[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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