[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 25, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H586-H587]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  BARBER CONABLE POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 3690) to designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 2 West Main Street in Batavia, New 
York, as the ``Barber Conable Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 3690

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

     SECTION 1. BARBER CONABLE POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 2 West Main Street in Batavia, New York, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Barber Conable 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 Barber Conable Post Office Building.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Michigan (Mrs. Miller) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller).


                             General Leave

  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks on H.R. 3690, the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3690 that designates the post 
office in Batavia, New York, as the Barber Conable Post Office 
Building. All members of the New York State delegation have cosponsored 
this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, Barber B. Conable, Junior, was a wonderfully respected 
member of this body who served 10 terms from 1965 until 1985. His 
distinguished professional career included stints as president of the 
World Bank, as a Congressman, a New York State senator, an attorney, 
U.S. Marine Corps reservist, as well as a World War II veteran.
  Barber Conable sadly passed away last November at the age of 81. This 
legislation will rename the post office in Batavia, New York, after 
him, in a town that he represented both in Congress and as a State 
senator as well for so many years.
  Mr. Speaker, Barber Conable was perhaps best known for serving one 5-
year term as president of the World Bank from July of 1986 until July 
of 1991. His commitment to fighting poverty all over the world made him 
a compassionate conservative who was well ahead of his time. Upon his 
passing, current World Bank president James Wolfensohn said that Barber 
Conable ``was a remarkable leader whose concern for the poor and 
passion to help improve their lives marked his tenure at the Bank.''
  In the Congress, Barber Conable toiled away for many years as a 
minority member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, ultimately 
rising to the post of ranking member. For nearly a decade, he was the 
House Republican Party standard-bearer on taxes, trade and Social 
Security.
  Because he served in the minority, he often tried to use his wit to 
grab the attention of Members and others. The Congressman once mused, 
What is power? All it is is influence, and as long as people listen 
when I talk, I have got influence.
  Unquestionably, people did listen when Congressman Conable talked. A 
Cornell law school-educated lawyer, he was a persuasive, confident 
speaker who often spoke completely off the cuff when debating intricate 
tax policy in the committee. Overall, political columnist George Will 
matter-of-factly stated, There has never been a better Congressman.
  On behalf of the author of this legislation, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Reynolds), I want to extend the sincere sympathy of all 
Members of this House to the family of Barber Conable, especially to 
his wife Charlotte and his four children, Anne, Emily, Sam and Jane. I 
want to assure them that Barber Conable will never be forgotten.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for his work on H.R. 
3690.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1045

  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  As the ranking member of the House Committee on Government Reform, I 
am pleased to join my colleague in the consideration of H.R. 3690, 
legislation naming a postal facility in Batavia, New York, after Barber 
Conable. This measure was introduced by the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Reynolds) on December 8, 2003. It was unanimously reported by our 
committee.
  Barber Conable was born in New York. He attended Warsaw High School 
and Cornell University. After college, he served in World War II as a 
United States Marine. After the war, he obtained a law degree and began 
practicing law. He began his political career in 1962, when he first 
served in the New York State senate. From there, he ran for Congress, 
was elected to represent the 30th district in 1964, and he served on 
the House Committee on Ways and Means where he was active on tax 
issues. He represented his district for 20 years until his departure in 
1985.
  Now, that states the facts. Let me tell my colleagues that, from my 
own experience as a Member of Congress

[[Page H587]]

who had the honor of serving with Representative Conable, that he was a 
very distinguished man. People on both sides of the aisle looked to him 
with respect. When he spoke, all of us listened. He was a man who 
embodied the civility that we all yearn for in the House of 
Representatives, a civility that looked to working out issues on a 
bipartisan basis, looking to treat each other with mutual respect, 
trying to find opportunities for Members of both parties to find common 
ground.
  He left the House and went on to become president of the World Bank, 
a position he held for 5 years. Upon his retirement, Mr. Conable 
returned to his New York home. As a distinguished professor, he 
attended many events at the University of Rochester and was sought 
after as a brilliant and gifted speaker. Mr. Conable passed away in 
November of 2003.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague for seeking to honor our late 
colleague in this manner. He well deserves whatever praise that we can 
give him as a very distinguished Member of the House, one who I think 
serves as a model for those of us who served with him and those who 
have followed and who yearn for the time when the House of 
Representatives is not just the partisan institution that we so often 
see today, but one that seeks to work in a bipartisan manner to look 
after the best interests of the people in this country and to bring our 
various perspectives both from our region and from our ideology to some 
kind of temper where we recognize that we have to all get together in 
order to do what is best for the American people.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Reynolds), my distinguished 
colleague and the sponsor of H.R. 3690.
  (Mr. REYNOLDS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Michigan for 
yielding me this time.
  I rise before the House today to remember a great man, a mentor to 
many of us both in Congress today and Congresses of the past, and that 
is Barber Conable, who passed away a few months ago.
  Barber Conable distinguished himself as a Member of Congress for 20 
years and had the respect of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. 
He was notable also for an esteemed academic career and his 
professional knowledge on a wide variety of issues, from taxes to 
Social Security, and his willingness to tackle any problem head on. 
Always lending a helping hand was a signature trait of Barber's. He 
never let partisanship get in the way of progress.
  Barber Conable was the best example of what a public servant ought to 
be. He loved his country, his community, and his family. He never 
strayed from the strong values he was raised on. His genuine 
sophistication as a legislator came effortlessly, revealing the 
compassion and unselfishness that was the hallmark of his public 
service.
  Today, it is fitting that we pay tribute to a great Congressman, a 
great public servant who never forgot the roots of his hometown and his 
community that we name the Batavia post office after Barber Conable. I 
appreciate the support of my colleagues not only from New York but 
throughout the Congress that have joined me in cosponsorship of this 
legislation.
  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume to simply urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 
3690.
  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the designation 
of the post office located at 2 West Main Street in Batavia, NY, as the 
``Barber Conable Post Office Building,'' I want to commemorate the life 
and achievements of former Congressman Barber Conable. At the time of 
his retirement in 1984, he was ranking member of the House Committee on 
Ways and Means, bringing to it intellect and an unparalleled love and 
knowledge of the law. Barber passed away last year and I must say, 
Western New York has lost a true statesman.
  He took time out of his law school courses and Cornell University to 
serve in the Pacific during World War II. Later, after completing his 
law degree, he served his country again in Korea.
  Shortly after returning from Korea, he started his career in public 
service by running for and winning a seat in the New York State Senate. 
Two years later, he was elected to serve in the House of 
Representatives in a district representing parts of the City of 
Rochester, the western half of Monroe County, and Genesee, Wyoming, 
Orleans and Livingston Counties. From 1966 to 1986, Barber Conable's 
integrity, hard work, and determination created an environment in which 
Members worked with each other across party lines for the good of all 
Americans. As a result, he earned the respect of his colleagues, both 
Democrat and Republican.
  It was an honor for me to be elected to serve a portion of the area 
he represented when I was first ran for Congress in 1988, and I take 
pride in continuing to serve the part of Western New York I know he 
loved so much. I remember when I first came to Congress, Barber came to 
visit me in my new office. We were both delighted to realize that I was 
occupying the very same office that he had occupied as a freshman. 
Barber was always so kind with his counsel and his advice. He was the 
greatest kind of friend.
  Barber Conable will be remembered for a countless number of 
contributions he made during his years of public service. The spirit 
Barber Conable brought to the House of Representatives is inspirational 
and it is my hope that we will continue to remember and honor his 
memory.
  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr LaHood). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3690.
  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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