[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 114 (Thursday, August 5, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1797]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       A TRIBUTE TO GEORGE BROWN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 5, 1999

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I take the 
floor today to bid farewell to a giant in California governance and 
politics.
  George Brown was the epitome of a great public servant. Elected as a 
spirited anti-war crusader, he never lost his bearings. Although he 
mellowed with time, he never strayed far from his Quaker roots and his 
strong principles.
  In a recent campaign, George's opponent ran a series of ads called 
``Guilty as Charged,'' that accused him of being out of touch--a common 
theme of challengers. George was not out of touch, but in a very 
different context, he was indeed ``guilty as charged.''
  George was guilty as charged for tireless work on behalf of those 
less privileged, against discrimination based on race, sexual 
orientation or gender; for better education, for the nation's working 
men and women, for children, for the environment, and always--against 
weapons of mass destruction, for arms control and for peace.
  He will always be remembered as a man of principle, unafraid to stand 
alone, impervious to pressure. In 1966, George cast the sole vote in 
the House of Representatives against the Defense Appropriations Bill--
his act of defiance against the Vietnam War.
  From his time as Mayor of Monterey Park to the California Assembly, 
to Congress where he served as Chairman and then Ranking Member of the 
Science Committee, he always held his office in spite of ferocious 
opposition--simply because he paid close attention to his constituents 
and won the undying loyalty of a tight, but determined majority. They 
loved him and they wanted him to represent them.
  Gruff, crusty and colorful, no one could turn a phrase just like 
George. If he disagreed with a proposal, it ``bordered on lunacy.'' He 
loved the thought that he had become a virtual legend in his own time.
  We hope that his family will be comforted by his legacy and by 
knowing that he was one of a kind and a shining example of integrity 
and principle. George Brown is simply irreplaceable in this House of 
Representatives.

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