[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 64 (Friday, April 20, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E811]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E811]]
          HONORING FORMER MINNESOTA GOVERNOR HAROLD E. STASSEN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM RAMSTAD

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 20, 2007

  Mr. RAMSTAD. Madam Speaker, April 13, 2007, marked the 100th 
anniversary of the birth of former Minnesota Governor Harold E. 
Stassen.
  I rise to pay tribute to the life of this remarkable Minnesotan and 
true patriot, who dedicated his life to serving our country.
  Born on a farm in West St. Paul, Minnesota, Harold Stassen graduated 
from law school and earned the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the ROTC 
by the age of 21. At just 22, he was elected Dakota County attorney, a 
position he held for 9 years.
  In 1938, Harold Stassen was elected Governor of Minnesota, taking 
office at the age of 31. He was the youngest person ever elected 
governor of any state, a distinction that lasts to this day. During his 
tenure, Harold Stassen was a visionary and creative leader.
  In his 1942 campaign for reelection, Governor Stassen said that if he 
was reelected, he would resign after the legislative session to join 
the U.S. Navy, saying, ``Our boys are fighting for the right of 
freedom, and I want to be with them.''
  As promised, following the 1943 legislative session he resigned as 
governor and joined the U.S. Navy on the Battleship USS Missouri in the 
Third Pacific Fleet. He was awarded three battle stars, led the Navy's 
POW evacuation program in Japan and was on duty on the main deck of the 
Missouri when the message came that the Japanese had surrendered. In 
fact, he entered the receipt of that historic message in the USS 
Missouri's log book.
  In February of 1945, President Roosevelt named Harold Stassen as one 
of eight members of the American delegation to the Founding Conference 
of the United Nations in San Francisco, where he was later named one of 
the two most influential people in drafting the United Nations Charter.
  Stassen later played a key role in convincing Dwight D. Eisenhower to 
run for the Republican nomination for President. Upon his election, 
Eisenhower appointed Stassen Director of Mutual Security, which carried 
a Cabinet rank and included all foreign operations, foreign aid, 
relief, military and assistance programs, distribution of arms and 
technical and educational assistance.
  As a member of President Eisenhower's Cabinet, Stassen was also 
active in implementing the 1955 Geneva Summit, for which he drafted the 
Arms Limitation and ``Open Skies'' proposals initiated by GEN James 
Doolittle and presented by President Eisenhower at the summit. Having 
experienced first-hand the horror of war, Stassen spent the remainder 
of his political and public life working for world peace.
  Harold E. Stassen dedicated his life to serving our country, both in 
the armed forces and as a public servant and elected official. The 
country is grateful for his meritorious contribution to the security 
and national interests of the United States and his long legacy of 
public service. He died 40 days short of turning 95, on March 4, 2002.

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