[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 25, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1343]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            SESQUICENTENNIAL OF THE CITY OF RIPON, WISCONSIN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. THOMAS E. PETRI

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 25, 2008

  Mr. PETRI. Madam Speaker, on March 20, 2008, the City of Ripon, 
Wisconsin, celebrated the 150th anniversary of its being granted a city 
charter by the State of Wisconsin in 1858. The sesquicentennial of 
Ripon's chartering will be officially observed this summer at an annual 
community celebration called ``Riponfest,'' which attracts thousands of 
visitors to the city to participate in a weekend of events recognizing 
everything that is best about this outstanding community in the heart 
of Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District.
  Ripon, of course, is best known as ``the Birthplace of the Republican 
Party.'' According to the Wisconsin State Historical Society, ``the 
first mass meeting in this country that definitely and positively cut 
loose from old parties and advocated a new party under the name 
Republican'' took place on March 20, 1854, in the ``Little White School 
House'' in Ripon.
  I am pleased that a number of my colleagues have had the opportunity 
over the years to visit the Little White School House in Ripon. This 
site, which is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, was 
recently restored thanks to the generosity of the Jeffris Family 
Foundation of Janesville, Wisconsin, which provided a challenge grant 
matched by funds raised by the dedicated and hardworking citizens of 
Ripon. They recognize the historical significance of this important 
site and the value of maintaining it so that it may be visited and 
enjoyed by future generations.
  Ripon always has maintained a heritage of active citizenship and has 
been the home of a number of nationally recognized leaders, including 
George Peck, nationally beloved author of the Peck's Bad Boy books and 
Governor of Wisconsin; Harry Selfridge, founder of Selfridge's 
Department Store in London and the man who revolutionized retail 
commerce through the creation of the modern department store; Carrie 
Chapman Catt, a leader of the women's suffrage movement who organized 
the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution and founded the 
League of Women Voters; Winifred Edgerton, the first woman in the 
country to earn a PhD in mathematics; Ben Marcus, whose nationwide 
empire of cinema complexes, hotels, and restaurants began with the 
Campus Cinema in Ripon; and Mark Conrad who, when elected mayor of 
Ripon in 1972 while still attending college, became the youngest mayor 
in the Nation.
  For one hundred and fifty-seven years, Ripon has been the home of 
Ripon College, a nationally recognized quality liberal arts 
institution. For over one hundred and fifty years, Ripon has also 
valued its citizens with entrepreneurial spirit and vision who have 
given rise to the many businesses that continue to thrive there.
  Given its rich history and regional significance, Ripon has been a 
leader among Wisconsin communities in the preservation of the historic 
architecture, artifacts, and documentary records related to the city's 
character and development.
  I hope you will all join me in congratulating Ripon, Wisconsin, on 
the 150th anniversary of its chartering as a city by the State of 
Wisconsin.

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