[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 159 (Friday, November 16, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H8323-H8324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    WILLIAM L. BEATTY FEDERAL BUILDING AND UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE

  Mr. LaTOURETTE Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the 
Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 3093) to designate the Federal building 
and United States courthouse located at 501 Bell Street in Alton, 
Illinois, as the ``William L. Beatty Federal Building and United States 
Courthouse,'' and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?
  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I do not 
intend to object, and I ask the chairman of the subcommittee for an 
explanation of the bill.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. COSTELLO. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to 
me.
  H.R. 3093 designates the Federal Building and the United States 
Courthouse in Alton, Illinois as the William L. Beatty Federal Building 
and United States Courthouse.
  William L. Beatty was born in Mendota, Illinois, in 1925. He grew up 
in east St. Louis and graduated from Central Catholic High School. He 
served in the United States Army's 394th Field Artillery Batallion in 
Europe during the Second World War.
  After returning from the war, he attended Washington University for 
undergraduate studies, and graduated from St. Louis University Law 
School in 1950. Upon graduating from law school, he passed the Illinois 
and Missouri bar and entered a private law practice for 18 years, 
including serving as municipal attorney for Granite City, and as an 
Assistant State's Attorney.
  Judge Beatty was elected Illinois State Circuit Judge in Madison 
County in 1968. He served on the State Circuit Court until 1979, when 
President Carter appointed him to the United States District Court for 
the Southern District of Illinois.
  While sitting on the bench, Judge Beatty was always known for 
crafting fair and creative sentences. He was eligible to retire from 
the bench in the 1992, but instead, continued to maintain a busy 
workload as a senior judge. Judge Beatty had a distinguished 50-year 
law career.

[[Page H8324]]

  I want to commend and congratulate my colleague and the ranking 
member of our subcommittee, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Costello), 
for bringing this important legislation forward.
  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, continuing my reservation of objection, I 
thank the chairman of the subcommittee for his explanation of the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3093 is a bill to designate the Federal Building 
and United States Courthouse located at 501 Bell Street, Alton, 
Illinois, in honor of Judge William L. Beatty.
  Judge Beatty was born in Mendota, Illinois, in 1925 into a working 
class family. As a child, he moved with his family to east St. Louis, 
Illinois, where he lived until 1952.
  At the age of 10, he started his first job selling Liberty Magazines 
and the Saturday Evening Post, earning a penny for each magazine sold. 
This was one of many part-time and summer jobs that he would hold prior 
to obtaining his law degree.
  In June of 1943, Judge Beatty graduated from Central Catholic High 
School. Later that year, he was drafted in the Army and served his 
country in the 394th Field Artillery Batallion in Germany in 1944. He 
was discharged in 1945.
  After the war, he attended Washington university as an undergraduate, 
and graduated from St. Louis University Law School in 1950.
  After passing the Illinois and Missouri bar exams, he began private 
practice with George Moran, where they specialized in personal injury 
law. He also worked part-time as a city attorney in Granite City, 
Illinois.
  In 1968, Judge Beatty was elected circuit judge in Madison County, 
Illinois, and served on the circuit bench from 1968 until 1979. He was 
appointed to the Federal bench by President Carter in 1979, and served 
the Southern District of Illinois until his death in July of this year.
  Judge Beatty touched and influenced not only the lives of his 
colleagues and fellow attorneys, but also everyone who appeared in his 
courtroom. He was known for his integrity, honesty, and fairness, and 
his courtroom was known as a place where justice would be done.
  In his personal life, he was a devoted husband and a loving father. I 
am privileged to have known Judge Beatty, and I am honored to sponsor 
this bill. It is a fitting tribute to a dedicated public servant whose 
career will be remembered for his fairness, consistency, and 
dedication, both to his job and to the area.
  It is fitting and proper to honor the outstanding public service of 
Judge Beatty with this designation.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. COSTELLO. I yield to the gentleman from Illinois.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I just want to chime in on the words of praise and 
accolades on the work of Judge Beatty, the work that he has done as a 
resident of Madison County. He did bring honor and integrity to the 
courts. It is a very difficult job, as we all know, and it takes a 
special person of high caliber to weigh law and pronounce justice.
  He is well respected in the community, and I can think of no more 
honorable way to recognize his work than doing this. I want to thank my 
colleague for his efforts.
  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the bill, as follows:

                               H.R. 3093

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

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF WILLIAM L. BEATTY FEDERAL BUILDING 
                   AND UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE.

       The Federal building and United States courthouse located 
     at 501 Bell Street in Alton, Illinois, shall be known and 
     designated as the ``William L. Beatty Federal Building and 
     United States Courthouse''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the Federal building 
     and United States courthouse referred to in section 1 shall 
     be deemed to be a reference to the William L. Beatty Federal 
     Building and United States Courthouse.

  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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