body to a Member such as you.
  I think what is important to note is that we take very seriously what 
we do, and this job brings a lot of joy with it, a lot of 
accomplishment, and then it brings some difficult moments. It is those 
difficult moments, I think, that bring people together and friendships 
and relationships that last a lifetime.
  So what we do today in saying all of these things about you is to do 
that which human beings never get a chance to do on a regular basis to 
say, and we should, to say you are a great guy, you are a great human 
being, you are a stand-up person, but mostly you have been a good 
friend and a good colleague. I wanted to take some time to tell you 
what you mean to me.
  Two years ago, 1990, they were going to redraw districts, as my 
colleagues know, and they did. There was a possibility that they would 
put my district into Queens, into East Harlem, and Manhattan along with 
the Bronx. I stayed in the Bronx. I did not for one moment get nervous 
about the possibility of having Queens in my district, first of all, 
because I would get Shea Stadium, and then you would have a problem to 
tell me what team I am rooting for, but because I would have you as my 
county leader.
  But I think what the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) just 
said about you becoming a great State chairman, we are not knocking 
anybody who is there now, but I think it is something you should think 
about, because I think you have everything that it takes to be the 
chairman of the State party.
  What are we talking about? We are talking about your ability to be 
fair. We are talking about your ability to be friendly. We are talking 
about your ability to understand the county you represent, the district 
you represent, the city you are in, and the Nation we are living in, 
and trying to deal with every one in a fair way.
  But most importantly, we are talking about this ability you have to 
never look on the surface like you are upset at anyone. I know you have 
been upset, at least slightly, at all of us at least once, but you do 
not show it.
  We know of your work. We know of the work you have done on behalf of 
Northern Ireland. We know the work you have done on behalf of many 
issues here. We know what a strong party man you are and what a loyal 
Member of this delegation and loyal Member of the Democratic Caucus. 
But all of our colleagues have spoken about that, and everything we put 
in the Record will indicate that.
  I wanted today just to tell you what a great human being you are and 
how much I know you have played a role in some of the things that have 
happened to me.
  When I decided that I wanted to be on the Committee on 
Appropriations, my delegation was good enough to support me. But that 
was step one. Two gentlemen here, the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Manton) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) played a major 
role in it.
  They kept in touch with me on a daily basis telling me how they were 
going to maneuver my ascension to that committee. It is not an easy 
thing to do. After all, I had been here a couple of years, and I wanted 
to move on to a big committee. But you felt it was important to do it 
for the delegation, for my neighborhoods, and for myself. I am not 
going to forget that ever.
  I am also not going to forget the way in which you just deal with 
each one of us on a daily basis. As our colleagues know, you could 
always be found in that corner over there to the right. Well, to 
somebody's left, but probably to most people's rights.
  You always know what is going on in New York city politics, what is 
going on on the floor, what is happening nationally, and you just talk 
to people and make them feel good.
  When this is all done, when this is all over for us, what do we have? 
A couple of laws that carry our name, one reporter who may curse us out 
or say something nice about it, our family trips while we were Members 
of Congress.
  I think what we will remember the most is those people that we met 
here, that we dealt with, that we keep a relationship with, as we will, 
because we are from the same part of town.
  That is what is important today, the fact that, no matter how long I 
am here, I shall remember that my beginnings were strengthened because 
it was Tom Manton who was willing to support me and to be a friend.

  So I can tell you honestly, as I know all my colleagues can, because 
I know

[[Page H10900]]

how they feel about you, that you are measured by the friends you have. 
You are measured by the respect people have for you. I assure you, you 
will have friends and respect like very few people do.
  I just wanted to simply come and join my colleagues to tell you how 
special you are to me. If I may drive the young lady to my left crazy, 
let me just say that we have a phrase in Spanish that I use every so 
often on the floor, and it is one that sticks to a few people. It 
says--(Mr. Serrano spoke in Spanish). Tell me who you walk with, and I 
will tell you who you are.
  Well, this delegation walks with you, and therefore we are you. We do 
pretty well when we stay close to you. The best to you. I know you will 
probably make $10 million on the outside, but you will probably become 
State chairman and do not make $1.50 after that.
  You will be at Shea Stadium. We will welcome you at Yankee Stadium. 
You will be with your family. You will enjoy your life. We will miss 
you. We will miss you, my friend. I am just so glad I had an 
opportunity in my life to serve with you. Thank you.
  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Brooklyn, 
New York (Mr. Towns), who knows how important it is to have a friend as 
county leader.
  Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I think the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Rangel) and of course to all the Members of our delegation here.
  This is a real tribute to a very fine individual, 1 that I have had 
the opportunity to serve with for 14 years. Of course, Tom and I serve 
on the same committee.
  Tom is a real stabilizing force. He has a flare for saying the right 
thing at the right time. I remembered some meetings when they get 
pretty heated. In the Committee on Commerce, there is always a lot of 
negotiating and that we sit there.
  Of course Tom does not speak early, early. He will let it sort of 
heat things up; and when things get really heated, then Tom will come 
with his common voice and say, well, have you thought about this? Of 
course, sometimes we do not get it right away; but then, all of a 
sudden, just before we give up, then Tom will come back again with a 
thought or an idea, and that idea will carry the day.
  Tom, you have just been a tremendous person on that committee. A lot 
of things that we were able to accomplish we would not have been able 
to accomplish if it had not been for that common voice of Tom Manton.
  Tom Manton is one negotiator. If Tom Manton cannot negotiate it, 
forget about it. It is something that cannot be done. Tom knows how to 
talk in the back room. He knows how to operate.
  He is not a guy that gets on the floor every day and make a lot of 
noise on the floor and bang and talk about what should happen and all 
that. But Tom is always there sitting very focused and negotiating on 
what is in the best interest for his district, what is in the best 
interest for the State, what is in the best interest for this Nation. 
Tom is always there doing that.
  I think the other thing that Tom has, he has the ability to sort of 
listen to whatever is being said and then, of course, sort of pick out 
really the key kind of factors, because then, based on that, then you 
can determine what tomorrow is going to do. We watch him. Then all of a 
sudden, he will make a vote.
  Occasionally I will ask him why did you vote this way. He will give 
us history. That was the thing that I was very shocked, because I did 
not see Tom in terms of the kind of guy that would sit back and sort of 
talk about what happened many, many years ago and, as a result, that is 
why he is now behaving this way.
  I want my colleagues to know, the other part that I think that is 
very, very important is that Tom is truly a leader, because sometimes 
we have people that are leading, and nobody is following. That is just 
somebody taking a walk. But Tom Manton shows real leadership, and 
people follow him. People listen to him. People want to know in terms 
of what he is going to do and what he is going to say.
  Tom, I would just like to sort of associate myself with those who are 
saying that they would like to see you become the next New York State 
Chair. I do not want to get involved in that. I do not want to talk 
about it too much.
  But I will tell you this, Tom, that if there is anything that I could 
do, I mean, of course whatever it is, I would definitely be there on 
behalf of you in terms of making certain that that happened, because I 
know that New York State and this Nation would be much better off as a 
result of Tom Manton providing that kind of leadership. He has done it 
on the local level. I am certain that he could do it on the State 
level. Of course he will do it again on the national level as he has 
done it as a Member of the United States Congress.
  On the Committee on Commerce, Tom, let me close by saying we are 
going to miss you. We are going to miss you in terms of the fact that I 
am sort of wondering now who is going to calm us down, who is going to 
be the guy that has the flare to say the right word to sort of settle 
things down. I do not know who is going to do it.
  I think the gentleman from New York (Mr. Manton) has been here around 
long enough that he sort of trained some of us here from our 
delegation, and I am hoping that we will be able to use those skills 
that he has given us to be able to sort of calm things down, to be able 
to continue to get things for Queens, of course, and of course Brooklyn 
and New York State, and of course to be able to do the kind of things 
that this Nation needs done, and we need it done very effectively.
  Tom, you have done a magnificent job here in the 14 years that you 
have been here. We are going to miss you, Tom, but I am so happy to 
know that you are not leaving politics, that you are going to go back 
to New York, and you are going to be involved in the political arena as 
well.
  So we look forward to working with you there in that capacity where 
you can continue to calm folks down. Thank you so much. You need to 
come to Brooklyn and calm Brooklyn down.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is my sad duty to rise to pay tribute to 
an outstanding colleague and a dear friend who regrettably has decided 
to depart this body after a fourteen year record of outstanding public 
service to his Congressional District and to our nation.
  Tom Manton first came to Congress unexpectedly 14 years ago. I say 
``unexpectedly'' because no one had anticipated only a few months 
earlier that his own Member of Congress, our former colleague and my 
former constituent, Ms. Ferraro, would be nominated for the Vice 
Presidency. However, when Ms. Ferraro stepped into the national 
spotlight, Tom was more than ready to take her place in this chamber, 
having already accumulated 14 years experience on the New York City 
Council, and a successful career as a practicing attorney.
  In the House, Tom gained recognition not only for his dedication to 
diligent work but also for his concern regarding those issues of deep 
concern to him. As a fellow co-chair of the House Ad Hoc Committee on 
Irish Affairs, I became familiar first hand with Tom's deep concern for 
the cause of justice and peace in the north of Ireland, and his 
commitment to human rights. Tom is one of those individuals who grasps 
instinctively that any threat to the human rights to any people 
anywhere is a threat to the human rights of all of us.
  On our House Commerce Committee, Tom has served with distinction, and 
his position as Ranking Minority Member on the Subcommittee on Finance 
and Hazardous Materials has been of great benefit to all of us in the 
State of New York, where the transport and disposal of hazardous wastes 
is a deep concern.
  We extend to Tom our best wishes for good health, happiness and 
success in all of his future endeavors, and we remind Tom and his 
lovely wife, Diane, that they will always have a home away from home 
here at the Capitol. Tom Manton's accomplishments will long be 
remembered.
  Mr. BLILEY. Mr. Speaker, I will truly miss Representative Tom Manton 
of New York. He is an honorable and friendly person.
  He is also my kind of Democrat.
  We worked together on the financial reform bill, my satellite 
privatization act, securities litigation reform and many other issues.
  He leaves Congress having built a record of accomplishment and a long 
list of friends on both sides of the aisle.
  I am happy to be one of his friends.
  We did some traveling together when Democrats controlled Congress. I 
will always remember our side trip to the holy shrine of Medjagoria. 
Since Tom and I share the same religious faith, that was an important 
event we will always remember.
  The son of Irish immigrants, a former policeman, a good politician 
and a friend--I will miss Tom Manton.

[[Page H10901]]

  I wish him and his family all the best in the years ahead.
  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Manton), our honoree and our friend, who is not leaving New York 
but leaving the Congress.
  Mr. MANTON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Rangel) very much, a great dean of our New York delegation, and all of 
my colleagues who are here tonight joining in this tribute.
  Some mention was made of my mother and father being Irish immigrants 
who came from the west of Ireland from small farms. They did not know 
each other in Ireland. But they came to the great city of New York from 
the quiet country life of their respected farms, and they met in New 
York City where they married and raised a family.
  The reason I am here is because we live in a republic which 
recognizes that people can advance themselves. My father was always one 
who said you must get an education.

                              {time}  1830

  My father had a third-grade education. My mother was much more 
educated. She had eight grades of education. She came to the loud and 
boisterous and busy city of New York with the cacophony of all these 
sounds and taxis and trucks and people and I always wondered how they 
survived those early years.
  I was blessed in being able to have a number of jobs before coming to 
this great body. Some mention was made of my service in the United 
States Marine Corps, it was 2 years of active duty, some 5 years in the 
New York City Police Department, 15 years in the New York City Council, 
and now 14 years in this great body. Where else can you walk through 
the hallways of this Capitol and know that they were traversed by other 
people who were Members of the House of Representatives: John F. 
Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Abraham Lincoln, James Madison, and there are 
others, John Tyler, James Polk, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and 
others that I will not mention. So it shows that in the United States 
of America, people from modest backgrounds under our great system of 
laws can get an education and prosper in this great nation that we know 
as the United States of America. Yes, I have had an affinity for the 
problems in my parents' ancestral land, in Ireland. I was very pleased 
to serve as the cochair on the committee which we know as the Ad Hoc 
Committee on Irish Affairs, and the fact that we had the peace 
agreement of Good Friday makes my service and I think the service of 
all of those who were involved in that process in bringing President 
Clinton into it, having him invest a lot of political capital, sending 
an envoy, Senator Mitchell, to Ireland and generally working with the 
leadership in Northern Ireland of both traditions to see that we had 
this agreement. It makes me happy, and I know the people that have 
worked in this body happy as well.
  I have had the opportunity to, as was mentioned, go to law school and 
practice, I practiced law for some 20 years before coming to this great 
body, and I am going to return to that profession. I loved it a lot, I 
have missed it in the last couple of years and decided that I am going 
to take another try at it.
  My colleagues, I thank you very much for bringing on this special 
order tonight. It is with a certain amount of bittersweetness that I am 
leaving this body but I am not, as you have suggested, leaving 
politics, too. I am going to continue as long as they will have me as 
chairman of the great Queens County Democratic organization. It is an 
organization that stands for the principles of the Democratic Party 
that we all love and admire. With a certain amount of sadness, I bid 
you good-bye for a short while. I will be around. Please do not forget 
me. When you come to Queens, you are always welcome. Some of you may 
end up in Queens with the reapportionment of 2002, and we will be 
awaiting your good suggestions on how these lines should be drawn and 
whatever input we can make into that.
  I say good-bye, God bless you, and thanks for everything. It has been 
a great honor.

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