[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 24, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S3828]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        GOVERNOR MELDRIM THOMSON

  Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I rise today to pay 
tribute to my dear personal friend and political mentor, former New 
Hampshire governor Meldrim Thomson, who passed away last Thursday. Mel, 
who was 89, was one of the greatest governors in the history of the 
State of New Hampshire.
  Mel Thomson left a lasting legacy. His legacy of country, state, 
family, and God will not soon be forgotten by those of us whose lives 
he touched so deeply. He was not only a gentleman but a gentle man, a 
loving husband to Gale, father of six, grandfather, and great-
grandfather. He was one of my closest and most treasured friends. In 
politics, loyalty and friendship mean everything.
  In 1993, Governor Thomson wrote a book, ``100 Famous Founders,'' for 
which I was honored to have written the introduction. Among the first 
of the Founding Fathers to step forward and put his life, property, and 
honor on the line for his country by signing the Declaration was Josiah 
Bartlett of New Hampshire. Dr. Bartlett later served as the Governor of 
New Hampshire. It is fitting that this magnificent book of profiles of 
our Nation's one hundred foremost Founders was written by one of Josiah 
Bartlett's most distinguished and patriotic successors as Governor, 
Meldrim Thomson.
  Meldrim Thomson had the same trust in God, love of family, steadfast 
dedication to his country and state, and sense of honor that 
characterized the Founders about whom he wrote. Indeed, had he lived in 
Josiah Bartlett's time, Meldrim Thomson certainly would have been a 
Founder too. Had he lived during the American Revolution, he would have 
stood shoulder-to-shoulder fighting for the cause alongside George 
Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Sam Adams, and General John Stark.
  Meldrim Thomson, Jr., took the oath of office as the 91st Governor of 
New Hampshire on January 3, 1973, and served until January 4, 1979. He 
is the only Republican to have served as Governor of New Hampshire for 
three consecutive two-year terms.
  Meldrim Thomson's road to the governorship began in 1954, when he 
moved his publishing business and his family from New York to a new 
home in Orford, NH. Although he was not a native son, Meldrim Thomson's 
strongly independent nature and his bedrock conservative principles 
were right for New Hampshire. In spirit, then, he quickly became a son 
of New Hampshire.
  Plunging into New Hampshire politics, Meldrim Thomson waged an 
unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1964. 
That same year, though, he won election to New Hampshire's 
Constitutional Convention.
  With characteristic grit and determination, Meldrim Thomson did not 
let his defeats in the 1968 and 1970 New Hampshire Republican 
gubernatorial primaries discourage him from continuing to seek our 
State's highest office. His commitment paid rich dividends in 1972, 
when he won election as Governor. He ran and won again in 1974 and 
1976. In waging his victorious campaigns, Meldrim Thomson proved 
himself to be a true populist. Running on the slogan ``ax the tax,'' 
Governor Thomson took his campaigns to the people of New Hampshire in 
their living rooms and meeting halls.
  As Governor, Meldrim Thomson did not shrink from difficult decisions. 
As the spiritual descendant of the Founding Fathers, he had the courage 
to take grave political risks on behalf of his unfailingly conservative 
principles. Meldrim Thomson fought tirelessly for low taxes and strict 
fiscal discipline. As a result, during his time as Governor, the 
economy of New Hampshire enjoyed a prosperity that was unknown in the 
rest of New England. Attracted by the state's low taxes, significant 
new businesses moved their operations to New Hampshire. Wages and 
salaries increased Old manufacturing centers such as Manchester and 
Nashua demonstrated new signs of life.
  Beyond his great economic successes, Meldrim Thomson did not hesitate 
to use his platform as Governor to speak out on vital national and 
international issues. He did not hesitate to criticize the foreign and 
domestic misadventures of the Administration of Jimmy Carter. In fact, 
Governor Thomson ordered New Hampshire State flags flown at half-staff 
to protest President Carter's pardon of Vietnam era draft resisters. It 
deeply offended Governor Thomson's profound sense of patriotism that a 
President of the United States would take such an unprecedented action 
to shield those who refused their country's call from the rightful 
legal consequences of their acts.
  I have so many personal, inspiring memories of Mel Thomson. In our 
private moments, of which we shared many up at the farm in Orford, he 
would affectionately call me ``son''. I thought of him like a father, 
both personally as well as politically.
  He always inspired me with his words of wisdom. He often said ``put 
principle above politics.'' He heeded his own words. Like Lincoln, 
Churchill and so many great men, he was unfairly criticized, but rose 
above it all to do what was right. He was a dedicated conservative, who 
was as solid as the granite in our mountains.
  Mel Thomson's impact on the state, patriotism, and commitment to his 
values and his family will not be forgotten. I will miss him terribly, 
as will those many New Hampshire citizens whose lives he touched. Rest 
in peace, my friend. You have earned it. It has been an honor to 
represent you in the U.S. Senate.

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