[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 20, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H3277-H3278]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                M. CALDWELL BUTLER POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. WELDON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 1753) to designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 419 Rutherford Avenue, N.E., in 
Roanoke, Virginia, as the ``M. Caldwell Butler Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1753

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

     SECTION 1. M. CALDWELL BUTLER POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 419 Rutherford Avenue, N.E., in Roanoke, 
     Virginia, shall be known and designated as the ``M. Caldwell 
     Butler 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 M. Caldwell Butler Post Office Building.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Weldon) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon).


                             General Leave

  Mr. WELDON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks on H.R. 1753.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WELDON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1753, introduced by the gentleman from Virginia 
(Mr. Goodlatte) on May 8, 2001, designates the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 419 Rutherford Avenue in Roanoke, 
Virginia, as the M. Caldwell Butler Post Office Building.
  Pursuant to the policy of the Committee on Government Reform, all 
Members of the House delegation of the Commonwealth of Virginia are 
cosponsors of this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to pay 
tribute to a former Member of this institution, M. Caldwell Butler. 
Like many young men of his generation, Mr. Butler served as an officer 
in the United States Navy during World War II. After completing his 
military service, Mr. Butler graduated from the University of Richmond 
and later received his law degree from the University of Virginia. He 
began his career in public service in the Virginia House of Delegates, 
serving from 1962 until 1972, where he served as minority leader.
  Mr. Butler was subsequently elected to the United States Congress in 
1972, where he served the people of the Sixth District of Virginia for 
10 years.
  Mr. Butler was a member of both the Judiciary and the Government 
Operations Committees during his time in the House.
  After retiring from Congress, Mr. Butler continued in his service to 
country and community by serving as a member of the board of directors 
of the John Marshall Foundation and on the board of trustees of the 
Virginia Historical Society.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a fitting tribute to name a post office in 
Roanoke, Virginia, after the distinguished gentleman who represented 
that city and who selflessly served the interests of his constituents 
in both the State house and in Congress for so many years. I urge our 
colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to associate myself with the 
resolution that was just approved in the House. I think it is seriously 
important and speaks to the development of our country.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Committee on Government Reform, I 
join with my colleagues in the consideration of H.R. 1753, legislation 
naming the post office located at 419 Rutherford Avenue, Northeast, in 
Roanoke, Virginia, as the M. Caldwell Butler Post Office Building. This 
measure was introduced by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) 
on May 8, 2001, and has the support and cosponsorship of the entire 
Virginia delegation.
  Mr. Butler is a former representative of Congress representing the 
Sixth Congressional District of Virginia for five terms in the U.S. 
House of Representatives. Representative Butler served with distinction 
on the House Judiciary and Government Operations Committee. Upon his 
retirement, he returned home to Roanoke, Virginia, and practiced law 
until 1998.
  I must note that the sponsor of this measure, the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte), had the honor of working for Representative 
Butler as his district director from 1977 to 1979. Obviously, this was, 
indeed, and always is a tremendous honor.
  It also gives one the opportunity to observe firsthand what is taking 
place, what is happening, and maybe in some instances inspire and 
motivate them to follow in the same footsteps. It is obvious the kind 
of feeling, the kind of recognition, the kind of honor that the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) has had and must have felt as 
he has had the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of a predecessor 
with whom he also had the opportunity to work with and for.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this resolution and would 
urge its adoption.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WELDON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte).
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Weldon) for his forbearance. I am trying to be too many places at one 
time today.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today in support 
of legislation that I have introduced to name the United States Post 
Office at 419 Rutherford Avenue in Roanoke, Virginia, for my good 
friend, former Congressman M. Caldwell Butler.
  Congressman Butler is a gentleman whom I greatly admire. He served as 
a United States Naval officer in World War II. He received his 
undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond in 1948 where he 
was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa. In 1950, he 
received a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law 
where he was elected to the Order of the Coif, and in 1978 he received 
an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from my alma mater, Washington and 
Lee University.
  Mr. Butler served with distinction in the Virginia House of Delegates 
from 1962 until 1972, where he was the minority leader. He practiced 
law in Roanoke

[[Page H3278]]

from 1950 until his election to Congress in 1972. He served five full 
terms in the House of Representatives, representing the Sixth District 
of Virginia. It was my privilege to serve as Congressman Butler's 
district director from 1977 until 1979. While in Congress, Mr. Butler 
was a member of the House Committee on the Judiciary and the Government 
Operations Committee. His start in Congress was memorable. As a member 
of the House Committee on the Judiciary, he was part of the panel that 
conducted impeachment hearings involving President Richard Nixon.
  Following his service to our Nation, Mr. Butler returned to his home 
in Roanoke to practice law as a partner in the firm of Woods, Rogers & 
Hazelgrove, which he continued to do until his retirement in 1998. In 
addition, he contributed his expertise on a national level by serving 
as a member of the National Bankruptcy Review Commission from 1995 
until 1997.
  Mr. Butler is a pillar of Roanoke's civic organizations, serving as a 
member of the board of directors of the John Marshall Foundation and 
the board of trustees of the Virginia Historical Society, a fellow of 
the American Bar Foundation, a fellow of the American College of 
Bankruptcy, and a fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation.
  Mr. Butler has shown great leadership and personal integrity in his 
service as a member of the Virginia General Assembly and as a United 
States Congressman.

                              {time}  1145

  It is with great pleasure that I ask my colleagues to join me in 
honoring a true public servant by supporting legislation that will make 
Roanoke, Virginia, home to the M. Caldwell Butler Post Office Building.
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure to take the floor today 
not only to support the naming of a Post Office Building, but to 
celebrate the public service of a truly dedicated man. Naming the Post 
Office Building in Roanoke is the least we can do to recognize the 
public career and contributions to his country that Caldwell Butler has 
made.
  I had the pleasure of serving with Caldwell on the Committee on the 
Judiciary. As I got to know him during our years together on that 
committee, I was deeply impressed with his knowledge of the law, and 
all of the complex issues which came before the committee. Caldwell was 
a student of public policy during his service as a Member of Congress, 
and served as a great sounding board for the discussion of ideas for 
other Members. On many issues, we turned to him for advice and 
leadership.
  His ability to synthesize the legal, practical, and political 
consequences of legislative proposals served as a model for us all in 
attempting to understand both our roles as Members of the House, and of 
the Committee on the Judiciary. He was always gracious in sharing his 
time and his thoughts with his colleagues.
  He was also extremely articulate in explaining what he was doing, and 
what the ramifications of those actions could be. We could be less 
concerned about unintended consequences of legislation when we had a 
chance to talk it over with Caldwell.
  It is a pleasure for me to support this resolution, as I often 
supported the man. He gave a great deal to this House and to me 
personally, and I want to thank him publicly for that.
  I urge all my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my Virginia colleague, 
Representative Bob Goodlatte, in support of this bill to name the main 
Roanoke United States Post Office at 419 Rutherford Avenue in Roanoke, 
Virginia, for our former colleague, Congressman M. Caldwell Butler. I 
commend Congressman Goodlatte, who served as Caldwell Butler's district 
director in the late 1970's for sponsoring this tribute.
  I had the pleasure of serving with Caldwell in my freshman term in 
the House in the 97th Congress. His dedicated public service was an 
inspiration to me and I will always be grateful to him for his wise 
counsel during my early days in Congress.
  His distinguished career of service began as a United States naval 
officer during World War II. He received his undergraduate degree from 
the University of Richmond in 1948 where he was elected to Phi Beta 
Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa. In 1950 he received an LL.B degree from 
the University of Virginia School of Law where he was elected to the 
Order of the Coif. In 1978, he received an honorary degree of Doctor of 
Laws from Washington and Lee University.
  He practiced law in Roanoke from 1950 until his election to Congress 
in 1972. His elective office service began in the Virginia House of 
Delegates where he served from 1962 until 1972, including the position 
of minority leader. He served five full terms in the House of 
Representatives, representing the Sixth District of Virginia.
  Our colleagues may recall that Congressman Butler was a member of the 
house Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Government 
Operations. In his first term as a member of the Judiciary Committee, 
he served with distinction as part of the panel that conducted the 
Nixon impeachment hearings.
  When he retired from the House in 1983, he returned home to Roanoke 
to practice law which he continued to do until his retirement in 1998. 
He served as a member of the National Bankruptcy Review Commission from 
1995 until 1997.
  Caldwell Butler's life epitomizes leadership, integrity and service. 
To honor this outstanding Virginia and public servant, it is very 
appropriate that the post office building in his home of Roanoke bear 
his name. I urge my colleagues to give this legislation a unanimous 
vote in recognition of the service to his country of M. Caldwell 
Butler.
  Mr. WELDON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shaw). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1753.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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