[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 121 (Thursday, July 26, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1631-E1632]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     IN COMMEMORATION OF THE MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE'S 250TH BIRTHDAY 
                    CELEBRATION IN FAYETTEVILLE, NC

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                           HON. MIKE McINTYRE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 26, 2007

  Mr. McINTYRE. Madam Speaker, on behalf of the citizens of 
Fayetteville, NC, I rise today to pay tribute to their upcoming 
celebration on September 6-8 in honor of Marquis de Lafayette. 
Fayetteville, the first City in the United States named for Lafayette, 
will rightly celebrate Lafayette's 250th birthday with great 
celebration and splendor. In honor of this special time, I am entering 
into the Congressional Record this special tribute which details the 
relationship between Fayetteville and Lafayette. Happy Birthday to 
Lafayette and congratulations to the City of Fayetteville, NC!

       Marquis de Lafayette, born on September 6, 1757, is 
     considered a national hero in both France and the United 
     States for his participation in the American and French 
     Revolutions, and is one of only six Honorary Citizens of the 
     United States, and whose portrait, along with that of our 
     first President George Washington, hangs in this very 
     chamber.
       Lafayette served heroically and with distinction during the 
     American Revolution both as a general and as a diplomat, 
     offering his services as an unpaid volunteer.

[[Page E1632]]

       Lafayette's first battle in the American Revolution was at 
     Brandywine, where he fought courageously and was wounded; he 
     also served with distinction in various other engagements 
     including the surrender of the British army at Yorktown.
       In 1783 the two colonial villages of Cross Creek and 
     Campbellton were merged by the and named Fayetteville, North 
     Carolina--the first city in the United States named for 
     Lafayette--and the only one named for him that he actually 
     visited.
       In 1789, the General Assembly and Constitutional Convention 
     met in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where delegates ratified 
     the United States Constitution, chartered the University of 
     North Carolina, and ceded the state's western lands to form 
     the state of Tennessee.
       During Lafayette's tour of the United States as ``The Guest 
     of the Nation,'' he was entertained in Fayetteville on the 
     4th and 5th of March, 1825, by the leading citizens of the 
     state and community, including Governor Hutchins G. Burton.
       Upon the death of Lafayette in 1834, the City of 
     Fayetteville held a large memorial service and eloquent 
     eulogium on his character and services.
       Upon the bi-centennial of the naming of Fayetteville in 
     1983, the Lafayette Society and General Lafayette's great-
     great grandson, The Count Rene de Chambrun, unveiled a statue 
     of General Lafayette in the Downtown Historic District.
       The city of Fayetteville, North Carolina, will have three 
     days of celebration, September 6-8, 2007, to the 250th 
     birthday of its namesake Marquis de Lafayette.
       The great City of Fayetteville is to be commended for 
     honoring this great national hero and is ``Where North 
     Carolina Celebrates Lafayette's Birthday.''

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