[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 59 (Thursday, May 3, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E721]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE MEMORY OF RICHARDSON PREYER, FORMER MEMBER OF THE HOUSE

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                    HON. F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR.

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 25, 2001

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Madam Speaker, it is with sadness that I note the 
death of a former colleague and a great North Carolinian, Mr. Lunsford 
Richardson Preyer, who died of cancer on April 3 at the age of 82.
  Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, Rich attended college at 
Princeton University and law school at Harvard. He served honorably in 
World War II, earning a Bronze Star from the Navy for his courage at 
Okinawa. It was this courage and his absolute respect for the law and 
for people that caught the eye of President John F. Kennedy, who named 
him to a U.S. District Court judgeship in 1961.
  In 1968, Rich successfully ran for Congress, where he served until 
1980. Although my time with him in the House was brief, I know that 
Rich served the people of North Carolina's 6th District with 
distinction. He lived during a tumultuous time in our nation's history 
when racial discrimination was widespread. African Americans were 
frequently subjected to legal, social and economic oppression. However, 
Rich emerged through all that by displaying a remarkable moral 
integrity, tolerance, and support for racial diversity and human 
rights.
  As a member of Congress, Rich won the respect of both Republicans and 
Democrats for his dignity, intelligence, and integrity. He chaired the 
House Select Committee on Ethics, crafting the Congressional code of 
ethics. He also served on the House Select Committee on Assassinations, 
helping to investigate the deaths of President Kennedy and Martin 
Luther King, Jr.
  Two years after my election to Congress, Rich left the House. He and 
his wife Emily--who passed away in 1999--returned to Greensboro where 
they both continued to touch the lives of their many friends and 
neighbors in the community.
  Our nation lost a caring and visionary legislator with the death of 
Rich, and it is fitting that we pay tribute to his life and legacy 
today. My wide Cheryl and I would like to express our condolences to 
Rich's surviving family in this time of sorrow and sadness, and they 
will be in our prayers.

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