[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 9, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1747]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING CHARLIE BENNETT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ANDER CRENSHAW

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 9, 2003

  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, this past Saturday the nation lost a man 
who lived his entire life as a public servant. Charles Edward Bennett 
was a lawyer, a soldier, an author, and a legislator. He will be 
remembered for representing the views of his constituents, his 
impeccable voting record, his admirable ethics, and for creating an 
environmental legacy in Northeast Florida to be treasured by past, 
present, and future generations.
  Charlie Bennett began his public career in the Florida State House of 
Representatives in 1941. After serving only one term in office, he 
enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the infantry during World War 
II. He courageously led over 1,000 guerillas in the Philippines and was 
awarded the Silver Star and the Philippines Legion of Honor for 
gallantry in action. It was also during his military service that he 
contracted polio. Throughout his life, Mr. Bennett never let the 
debilitating disease prevent him from his duties as a lawmaker.
  In 1948, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and 
served 22 consecutive terms. Voting over 18,000 times during his 
career, Charlie Bennett missed only a handful of procedural votes and 
became known for not missing a single legislative vote between June 4, 
1951, and January 3, 1993.
  Widely regarded as one of Jacksonville's most trusted public 
servants, Mr. Bennett was nicknamed ``Mr. Clean'' for sponsoring 
legislation to create the House Ethics Committee. Once asked to list 
the most important legislation he sponsored, Bennett named the making 
of ``In God We Trust'' as the U.S. motto and requiring it be included 
on all coins and currency; creating an ethics code for government 
service; cosponsorship of the bill enacting the Americans With 
Disabilities Act; and legislation providing federal assistance toward 
school construction. Also notable were his roles in creating the 
Interstate Highway System and the placing of Mayport Naval Station in 
Jacksonville, Florida.
  For his interest in preserving North Florida's natural environment, 
Charlie Bennett became known as Mr. St. Johns River. As Florida's 
longest serving congressman and one of the longest serving members of 
Congress in this nation's history, Mr. Bennett led efforts to clean up 
and restore the St. Johns River and preserve its cultural and 
historical significance for future generations. He worked to conserve 
and enhance wetlands and was instrumental in the creation of the Fort 
Caroline Memorial and the Timucuan Preserve near Jacksonville. Mr. 
Bennett was a member of the Jacksonville Historical Society and wrote 
several books on Northeast Florida's environment and early history.
  I am fortunate to have known Charlie Bennett throughout my life, He 
was a good family friend. Mr. Bennett and my father practiced law 
together and served in the Army during World War II. It was when my 
father was stationed in Texas and my mother was about to give birth to 
my brother that Charlie sent my parents a box of Florida sand. Charlie 
said he wanted the baby born over Florida soil. That was vintage 
Charlie Bennett.
  Charlie Bennett was well known and respected. He served in Congress 
with honor and dedication. He set an example we can all recall as we 
ponder what it means to be a public servant. Mr. Bennett demonstrated 
his convictions and those values that enable people to place faith in 
their government. Charlie Bennett was a good man. He was an 
institution. Charlie Bennett's life is a model for lawmakers everywhere 
and at every level of government. He will be missed.

                          ____________________