[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 49 (Monday, April 12, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING THE METROHARTFORD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ON THEIR 200TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN B. LARSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 12, 1999

  Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, on April 10, 1999, the MetroHartford, CT, 
Chamber of Commerce marked its 200th anniversary. I rise today to honor 
and recognize this momentous occasion.
  On July 1, 1799, 43 community merchants and professionals gathered at 
the home of John Ripley on Main Street and signed their names to a 
document officially organizing the Hartford Chamber of Commerce. Since 
its organization, the MetroHartford Chamber of Commerce has tirelessly 
pursued the goals of civic support and economic promotion to make 
Hartford a bigger and better industrial and commercial city. For the 
last 200 years, the Chamber's traditions of business and principles of 
living have carried the greater Hartford region to the front list of 
municipalities in the country.
  For example, during the First World War, the MetroHartford Chamber of 
Commerce played a critical community support role, financing an 
evaporation plant to preserve fruits and vegetables, improving housing 
conditions for African-Americans moving from southern States to work in 
Hartford's defense industries, and providing emergency funds for the 
families of soldiers killed in action in Europe. The Chamber became one 
of the first organizations to establish a registry and canvass local 
community businesses to help find work for returning soldiers and 
disabled veterans.
  In the years following the Great Depression, the MetroHartford 
Chamber of Commerce built plants for companies, secured air mail and 
passenger service, supported the development of roads and highways, 
established a Better Business Bureau, advocated for the creation of 
trade schools, and promoted traffic safety and fire prevention 
programs. During the 1960's, the MetroHartford Chamber of Commerce 
organized antipoverty programs such as the Community Renewal Team, and 
again turned their efforts toward building and rehabilitating housing 
for community residents who otherwise could not afford it.
  Today, we stand on the dawn of the 21st century, and on the heels of 
one of the worst recessions in history the MetroHartford Chamber of 
Commerce is once again playing a critical role in the revitalization 
and economic development of the greater Hartford area. Whether it is 
working with local communities and businesses on projects such as 
Riverfront Recapture aimed at reclaiming the history, beauty, and 
community embodied along the banks of the Connecticut River, or the 
Adriaen's Landing aimed at making Hartford the showcase city of the new 
millennium, the MetroHartford Chamber of Commerce stands as a testament 
to what can be achieved by those who have faith in their community.

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