[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 71 (Wednesday, June 7, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H3492-H3493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING HENRY HYDE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, tonight, we are coming down here 
to honor one of the greatest orators that has ever been a Member of the 
House of Representatives. Henry Hyde, I have known for about 24 years, 
and I do not think there is a finer Member of Congress that has ever 
served in this body.
  He, along with another great orator named Claude Pepper on the 
Democrat side, made great speeches, speeches that are in the history 
books and in the record here in Congress, but speeches that I wish 
everybody in America could have heard.
  Henry has been a great defender of human rights, of the right to 
life. He is one of the leaders on the right-to-life issue in the 
Congress, and he has been fighting for human rights and human life for 
a long, long time, and he has no peer in that area.
  He has also been the chairman of the International Relations 
Committee and he serves in that position today. He is retiring at the 
end of this term, and I can tell you right now, everybody that knows 
Henry is going to miss him, miss him not only because he was a great 
chairman or is a great chairman, but because he has been a great 
inspiration to us and a great leader in this body.
  I have a lot of things I want to put in the Record tonight. I will 
not go into all those things because I am sure my colleagues will 
mention a lot of them, but Henry has honorary degrees from a whole slew 
of institutions, universities and colleges around this country. He has 
been honored in so many ways because of his leadership, and he is a man 
that everybody in America could look up to if they knew him as well as 
we do.
  So, tonight, I would just like to say, Henry, if you are home 
watching this, and there is probably better things on TV than watching 
me talk, let me just say that we love you, buddy. We are going to miss 
you, and we think you are one of the greatest Americans that ever 
served in this body.
  Mr. Speaker, I have known Henry Hyde for many years and I admire him 
immensely. Henry's voice has been a voice of reason over years often 
marked by turbulence and discord. He has always offered a hopeful view 
of international affairs. His reassuring calm wit, and his profound 
analytical skills and intellect have contributed to all of our 
understanding of the many dimensions of foreign affairs--and America's 
role in the global community.
  Today, I want to talk about the legacy that he has created and that 
we will carry forward as colleagues in the realm of foreign affairs, 
and in many ways, as students of his stewardship of congressional 
oversight of the conduct of U.S. foreign policy. Henry was sworn into 
the House of Representatives in 1975, and when he took over the 
chairmanship of this committee he wasted no time to make his mark:
  Chairman Hyde was instrumental in leading the charge to establish the 
Millennium Challenge Account to provide increased support for 
developing countries that are tackling corruption and instituting 
democratic reform and the rule of law. Henry always paid attention to 
the fine details in any discussion about the impact and effectiveness 
of United States foreign assistance; about public diplomacy, about 
dispute resolution and conflict situations.
  Chairman Hyde's oversight of the Oil-for-Food Investigation has been 
steady and determined. The United Nations Reform Act of 2005 
establishes a timetable for 46 specific reforms using U.S. dues 
payments as leverage for change.
  Henry has made massive contributions to the fight against HIV/AIDS, 
helping push forward commitments to invest $15 billion over next 5 
years to reduce infections from HIV/AIDS worldwide and provide 
lifesaving care and drugs to millions already infected.

  Microenterprise owners in some of the poorest countries around the 
world are benefiting from important legislation that Henry has 
advocated to make more efficient the U.S. foreign assistance programs 
that target loans and grant assistance for small enterprises.
  Henry's views on the Global War on Terrorism have been instructive 
and reassuring. He has steadfastly advocated key post-September 11th 
measures to improve how intelligence is gathered and managed, to 
tighten identification infrastructure, root out terrorists from so-
called safe sanctuaries; and Henry has advocated much more proactive 
public diplomacy programs in the Muslim world. These are just a few of 
his contributions.
  Henry has also been a human rights defender, strong voice for freedom 
to every comer of the planet, from Burma and North Korea, to Haiti, 
Cuba, Iraq, Iran and Darfur. We have worked together on many key 
issues, and a recurring theme is the nexus between terrorism and drug 
trafficking in places like the Andean Region in South America, and the 
social degradation and violence that captures communities in vicious 
cycles. Together we have looked for innovative ways to break these 
cycles. I have enjoyed working with Henry immensely.
  Most recently I have listened carefully to Henry's public statements 
about rising powers like China and India, their management of the 
challenges of globalization, and how we can engage these rising powers 
in the areas of non-proliferation, economic security, and democratic 
institution building.
  Henry has been a tireless warrior and an inspiration to us all. As we 
pay tribute to our friend today, I want to add my voice and say Thank 
you Henry.

                     Other Biographical Information


                               Education

       Graduated 1942, St. George High School, Evanston, Illinois

[[Page H3493]]

       B.S., 1947, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. (Also 
     attended Duke University, Durham, N.C.)
       J.D., 1949, Loyola University School of Law, Chicago, 
     Illinois
       Doctor of Laws (Hon.), St. Joseph's College, Standish, 
     Maine
       Doctor of Laws (Hon.), Allentown College, Center Valley, 
     Pennsylvania
       Doctor of Laws (Hon.), Campbell University, Buies Creek, 
     North Carolina
       Doctor of Laws (Hon.), University of Dallas, Dallas, Texas
       Doctor of Humane Letters (Hon.), Illinois Benedictine 
     College, Lisle, Illinois
       Doctor of Humanities (Hon.), Lewis University, Romeoville, 
     Illinois
       Director of Public Administration (Hon.), Midwest College 
     of Engineering, Lombard, Illinois
       Associate in Arts (Hon.), Triton College, River Grove, 
     Illinois


                            Military Service

       Enlisted U.S. Navy, November 11, 1942
       Attended Navy V-12 Program at Duke University and Notre 
     Dame University, 1943-44, Midshipman's School, 1944
       Commissioned Ensign, USNR, October, 1944, and served in 
     South Pacific, New Guinea and in combat in the Philippines 
     until August 1946
       Served in the U.S. Naval Reserve, 1946-68; retired at the 
     rank of Commander, after serving as officer in charge, U.S. 
     Naval Intelligence Reserve Unit, Chicago


                              Professional

       Admitted to Illinois Bar, January 9, 1950, and entered 
     private practice specializing in litigation
       Past President of Trial Lawyers Club of Chicago
       Past Chairman, Illinois Crime Investigating Commission


                           Awards and Honors

       National D-Day Museum's American Spirit Medallion, 2004
       Great Defender of Life Award, the Human Life Foundation, 
     2003
       Chairman's Award, the DuPage County Workforce Board, 2003
       True Blue Award, the Family Research Council, 2003
       Friend of the Year, Marklund Children's Home, 2000
       Life: the Choice for a New Millennium Award, Georgetown 
     University Council of the Knights of Columbus, 2000
       Michael Kuhn Award, National Hemophilia Foundation, 1999
       Statesmanship Award, Claremont Institute, 1999
       Sword of Loyola for Service to Country, Respect for Life, 
     and Leadership in Government, Stritch School of Medicine of 
     Loyola University, 1995
       Catholic American of the Year, Catholic Campaign for 
     America, 1994
       Watchdog of the Treasury Award, annually from 1975 to 
     present. Given to legislators for their votes to curb federal 
     spending.
       Guardian of Small Business, given annually by the National 
     Federation of Independent Business for voting record on 
     issues important to America's small and family-owned 
     businesses
       Grace Caucus Award, Citizens Against Government Waste
       Sound Dollar Award, Free Congress Foundation
       National Security Leadership Award, Disabled American 
     Veterans
       Distinguished Service Award, Disabled American Veterans
       Alumni Medal of Excellence, Loyola University School of Law
       Distinguished Citizens Citation, Creighton University, 
     Omaha, Nebraska

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