[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 159 (Tuesday, December 13, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H11469-H11470]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HONORABLE JOHN D. DINGELL'S
SERVICE IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee
on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of the
resolution (H. Res. 594) honoring the 50th anniversary of the Honorable
John D. Dingell's service in the House of Representatives, and ask for
its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bradley of New Hampshire). Is there
objection to the request of the gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res 594
Whereas John D. Dingell learned firsthand about the
institution of Capitol Hill at an early age, serving as a
House of Representatives Page from 1938 to 1943;
Whereas John D. Dingell served his country during the World
War II as a member of the United States Army;
Whereas John D. Dingell has served 50 years in the House of
Representatives, since succeeding his late father, the
Honorable John David Dingell, Sr., a 12-term incumbent, in a
special election to the 84th Congress on December 13, 1955;
Whereas a member of the Dingell family has represented the
Detroit metropolitan area in the House of Representatives
since 1933;
Whereas John D. Dingell, the Dean of the House of
Representatives since the 104th Congress, is the longest
serving current Member of the House of Representatives,
having been re-elected on 25 subsequent occasions;
Whereas John D. Dingell's term of service is the third-
longest term of service in the history of the House of
Representatives and the fifth-longest in Congressional
history; and
Whereas John D. Dingell has served on the Energy and
Commerce Committee (and its predecessors) since the 85th
Congress in 1957, and chaired that panel from the 97th
through the 103rd Congresses (1981-1995): Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved,
SECTION 1. HONORING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF JOHN D. DINGELL'S
SERVICE IN THE HOUSE.
The House of Representatives--
(1) honors the lifelong commitment of the Honorable John D.
Dingell to the ideals of our Nation;
(2) recognizes the Honorable John D. Dingell's half-century
of exceptional dedication to his constituents, to the State
of Michigan, and to the United States; and
(3) congratulates the Honorable John D. Dingell on 50 years
of superior service in the United States Congress.
SEC. 2. TRANSMISSION OF ENROLLED RESOLUTION.
The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall transmit an
enrolled copy of this resolution to the Honorable John D.
Dingell.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert) is
recognized for 1 hour.
Mr. HASTERT. Ladies and gentlemen, it is important for the House to
recognize important milestones. Tonight, the Democratic leader and I on
behalf of the House take this brief time to honor our colleague John
Dingell.
If Members would also like to add words of congratulations, I would
encourage them to insert remarks as part of the Congressional Record or
partake in a Special Order following votes tonight.
I rise in support of this resolution saluting and congratulating our
good friend, John Dingell, for 50 years of service in the U.S. House of
Representatives.
As the Clerk said, only two other House Members have made the 50-year
milestone, Jamie Whitten and Carl Vinson. For a half century, John has
walked the Halls of this Capitol doing the business of the people of
southeast Michigan. And I must say the Congress is a better place
because we have men like John Dingell.
I first met John when I came to the House in 1986, and he had already
been here three decades at that time. We really got to know each other
better when I started my third term when I was named to the House
Energy and Commerce Committee. I knew him as Mr. Chairman. In fact, I
think I only started to call him John after I became Speaker.
Mr. Dingell earned my respect early on. He knew the issues under his
committee's jurisdiction, which was just about everything. He knew
their legislative history. He knew how to count votes. He knew how to
get legislation through the process. He was tough, but he was fair.
His congressional work has done much to benefit the American people.
During his time in the House, he has left his mark on historic
legislation like the Clean Air Act of 1990, the Safe Drinking Water
Act, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and every other major
energy and telecommunications bill since the 1970s. In fact, during the
1980s, he oversaw the investigation into the safety of the Nation's
blood supply, including the procedures that we now have to ensure that
donated blood is disease free.
As Dean of the House, John Dingell administers the oath of office to
the Speaker. The Speaker then administers the oath of office to all the
Members as well. I could not be more proud to have had John Dingell
administer my oath four times.
Mr. Speaker, in this age of sound-bite politicians, John Dingell is
the real deal. You always know where he stands, and you can always rest
assured that he stands for something. And so today we salute John
Dingell for 50 years of service with dignity, with dedication, with
courage, with principle, and with honor. I thank you, John, for your
good work.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi),
the Democratic leader, for her remarks.
[[Page H11470]]
Ms. PELOSI. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I am proud to join you in co-sponsoring this resolution honoring the
50th anniversary of the Honorable John D. Dingell's service in the
House of Representatives. As we celebrated at the National Building
Museum before, I am pleased to join you once again in congratulating
John Dingell. It is impossible to acknowledge his service and
congratulate him for his great leadership without also acknowledging
Debbie Dingell, who has been his partner in so much of his life's work.
As I mentioned, Mr. Speaker, you and I had the privilege of
celebrating this milestone with Congressman Dingell at an extraordinary
event at the National Building Museum on October 26. Something
phenomenal happened that night when Republicans and Democrats came
together in unity to praise this great man. Everyone in the bipartisan
group, President Clinton, Vice President Cheney, Governor Granholm of
Michigan, and so many of John's colleagues in the House and Senate,
including his chairman, Joe Barton, who regaled us with Dingell stories
that night, agreed that John Dingell is an American statesman of the
highest order.
President Kennedy could have been describing John Dingell when he
said: ``No government is better than the people who serve it. We want
the best, we need the best, and we deserve the best.'' For 50 years in
John Dingell we have had the best.
To the pages in the room, I want to say tonight we could really be
celebrating his 54th anniversary in the House because from age 12 to
16, he served here as a page, the longest-serving page in history. It
was as a page in 1941 that John Dingell was standing on the House floor
when President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. It was
World War II that would ultimately call him to service.
He served in the Army with distinction, rising to the rank of second
lieutenant. John would later say of his service, ``It taught me the
meaning of discipline and respect, two qualities which I believe are
key to success in the United States.'' It also began a public life
dedicated to making America strong both at home and abroad.
A member of the Greatest Generation, John Dingell applied his
brilliant mind, his great judgment, and his broad vision to making the
future better for generations to come. John always made clear that a
strong America had to be a healthy America. Continuing a tradition his
father began, in every Congress he has introduced a bill for universal
national health insurance. Because of his tireless work in securing
health care for the elderly, John presided in the House in 1965 when
Medicare was passed into law. The gavel he used that day still sits on
his desk. He was a very young man at the time, still is.
As part of his focus on future generations, John was one of the first
elected officials to link public health with environmental health, and
he has had a hand in almost every major environmental legislation of
the past 40 years. He has done as much to clean up government as he has
to clean up the environment. For the last 50 years, Federal agencies
have checked their mail with one eye squinted open hoping they have not
received what became known as ``Dingell-grams.''
In the 1980s, the EPA even had an employee whose sole responsibility
was responding to Chairman Dingell's inquires, and it was recognized
that her job was not an easy one. To work alongside John Dingell is to
be inspired by the history of our institution and humbled by the
seriousness of our work. John is a giant in Congress and a symbol of
continuity.
Fifty years ago on December 13, 1955, John Dingell took over the seat
that had been opened by his father. After hearing his father's
colleagues eulogize John, Sr., John stepped up and said, ``My father
loved and respected the House and all of its Members. If I can be half
the man that my father was, I shall feel that I am a great success.''
On this 50th anniversary, we say that we love and respect John
Dingell and by any measure his leadership and his success have been
unsurpassed. I am sure that John Dingell, Sr., is very, very proud. We
may call John Dingell the Dean of the House, as the Speaker has done;
but for many of us here tonight he has also been a teacher.
I know I speak for all of the Members of the House when I say we are
proud to call John Dingell colleague.
{time} 1930
We are all so glad that your lifetime of service continues. The best
is yet to come. Thank you, John Dingell.
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, today, December 13, 2005, John D. Dingell,
Jr. marks 50 years of distinguished service to the people of Michigan.
I have enormous respect for my friend, the gentleman from Michigan, who
serves the people he represents, and the country, well and with
distinction.
I was a member of this body when the last gentleman to serve 50 years
in the House was acknowledged--Congressman Jamie Whitten. And the
tribute Mr. Dingell paid to Mr. Whitten also is fitting in tribute to
Mr. Dingell--For all the wisdom the gentleman from Michigan has
displayed during his tenure in the House, his constituents have shown
even more wisdom in returning him to Congress 25 times.
Upon reflecting on Mr. Dingell's career, I am reminded of the quote
by Martin Luther King, Jr. who said, ``the quality, not the longevity,
of one's life is what is important.''
After half a century of service in this body, serving with 10
presidents and in 25 Congresses, all marvel at the longevity of the
gentleman's career. But it is the quality of Mr. Dingell's service that
his colleagues, his constituents and the American people remember.
And let us not forget in celebrating the gentleman's past
accomplishments and distinguished service that his career is far from
over.
True, his efforts on behalf of the Civil Rights Movement, the
American laborer and our Nation's neediest individuals helped shape the
second half of the 20h Century.
But as we look to the future, a future where John Dingell will
undeniably play a significant role, we are comforted by the fact that
the gentleman from Michigan, always true to his word and with a quick
wit, will continue to lead us for many years to come.
I am proud of my friend John and thank him for many years of personal
kindnesses and professional courtesies.
The SPEAKER. Without objection, the previous question is ordered on
the resolution.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER. The question is on the resolution.
The resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________