[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 102 (Wednesday, September 6, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H7225-H7227]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 JAMES T. BROYHILL POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4534) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 114 Ridge Street in Lenoir, North Carolina, as the 
``James T. Broyhill Post Office Building,'' as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4534

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

     SECTION 1. JAMES T. BROYHILL POST OFFICE BUILDING

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 114 Ridge Street, N.W. in Lenoir, North 
     Carolina, shall be known and designated as the ``James T. 
     Broyhill Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``James T. Broyhill Post Office 
     Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Maryland (Mrs. Morella) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella).


                             General Leave

  Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on H.R. 4534, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Maryland?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mrs. MORELLA asked and was given permission to revise and extend her 
remarks.)
  Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I want to commend the sponsor of this 
legislation, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr), for 
introducing H.R. 4534. The bill was introduced on July 19 of this year 
and is cosponsored by each member of the House delegation from the 
State of North Carolina.
  This legislation, as amended, will designate the facility of the 
United States Postal Service located at 114 Ridge Street, Northwest, in 
Lenoir, North Carolina, as the James T. Broyhill Post Office Building.
  James Thomas Broyhill was born in Lenoir, North Carolina, in 1927. He 
attended public schools and graduated from the University of North 
Carolina in 1950 with a BS degree in business administration. Later, he 
was elected to the 88th Congress and served until January 3, 1986.
  Mr. Broyhill was elected to the House of Representatives to represent 
the 10th District of North Carolina in 1962 and was reelected to 11 
succeeding Congresses. During this period, he served as the ranking 
member on the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Mr. Broyhill resigned 
his House seat in July 1986 when he was appointed to the United States 
Senate to fill the unexpired term of Senator James East of North 
Carolina who died unexpectedly.
  Senator Broyhill was respected by both Houses on both sides of the 
aisle as a level-headed and open-minded legislator.
  Madam Speaker, I commend our colleague, the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Burr), for sponsorship of this legislation. I urge 
support of H.R. 4534 by all of our colleagues.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 4534, which names a post office after James T. 
Broyhill, was introduced by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
Burr) on May 24, 2000.
  James T. Broyhill was born in Lenoir, North Carolina in 1927. He 
graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1950. 
He served as vice president of Broyhill Furniture Industries and was a 
member of the Lenoir Chamber of Commerce where he served as president 
for 2 years.
  In 1962, James Broyhill was elected to the United States House of 
Representatives where he served until 1986. He was the ranking member 
of the House Energy and Committee on Commerce for a number of years.
  Upon the death of Senator John East, Congressman Broyhill was 
appointed to the United States Senate by the governor. He subsequently 
lost in his election bid for the Senate seat and was appointed to serve 
as the chairman of the North Carolina Economic Development Board. He is 
currently retired and living in Winston Salem, North Carolina. I urge 
the swift adoption of this measure.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Burr), the author of this legislation.
  (Mr. BURR of North Carolina asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURR of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman 
from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) for yielding the time to me.
  Madam Speaker, it is indeed an honor to be here today to ask my 
colleagues to support H.R. 4534, which was cosponsored by every member 
of the North Carolina delegation.

[[Page H7226]]

  Jim Broyhill, along with his entire family, has always had a sincere 
dedication to serving the community and helping wherever there was a 
need. His parents instilled in him the importance of giving of oneself 
and time to help make a better place for all to live. It was because of 
this desire that in 1962 Jim Broyhill first ran for the United States 
Congress in the old eighth district of North Carolina.
  There is a story that is told on Jim; it is still told today about 
that first campaign. Old timers in Alexander County remember the first 
speech that Jim Broyhill gave as a candidate. They said it was one of 
the worst speeches they ever heard a political candidate ever give, but 
thank goodness Jim Broyhill got better as that campaign went on.
  In time, he rose to the position of ranking member of the Committee 
on Commerce; and with this, his influence grew and his reputation for 
honesty, for hard work grew with that. Jim Broyhill was a workhorse 
when serving in the Congress, and while he may not have been seen on 
the Sunday talk shows, everyone in Washington knew the value of what he 
was doing.
  In 1985, Jim announced he would run for the United States Senate; but 
before he could, Senator East died and he was appointed to that 
position.

                              {time}  1500

  For the remainder of the year after losing that Senate race, Jim 
could have gone into retirement, but he did not do it. He continued to 
serve and was appointed in 1987 as the chairman of North Carolina 
Economic Development Board, the chief advisory board for the North 
Carolina Department of Commerce. From this post, he assisted the 
State's efforts to recruit new business and expand existing industries 
in North Carolina.
  Then in 1989, at the request of Governor Martin, Jim took on the 
full-time responsibility of serving as the Secretary of the Department 
of Commerce, a position he held until 1991. It should be noted that in 
the years in which he was affiliated with the Department of Commerce, 
they saw some of the greatest gains in economic expansion in North 
Carolina's history.
  In 1991, Jim finally did enter retirement; and it is fortunate for 
Winston-Salem that he chose to be there, with his wife, Louise Robbins 
Broyhill, who is one of the most gracious ladies and has always been 
supportive of Jim's ventures. They are the parents of three children 
and several grandchildren.
  I commend Jim today, because Jim Broyhill is a true example of what a 
public servant should be, a man more concerned with doing his duty and 
serving his country than with personal gain. He has built a reputation 
of dedication and devotion to his State, his country, and, even in 
retirement, Jim Broyhill finds time to work with the local food bank 
and the other organizations where he gives his time and his expertise.
  Jim Broyhill never went in for negative campaigning. That is the type 
of individual Jim Broyhill was, a very optimistic person.
  Jim Broyhill's years of service deserve some form of recognition, and 
the naming of a post office in his hometown is a small way in which we 
can honor the work that he has already done before us.
  I urge my colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 4534, to rename the 
Lenoir Post Office as the ``James T. Broyhill Post Office Building.''
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, in listening to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
Burr), and I want to thank him for sponsoring the legislation, but he 
talked about Mr. Broyhill not engaging in negative campaigning. I think 
it was Mother Teresa who said something so profound, she said always be 
for something, not against things.
  I think that that says a lot for him. He was for himself and for 
making sure that his community was well represented and well served, 
and is still doing it. So I think it is quite appropriate that we take 
this action today, and again I want to thank the gentleman.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble).
  Mr. COBLE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Maryland and 
the gentleman from Maryland for having brought this bill to the floor.
  Madam Speaker, about 25 years ago I had the pleasure of visiting my 
uncle on his Watauga County farm in the shadow of the Tennessee border. 
It was late April, and there was a nip in the air, because summertime 
comes late in the Blue Ridge.
  He and I were walking across the cow pasture, and I said to him, 
``Have you seen Jim Broyhill lately?'' He instinctively opened the 
pocket of his overalls and removed a rumpled, worn letter and proudly 
extended it to me. It was a letter from Jim Broyhill addressed the 
previous Christmas, 4 months earlier, to him and his wife, to my uncle 
and his wife, wishing them a happy Christmas. I bet he had shown that 
letter to 125 people, and he proudly put it back into his overall 
pocket when I returned it to him.
  That testimony, that rumpled letter, testified to me how Jim 
Broyhill's constituents felt about him. He was revered by all who knew 
him, because, Madam Speaker, he, unlike some elected officials, was not 
a stealth representative. He did not all of a sudden become accessible 
5 weeks before the next election. He was consistently accessible, 
consistently providing outstanding constituency service. He is a good 
man, and was an exceptional Member of Congress.
  Madam Speaker, I say to the gentlewoman from Maryland and the 
gentleman from Maryland, when I next drive through Lenoir on my way to 
the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, I will feel just a little better 
as I drive through that little mountain town, knowing that its Post 
Office bears the name of Jim Broyhill, an outstanding American, an 
outstanding public servant. I know that my colleagues in the House, 
here in the people's House, join me in extending our best wishes to Jim 
and Louise Broyhill and their family.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North 
Carolina for his very heartfelt comments.
  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Ballenger).
  Mr. BALLENGER. Madam Speaker, I would like, first of all, to thank 
the gentlewoman from Maryland for yielding me time, and also thank the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr) for allowing me to be one of 
the cosponsors to bring this bill to the floor to name a post office 
after Jim Broyhill.
  Jim and I have been friends for years. He was in Congress, from 1962 
to 1986, and during those times he was sometimes unopposed. I can 
remember one time, because he was so strong in the Republican Party, 
when things got bad, we needed somebody to run against Jim Broyhill so 
that he would campaign. I do not say I did this, but I was accused of 
it, in fact he was unopposed until about 3 weeks before the election, 
and some strange, kind of a, I want to say some sort of a nut from 
Western North Carolina, filed against him. Jim Broyhill called me up on 
the telephone and said, ``Cass, you paid that guy to run against me.''
  I would like to tell Jim right here and now I did not do that, but I 
thought it was a wonderful idea for whoever did do it.
  Another thing about Jim Broyhill, it was his unbelievable memory of 
people. I have campaigned with him many times, and he would walk up to 
what I would consider a complete stranger and say, ``Madam, how is your 
husband after his operation?'' First of all, he knew her name, and, 
second of all, there was an operation, and, third, two years before is 
when this all happened. Yet he remembered all these things.
  He was the most exceptional politician I ever saw in the fact that he 
was close to the people and they knew it, and he did a wonderful job.
  Madam Speaker, everybody said how he was a ranking member on the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the present ranking member, a 
Democrat, we will not mention names, has said to me many times that he 
was probably the most reasonable Republican he ever saw to work with. 
That was Jim's way of doing things. He was just a person more dedicated 
to getting something done than playing politics.
  As one might gather, I have a special reason to honor Jim Broyhill, 
for it was Jim's appointment to the Senate

[[Page H7227]]

which first allowed me to run for Congress representing the people of 
the 10th District of North Carolina. Many of you may know Jim Broyhill 
for his distinguished record of public service. He is a great friend of 
mine and has helped me in every election since 1986.
  Let me just say, Western North Carolina has been greatly rewarded by 
both Jim and his family.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from North Carolina, (Mr.  Jones).
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman 
for yielding me time, and also the ranking member.
  Madam Speaker, I bring a little different perspective, because my 
father, who is deceased, served in the United States Congress from 1966 
to 1992, and he had the pleasure of serving with Jim Broyhill. At the 
time, I was a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, a 
Democrat at that time, and my father and I would talk on the weekends, 
and many times those conversations would deal with his colleagues in 
Washington, both the delegation, both Republicans and Democrats.
  The reason I wanted to come to the floor was because my father told 
me, he said there was not a finer Member of Congress than Jim Broyhill, 
because he was a man of quality and a man of integrity.
  So I think the fact that my friend, the gentleman from North Carolina 
(Mr. Burr), has offered H.R. 4534 and the committee has brought it to 
the floor is a special day, not only for Jim Broyhill and his family, 
but also the citizens of North Carolina, because I think too many 
times, as the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr) said in his 
comments, too many times the people do not realize there are more 
workhorses in the U.S. Congress than show horses, and that is probably 
the way it needs to be, because we are doing, as the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Coble) said, the people's business.
  I just wanted to come to the floor to say to Jim Broyhill, Senator 
Broyhill, and his wife and his children and their grandchildren, that 
this is not only a great day for you, but it is a great day for North 
Carolina, because you have been and still are one of the finest 
citizens, you and your family, and America is a better place because 
you served in the United States House and the United States Senate.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, it certainly is appropriate that we honor Senator 
Broyhill. The comments that have been made today I am certain will go a 
long ways towards letting us know why Senator Broyhill meant so much to 
the great State of North Carolina, to this country and to the world. So 
we take this moment, Madam Speaker, this moment in time, to salute him 
by naming this post office after him.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 4534.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the gentleman 
from North Carolina's resolution honoring James T. Broyhill, a good 
friend and honorable man with whom I had the privilege of serving in 
this body for almost twenty-three years. Moreover, I was pleased to 
have had the opportunity to work with Jim Broyhill in his capacity as 
Ranking Member of the House Commerce Committee while I was Chairman.
  As a Member of the House and Senate, Jim Broyhill was a dedicated and 
tireless public servant. He capably and honorably represented his 
constituents and they rewarded him time and time again with their 
continual support for him as their representative.
  Jim Broyhill was also a good friend and true gentleman. I can think 
of no more honorable man in this institution and his contributions as 
Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee were of the highest quality.
  Jim Broyhill was a workhorse, not a show horse. He did not seek the 
spotlight, but worked vigorously to ensure that the committee passed 
effective legislation for the good of this country.
  Jim Broyhill was well respected by both constituents and colleagues 
for his integrity, kindness and ability to get things done. Renaming 
the Lenoir Post Office in honor Jim Broyhill is a proper tribute to a 
good man and public servant who did much for his state and country.
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to 
support H.R. 4534, a bill to designate a facility of the United States 
Postal Service as the James T. Broyhill Post Office Building. This 
legislation, which was cosponsored by every Member of the North 
Carolina Delegation, is a fitting tribute to one of our state's model 
public servants.
  Jim Broyhill was born on August 19, 1927, in Lenoir, North Carolina 
to the late J.E. and Sadie Hunt Broyhill and is a graduate of 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His parents taught him the 
value of service and devotion to his community that has guided him 
throughout his career in public service. That career began in 1962, in 
the old 8th Congressional District of North Carolina, when Broyhill won 
his first of eleven elections to the House of Representatives.
  Upon his election, Broyhill immediately began to build a reputation 
for honesty and integrity that allowed him to wield influence with both 
Democrats and Republicans. During his 11 terms in the House, Broyhill 
made a name for himself as a member, and later as Ranking Member, of 
the Energy and Commerce Committee. Following the untimely death of 
Senator John East, then Governor Jim Martin appointed Broyhill to 
complete the remaining two years of Senator East's term. In 1986, 
Broyhill's 24-year Congressional career ended when he lost his bid to 
win his Senate seat outright.
  Despite his personally disappointing loss, Broyhill continued to work 
on the behalf of the people of North Carolina. Broyhill's public career 
continued as he served as the Chairman of the North Carolina Economic 
Development Board. In 1989 Governor Martin gave Broyhill the 
responsibility of promoting and expanding North Carolina business and 
industry by appointing him the Secretary of the Department of Commerce. 
Jim Broyhill retired from public service in 1991 to spend more time 
with his wife, Louise Robbins, his children, and his grandchildren.
  Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to pay tribute to a great 
North Carolinian and American by naming a Post Office in Lenoir after 
James T. Broyhill. I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 4534, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4534, 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 was amended so as to read: ``A bill to redesignate the 
facility of the United States Postal Service located at 114 Ridge 
Street, N.W. in Lenoir, North Carolina, as the `James T. Broyhill Post 
Office Building' ''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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