[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 113 (Wednesday, September 13, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S9504]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO MONROE SWEETLAND

 Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to the life of 
Monroe Sweetland--a visionary, a patriot, a statesman, and the father 
of the modern Democratic Party of Oregon. Monroe passed away Sunday, 
September 10, at the age of 96, having lived a very full life in 
pursuit of a better Oregon and a better Nation.
  An Oregon native, Monroe was born in Salem in 1910. After attending 
law school, he returned to Oregon, and, following the Second World War, 
he worked tirelessly on behalf of the Democratic Party of Oregon, 
rebuilding the party from the ashes. Monroe was a strong Democrat, a 
proud partisan who stood with his party not out of any desire for 
influence or power but out of a belief in the values espoused. He 
seemed to know instinctively that if the party was strong in its 
values, then electoral success would follow. And on that basis, he 
worked to rebuild our party from the ground up.
  A tireless worker on behalf of others' campaigns, he also held 
elected office, serving for 10 years in the State legislature, first as 
a member of the Oregon House of Representatives and then as a member of 
the Oregon Senate. Prior to that, in 1948, he was elected to the 
Democratic National Committee.
  Given his strong partisan politics, some might think his most notable 
feat was converting U.S. Senator Wayne Morse, whose seat I now hold, to 
the Democratic Party--helping Senator Morse to see the light, as it 
were. But Monroe considered the passage of the Bilingual Education Act 
of 1968, a product of his work at the National Education Association, 
his most important accomplishment. What I will remember most about 
Monroe is the way he lived: his boundless optimism, his energy to get 
things done and his smile that would warm even the coldest room.
  When I spoke with Monroe a few weeks ago, he was still the activist 
we all knew so well. The last thing we discussed was the November 2006 
elections, and, since Monroe was constitutionally incapable of being 
anything other than optimistic, he did not want to discuss what-ifs 
about the outcome of the election; he only wanted to talk about the 
good that the Democratic Party will accomplish when it wins back the 
majority in Congress this fall.
  Oregon and the Nation are better for having had Monroe Sweetland in 
the world. For 96 years, we were blessed with his presence on this 
small planet. Although life seems a little dimmer without him, I know 
my life is better for having known him.
  I know Monroe is in heaven, and if I had to guess, I would say it is 
likely he is up there right now organizing the angels for further good 
deeds. Nothing on this Earth slowed him down and I don't expect that to 
change now that he has gone ahead to a better place.
  A giant of politics in our State, and an even greater human being, 
Monroe will be sorely missed by all who knew him, and even more sorely 
missed, though they may never know it, by those who never had that 
opportunity.

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