[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 111 (Monday, August 2, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H6796-H6798]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   THOMAS S. FOLEY UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE AND WALTER F. HORAN PLAZA

  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 211) to designate the Federal building and United States 
courthouse located at West 920 Riverside Avenue in Spokane, Washington, 
as the ``Thomas S. Foley Federal Building and United States 
Courthouse'', and the plaza at the south entrance of such building and 
courthouse as the ``Walter F. Horan Plaza'', as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 211

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

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF COURTHOUSE.

       (a) Designation.--The Federal building and United States 
     courthouse located at 920 West Riverside Avenue in Spokane, 
     Washington, shall be known and designated as the ``Thomas S. 
     Foley United States Courthouse''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     Federal building and United States courthouse referred to in 
     subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the 
     ``Thomas S. Foley United States Courthouse''.

     SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF PLAZA.

       (a) Designation.--The plaza located at the south entrance 
     of the Federal building and United States courthouse referred 
     to in section 1(a) shall be known and designated as the 
     ``Walter F. Horan Plaza''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     plaza referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a 
     reference to the ``Walter F. Horan Plaza''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Coble) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. 
Baird) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble).
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 211, as amended, introduced by the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Nethercutt), honors two former Members of this body, 
former Speaker Tom Foley and Congressman Walter Horan. The amendment 
simply corrects the address and properly designates the facility as a 
United States courthouse, which the building is typically referred to 
as in Spokane.
  This legislation will designate the United States courthouse and 
courthouse plaza in Spokane, Washington, as the ``Thomas S. Foley 
United States Courthouse and Walter F. Horan Plaza''. This designation 
is a most deserving one.
  Ambassador Foley served in the Congress from January 1965 until 
December 1994. As most of the Members here are well aware, Ambassador 
Foley was our 49th Speaker of the House of Representatives. Prior to 
his election as Speaker, Ambassador Foley was the majority leader, 
majority whip, chair of the Democratic Caucus and chairman of the 
Committee on Agriculture. Before being elected to the Congress, 
Ambassador Foley was special counsel to the Senate Committee on 
Interior and Insular Affairs. He also served as deputy prosecuting 
attorney in Spokane and assistant attorney general for the State of 
Washington.
  After leaving this body, former Speaker Foley continues to 
distinguish himself in public service as the United States Ambassador 
to Japan. Naming the courthouse in Ambassador Foley's hometown is a 
reminder of his dedication and hard work in public service.
  The plaza entrance to the courthouse will be designated as the 
``Walter F. Horan Plaza''. This will be a reminder to all that are 
entering the courthouse through the main plaza of the many 
accomplishments by former Congressman Horan for his eastern Washington 
district.
  If there ever was an example of the American dream, it is Walter 
Horan. He was born in a log cabin on the banks of the Wenatchee River 
in 1898. After attending the Wenatchee public schools, he was graduated 
from Washington State College in 1925. Prior to that, he entered World 
War I, serving for 2 years in the United States Navy as a gunner's mate 
third class. Upon graduation, he returned to his apple farm in 
Wenatchee, Washington where he engaged in fruit growing, packing, 
storing and shipping until he was elected to the 78th Congress in 1942. 
He went on to serve in the next 10 succeeding Congresses and rose to 
third in seniority on the Committee on Appropriations. He always gave 
close attention to agriculture and the conservation community. Former 
Congressman Horan passed away in 1966. Naming the Plaza on his behalf 
is a fitting designation.
  This is a fitting tribute, Mr. Speaker, to two former Members of this 
body. I support the bill and urge my colleagues to join in support.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. 
Also, I want to thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble) for 
introducing this bill and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) 
for bringing this bill to the floor in such a timely manner.
  I rise in strong support of H.R. 211, a bill to designate the Federal 
building and courthouse located at 920 West Riverside Avenue in 
Spokane, Washington as the Thomas S. Foley United States Courthouse, 
and the plaza located at the south entrance as the Walter F. Horan 
Plaza.
  Mr. Speaker, as a new Member from Washington State, I know that we 
come here with big shoes to fill. We had Scoop Jackson, Warren 
Magnuson, and we had Speaker of the House Tom

[[Page H6797]]

Foley. Tom Foley had an outstanding and distinguished public career and 
it is a career that continues to this day. As we all know, for 30 years 
he ably represented the Fifth Congressional District in Washington. 
During that time he served as the majority leader, the majority whip, 
chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture and was, of course, the 
49th Speaker of the House. Mr. Foley continues to serve today as our 
country's Ambassador to Japan.
  During his time in Congress, Tom Foley's top legislative priorities 
included increasing the minimum wage, revising clean air standards and 
parental leave and child care measures.
  Tom was a Washington native. He was born in Spokane in 1929. He 
attended local school, graduated from Gonzaga High School and went on 
to attend the University of Washington in Seattle. He later graduated 
from the University of Washington Law School in 1957.
  Tom Foley's legacy is lasting and his reputation for fairness, for 
dignity and for openness is a model for all Members to follow. He is 
well respected, affable and a conciliatory person. Speaker Foley served 
to help make Congress the best forum for democracy in the entire world. 
It is with great pride that I support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, as was mentioned, H.R. 211 also honors Walt F. Horan by 
designating the plaza at the south entrance to the building as the 
Walter F. Horan Plaza.
  As was mentioned earlier, Mr. Horan served his country in the House 
of Representatives for 22 years, from 1943 to 1965. He was proud of the 
fact, it was mentioned, that he was born in a log cabin on the banks of 
the Wenatchee River, truly a pioneer in our State and a pioneer in this 
legislative body. He attended local public schools. After graduating 
high school, he served in World War I as a gunner's mate third class. 
In 1925 he graduated from Washington State College in Pullman.
  Walter Horan served with dignity and diligence for over 20 years. It 
is fitting and proper to honor him with this designation.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 211.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) the chairman 
of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
  Mr. SHUSTER. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I did not have the privilege of knowing Congressman 
Horan. I support this legislation strongly. But I did have the 
privilege and do have the privilege of knowing Ambassador Foley, of 
knowing him as a colleague, of knowing him as the distinguished Speaker 
of this House, of knowing him as the chairman of the Committee on 
Agriculture, and I felt I had to be here today to express my enormous 
admiration for this distinguished American.

                              {time}  1645

  He as a Speaker, a Democratic Speaker, but a Speaker of the Whole 
House, was always very, very fair. This distinguished American treated 
those of us in the minority, when indeed Republicans in the minority, 
with fairness, with consideration. In fact, one of my Democratic 
friends some years ago when Speaker Foley was indeed in the Chair 
leaned over with a smile on his face and whispered to me, ``You know, 
one of the things, perhaps the only thing, that is wrong with Tom Foley 
is sometimes he is too bipartisan.'' Well, of course the Speaker is the 
Speaker of the Whole House, and he was fulfilling his duties and his 
obligations, and he was fulfilling them with dignity, with intelligence 
and in the best tradition of the great speakers of this august body.
  Mr. Speaker, I certainly therefore want to very strongly support this 
legislation today as a tribute particularly to Ambassador Foley, and I 
want to note that indeed it is a Republican Member of Congress, the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Nethercutt) who has been the prime mover 
of this legislation, and I think that is very fitting because I believe 
it sends the very clear message that we on this side of the aisle have 
the same respect and love and affection for Speaker Foley that our good 
friends on the other side of the aisle certainly have indicated.
  So I urge the passage of this legislation, and I trust and hope it 
will be unanimous.
  Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I have no more requests for time at this 
point, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Nethercutt), the sponsor of the bill.
  Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Coble) for the time and the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Shuster) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baird) for their 
kind remarks. I am proud to be the sponsor of this legislation along 
with the other 8 members of the Washington State congressional 
delegation to name the Federal Court House in Spokane, Washington, my 
hometown, the Thomas S. Foley United States Courthouse and the plaza in 
front of that courthouse as the Walter F. Horan Plaza.
  As the successor to Tom Foley, I came to know him very well in the 
1994 elections, and I must say, as difficult as elections can be, the 
one that occurred in 1994 in my judgment and I think in the judgment of 
many other people was one that was carried on with great dignity and 
discussion and debate of the issues and the leadership that was proper 
for the future for our Fifth Congressional District.
  I won that election with mixed emotions frankly. I felt terrible for 
my predecessor who had served for 30 very long years and dignified 
years and years filled with great service, and I felt sorry that he 
ended his service with an election like that which occurred in 1994, 
but at the same time I was pleased to be able to represent the Fifth 
Congressional District and go forward in the years ahead, wanting to 
have good representation for the entire east side of the State of 
Washington.
  So it was bitter sweet in many respects, but my respect for Mr. Foley 
certainly is not bitter sweet. It is undying, it is unyielding, it is 
constant, because I have had him as my representative before I came to 
public life for 30 years and Mr. Horan for the prior 22 years, 
virtually my entire adult life until I was elected in 1994. So I have 
known these two men and watched them represent eastern Washington and 
the State of Washington's interests with great dignity, with certainly 
unquestionable respect for the institution of Congress and respect for 
the people of eastern Washington.
  During law school I happened to serve as a law clerk in the Spokane 
County Superior Court, and my prime judge for whom I was assigned was 
William F. Williams, a very close friend of Foley who was later a 
Supreme Court Justice in our State. But I also served as a law clerk 
for Thomas S. Foley's father, Judge Ralph Foley.
  So Tom, the former Speaker, comes to this institution with a very 
distinguished background, a distinguished family. His mother and father 
were very highly recognized and respected in eastern Washington, as was 
Thomas S. Foley. He served, as was stated here, for 30 years 
representing our district as Speaker of the House, as majority leader, 
as chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, a chairmanship that was 
vitally important to eastern Washington and the agricultural community 
that exists there even to this day.
  I saw Mr. Foley in Japan earlier this spring, and in characteristic 
conduct he conducted himself and has conducted himself as a 
representative of the United States of America in Japan with great 
respect and dignity, just as he did here in this House for so many 
years.
  I just want the people of eastern Washington, the people of this 
country, to know that in designating this courthouse in the name sake 
of Tom Foley and Walt Horan we are paying tribute and respect to their 
work for all of us in eastern Washington and in our State of 
Washington, our beloved State of Washington. So it was with pleasure 
that all of the members of our delegation signed onto this bill that I 
introduced, most notably Democrats and Republicans alike who had worked 
with Mr. Foley and Mr. Horan in some respects and have enormous respect 
for those two men.
  So I thank the House for considering this bill, I urge that it be 
adopted unanimously and that the respect and dignity that is due Mr. 
Horan and Mr.

[[Page H6798]]

Foley will continue under the name sake of the Thomas S. Foley United 
States Courthouse and the Walt F. Horan Plaza.
  Mr. COBLE. I have no further requests for time, Mr. Speaker, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Miller of Florida). The question is on 
the motion offered by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble) 
that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 211, as 
amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to 
designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 
920 West Riverside Avenue in Spokane, Washington, as the `Thomas S. 
Foley United States Courthouse', and the plaza at the south entrance of 
such building and courthouse as the `Walter F. Horan Plaza'.''
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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