[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 98 (Monday, July 24, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H5662]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE LATE CONGRESSMAN TOM MANTON

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 5 
minutes.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from New 
York is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, Tom Manton was not only a great guy, but for 
those of us who have been involved in politics, as I said earlier, he 
truly was a politician's politician. You did not have to ask a question 
and hear a lot of arguments that you did not understand. Tom would give 
you a straight answer and save you a lot of time.
  But if there was a book written about great Americans or, even more 
importantly, great New Yorkers and great Americans, Tom Manton really 
would fit in that profile.
  His parents came to the United States from Ireland, and Tom followed 
the course of not only being a United States Marine but being a 
dedicated police officer. After that he continued to serve for 14 years 
in the New York City Council and then succeeded Geraldine Ferraro in 
the House of Representatives.
  All of these things are careers in and of themselves. But to be 
prepared to be the Democratic county leader of the diverse county that 
Queens represents really takes an exceptional person, and Tom was just 
that. So many people have spoken about the opportunities that he has 
given not only to African Americans, Jews, and gentiles, but the 
multiracial composition of that great county which we all in the City 
of New York love, to be able to reach out and to find qualified 
candidates and to support them so that in Albany and in the city 
council, that great county would have representatives that are elected 
really takes the wand of a magician who recognizes that he, too, came 
from a community, from a family that were strangers at one time to the 
United States and especially to New York.
  I had a very special relationship with Tom when he was in the city 
council. I enjoyed working with him in the Congress. And even when he 
became a county leader, he still would reach over the rivers, over the 
bridges, to find out how he could put together tickets for the city 
council and bring about some degree of harmony so that, instead of 
having fights within the Democratic Party, he would find out how could 
we put together a package which all the boroughs could agree?
  I enjoyed working with him. I would want to thank his beautiful wife, 
Diane, and the members of his family, for sharing this great New Yorker 
and this great American with us.
  Our prayers and support will be with you.

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