[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 131 (Tuesday, September 23, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1851]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E1851]]


                  HONORING THE LIFE OF JOHN M. BAILEY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN B. LARSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 23, 2003

  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute 
to Former Chief State's Attorney John M. Bailey, one of the most 
dedicated and well-respected public officials to have served the state 
of Connecticut, who passed away Monday, September 22, 2003.
  To know Jack Bailey was to respect him. As Connecticut's longest-
serving Chief State's Attorney, Jack defined law enforcement for nearly 
three decades with his boldness, commitment, and integrity. Jack's 
initial dabble in politics began with his White House internship for 
President Lyndon B. Johnson, the work at the 1964 and 1968 Democratic 
national conventions, and ended after a primary race for the 2nd 
Congressional District in 1974. Although politics was the family 
business, with Jack's father, the legendary Democratic state and 
National Committee Chairman John M. Bailey, and sister, the former 
Connecticut Secretary of State and U.S. Representative Barbara B. 
Kennelly, Jack's true passion was for law. A graduate from Catholic 
University School of Law, Jack became a career prosecutor and at the 
age of 35, was appointed Hartford State's Attorney.
  Jack was my longtime friend and colleague and I remember his Chief 
State's Attorney appointment in 1993, when I was still serving in the 
state Senate. I knew then that he would change Connecticut's justice 
system, and he did. Prior to this appointment, Jack served as the State 
Attorney for the Hartford Judicial District where he challenged the 
system and launched grand jury investigations in Enfield and 
investigated corruption within the Hartford Police Department. His 
office targeted drug and gang violence, prison riots, and developed a 
successful unit to investigate unsolved homicides.
  In 2002, Jack's failing health forced him to resign as Chief State's 
Attorney. There is no known cause or cure for ALS, a motor neuron 
disorder that makes swallowing, talking and breathing increasingly 
difficult. He faced this disease the way he faced life, with courage. I 
will forever have the sincerest respect for Jack, who battled this 
illness with Irish will, dignity, and faith.
  Love of family, community, state, and nation were hallmarks in his 
life. Our hearts go out to the entire Bailey family, especially his 
beloved wife Dee and his sons John and Brian.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in remembering 
and honoring the life of Jack Bailey, a remarkable man who will be 
greatly missed by his family, friends, and the state of Connecticut he 
served so well. God Bless him and his family.

                          ____________________