[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 158 (Tuesday, November 4, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H10242-H10243]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    JOHN G. DOW POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 3166) to designate the facility of the United States 
Postal Service located at 57 Old Tappan Road in Tappan, New York, as 
the ``John G. Dow Post Office Building.''
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 3166

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

     SECTION 1. JOHN G. DOW POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 57 Old Tappan Road in Tappan, New York, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``John G. Dow 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 John G. Dow Post Office Building.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3166, introduced by the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Engel), designates this U.S. Postal Service facility in Tappan, 
New York as the ``John G. Dow Post Office Building.'' The entire New 
York State delegation has cosponsored this legislation.
  Congressman John Dow was elected to a seat in this House from the 
people of New York's Hudson Valley in 1964. He dutifully served three 
terms in this body during the height of the Vietnam War. He was known 
for his strong opposition to the war during that tumultuous period in 
American history.
  Congressman Dow passed away on March 11th of this year at the age of 
97. He was a principled, poised, and passionate representative of the 
people of New York.
  Along with the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), I certainly want 
to extend the best wishes of this House to the family of John Dow. The 
post office in Tappan will be a deserved commemoration of his public 
service. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 
3166, and I congratulate the gentleman from New York for having his 
bill considered by the whole House.
  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, as a member of the House Committee on Government Reform, 
I rise in support of H.R. 3166, legislation naming a postal facility 
located at 57 Old Tappan Road in Tappan, New York, after John G. Dow. 
H.R. 3166, introduced by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) on 
September 24, 2003, was unanimously approved by our committee on 
October 8, 2003. The

[[Page H10243]]

measure has met the Committee on Government Reform policy and has the 
support and cosponsorship of the entire New York State delegation.
  Mr. John G. Dow was a former Member of Congress and a staunchly 
liberal New York Democrat from the lower Hudson Valley. One of the 
earliest congressional opponents of the Vietnam War, he died in March 
of this year at the age of 97. John Dow was born in New York City in 
1905 and grew up in New Jersey. His family later moved to 
Kennebunkport, Maine. He graduated from Harvard University, became a 
businessman and began dabbling in local politics, serving as chairman 
of the Zoning and Appeals Board.
  In 1964, Mr. Dow won election to Congress, representing Rockland 
County, New York. Representative John Dow served two terms before he 
was defeated. He later ran again and won his seat back, serving one 
term before being defeated by Representative Benjamin Gilman.
  Mr. Speaker I commend my colleagues for seeking to honor the memory 
of the late Representative John Dow by naming a postal facility after 
him, and I urge swift adoption of this bill.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3166, legislation 
to name the United States Postal Facility at 57 Old Tappan Road in 
Tappan, New York after former Congressman John G. Dow. The House of 
Representatives lost a member of its family on March 11th of this year 
when John Dow passed on at the age of 97. After living a storied life 
dedicated to serving the propel of Rockland County and the State of New 
York, it is a privilege to honor this great man on the floor of the 
House of Representatives.
   Born and bred in New York, John Dow earned a bachelor's degree from 
Harvard University and later a master's from Columbia University. In 
1954 he began his career in public service holding the post of Civil 
Defense Director in Grandview, NY and later Chairman of the Grand View 
Zoning Board of Appeals. John Dow then stepped onto the national 
political scene, winning a seat in Congress in 1965 in the 22nd 
Congressional District, which encompassed Rockland County.
   John Dow served just six years in Congress but his imprint on this 
body was far greater than his tenure. He was one of the few Members of 
Congress that openly questioned and opposed the U.S. involvement in the 
Vietnam War. Despite popular opinion, he spoke out against laws that 
would ban flag burning and fiercely defended the civil rights 
movements, even marching in the south to show his support for equal 
rights. He was an independent thinker that did not always take the 
popular stand but fought for what he felt was right for Rockland 
County, for New York, and for the United States.
   John Dow upheld the great values of this country at a time when we 
most needed it. He was considered a voice of dissent in the Congress 
against the Vietnam War even though it was a President of the same 
party leading us into that war. John Dow's warnings and cautions would 
ring true in later years as the reality of the Vietnam War set in. His 
principled stance eventually cost him the opportunity to continue 
serving in Congress but that did not deter him. As the political winds 
shifted, John Dow was swept out of office in 1968. He would return for 
another term, winning election in 1970, but would lose his seat for 
good two years later. However, John Dow would continue serving the 
people of New York and Rockland County until his death.
   Mr. Speaker, I am a life-long New Yorker and I am proud of that 
fact. I am proud to serve the people of my district and the Rocklanders 
that John Dow once represented. It is a tribute to his service and his 
memory that every Member of the New York delegation, Democrat and 
Republican alike cosponsored this legislation to honor one of our own. 
I want to thank Chairman Davis and Congressman Waxman for expediting 
this legislation so that we can honor Congressman Dow and his service 
to this great nation.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 3166. I have 
no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 3166.
  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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