[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 106 (Thursday, June 28, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8685-S8686]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING SENATOR CRAIG THOMAS

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, Senator Craig Thomas was a very good 
friend. He served in the Senate with great honor and respect for the 
institution.
  I got to know Senator Thomas best through the work of the Finance 
Committee. Senator Thomas was an active and dedicated participant in 
the business of the committee from tax policy, to health care, Social 
Security and international trade. When I was chairman of the committee, 
I could always count on his diligent, steadfast and

[[Page S8686]]

valuable involvement in the issues before us. I appreciated greatly his 
commitment to conservative principles and the responsibilities of 
governing.
  In particular, as chairman of the Trade Subcommittee, Senator Thomas 
was a strong voice for opening new markets and opportunities for U.S. 
exports. He went above and beyond and engaged himself fully in efforts 
to achieve ambitious outcomes from trade negotiations. He demonstrated 
his commitment time and again with his own personal time and his 
personal resolve.
  Senator Thomas was a true representative for his Wyoming 
constituents. He worked hard and sincerely for their good and for the 
good of our Nation every day. He will be missed so very much. Barbara 
and I extend our sincere and deep sympathies to his family and his 
staff.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I seek recognition to honor the life of 
my colleague, Senator Craig Thomas.
  Craig, a real outdoorsman, would say he enjoyed nothing more than a 
horseback ride through Wyoming's spectacular wilderness area. Despite 
that, he found himself here in Washington, DC, working for the 
betterment of his Home State and the Nation. He was outspoken on 
government's need to provide adequate funding for national parks, a 
subject he knew well as chairman and ranking member of the National 
Parks Subcommittee on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
  Senator Thomas was also a strong defender of his State's cattle 
industry and was a firm believer in the virtues of rural America. This 
passion stems back to his time at the University of Wyoming, where he 
received a degree in animal husbandry. Senator Thomas also served as an 
officer in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1955 to 1959, achieving the rank 
of captain, an experience that taught discipline and reinforced his 
commitment to the United States.
  Before Craig came to Congress, he served as vice president of the 
Wyoming Farm Bureau, and once headed the rural electric trade 
association of Wyoming. After 5 years in the Wyoming House, Thomas won 
a special election to replace Dick Cheney, who was appointed to be 
Secretary of Defense. As Wyoming's lone Member in the U.S. House of 
Representatives, he had the responsibility of representing over 450,000 
constituents. Craig was reelected to that seat in 1990 and 1992, a 
testament to his ability to serve the people of Wyoming effectively. In 
1994, he ran for the U.S. Senate and won, defeating popular Democratic 
Governor Mike Sullivan by 20 percentage points. He was elected to a 
second term in 2000 with a 74 percent majority, one of the largest 
margins in Wyoming election history. He was reelected to a third term 
in 2006 with 70 percent of the vote.
  Senator Thomas had no doubts about who he was or what he represented. 
He was not one to pick a fight, but if asked how he felt about a given 
issue, he would be sure to give his typically candid and honest 
response. When it came to issues he was passionate about, such as 
public lands and private property, he left little doubt as to his 
priorities. As a member of the Senate Energy Committee, and 
particularly in his leadership of the National Parks Subcommittee, 
Craig asked tough questions and made strong statements about the 
responsibility of the Federal Government to care for the land it 
already owned; the fundamental nature of private property rights; and 
Congress's need to consider the interplay between these principles when 
contemplating new national parks or historic sites. He was always a 
fair broker, and I found on many occasions that he would give my 
priorities fair consideration and due process.
  I very much regret that Senator Thomas lost his battle to cancer. In 
1970, President Nixon declared war on cancer. Had that war been 
prosecuted with the same diligence as other wars, my former chief of 
staff, Carey Lackman, a beautiful young lady of 48, would not have died 
of breast cancer. One of my very best friends, a very distinguished 
Federal judge, Chief Judge Edward R. Becker, would not have died of 
prostate cancer. All of us know people who have been stricken by 
cancer, who have been incapacitated with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's, 
who have been victims of heart disease, or many other maladies. I 
sustained an episode with Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer 2 years ago. That 
trauma, that illness, I think, could have been prevented had that war 
on cancer declared by the President of the United States in 1970 been 
prosecuted with sufficient intensity.
  On a personal level, Senator Thomas had an extraordinary relationship 
with his wife Susan. As many of my colleagues can attest, Craig and 
Susan were quite inseparable and quick with humor. Even as Craig 
battled with acute myeloid leukemia he continued to serve in the Senate 
with extreme vigor and a smile. He leaves behind many friends and 
admirers, who have tried to emulate his courage, his tenacity, and his 
integrity.
  I extend my deepest condolences to Susan, their four children, the 
whole Thomas family, and his very able staff.
  Mrs. DOLE. Mr. President, it is with a heavy heart that I join so 
many Americans in mourning the passing of my dear friend and esteemed 
colleague, Senator Craig Thomas. Craig served the people of Wyoming 
with great integrity, honesty, and common sense. He was a true American 
patriot and dedicated public servant who never failed to put the best 
interests of his beloved state and country above personal ambitions.
  Craig came from humble beginnings, working summers on his family's 
dude ranch near Yellowstone National Park. He earned a degree from the 
University of Wyoming, where he was a respected student and 
accomplished athlete, and from there he went on to serve in the U.S. 
Marine Corps. It was these life experiences that taught Craig the 
values of hard work, perseverance, and personal responsibility. These 
principles guided him throughout his remarkable career, during which he 
worked for the Wyoming Farm Bureau, the American Farm Bureau, and the 
Wyoming Rural Electric Association before winning a special election to 
the U.S. House of Representatives.
  In 1994, Craig was elected to the U.S. Senate, and went on to make 
his mark in a number of areas. He served with distinction on the 
Energy, Finance, and Agriculture Committees--posts he used to promote 
issues important to his constituents in the rural west and their 
quality of life. As the chairman of the National Parks Subcommittee, 
Craig worked tirelessly to protect America's natural treasures, and as 
the co-chairman of the Senate Rural Health Caucus, he made significant 
strides in improving rural health care infrastructure. No question, 
Craig's numerous accomplishments truly speak volumes about his 
commitment to the people of Wyoming and our entire Nation.
  Craig's greatest commitment, however, was to his family. He was 
unwavering in his devotion to his dear wife Susan and his children 
Peter, Patrick, Greg, and Lexie. My husband Bob and I are blessed to 
have known and worked with Craig, and we keep Susan and the entire 
Thomas family in our thoughts and prayers.
  Craig's memory and legacy indeed live on, across Wyoming, throughout 
the halls of Congress, in the countless lives he touched, and in the 
public servants who follow in his footsteps. Our Nation is grateful for 
his many years of service and positive contributions. May God bless the 
entire Thomas family in this time of sorrow, and may God continue to 
bless his beloved Wyoming and this great land of the free--America.

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