[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 25, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1352]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING CONGRESSWOMAN MARY T. NORTON ON THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
                        FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 25, 2008

  Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise 
today to honor Congresswoman Mary T. Norton of New Jersey on the 70th 
anniversary of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Congresswoman Norton was 
instrumental in passing the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938, 
legislation which has greatly impacted our labor history and our 
history as a Nation.
  Growing up, I attended an all-girls Catholic school called Lauralton 
Hall in Connecticut. Last year, I spoke with Lauralton's current 
president Barbara Griffin and discussed her research for a master's 
dissertation she wrote 25 years ago about Mary Norton--the first 
Democratic woman to serve in Congress and the first woman to chair a 
major committee in the House. A few weeks later, the dissertation 
showed up in my mailbox and I sat down with it over the holidays. After 
reading Barbara's dissertation, I was thoroughly impressed by Mary 
Norton. Her work laid the foundation that we are building on here 
today. And she did it all with a skillful blend of strength and 
compassion.
  Mary T. Norton led an extraordinary life. She began her social 
activism in Jersey City and quickly became the first woman member of 
the New Jersey Democratic State Committee. She was elected to the House 
of Representatives for the 12th Congressional District of New Jersey in 
1924, where she was the only woman in the House at that time who was 
not filling her husband's unexpired term and one of the first women to 
be elected to and serve in Congress. Norton served in the House until 
1951, for a total of 13 terms. During her time in Congress, Norton 
became the first woman to chair a major committee. In fact, she was 
head of three committees during her time in the House: Veterans' 
Affairs, District of Columbia, and Labor.
  One of the Congresswoman's most accomplished moments came while she 
was chair of the Labor Committee in 1938 when the House passed the Fair 
Labor Standards Act. Despite much opposition to what was at the time a 
controversial bill and despite the first version of the legislation 
being rejected, the House passed the final version of the legislation 
by a vote of 314 to 97. The Fair Labor Standards Act was later signed 
into law by President Roosevelt on June 25, 1938.
  The Fair Labor Standards Act plays a significant role in our labor 
history and our history as a Nation. It is the formative legislation 
for the labor rights that we today take for granted--minimum wage, 
overtime pay, and child labor laws--and greatly improved the quality of 
life for so many workers in our country. Congresswoman Norton was a 
champion for the American worker and played in integral role in passing 
this critical legislation that would shape our Nation for years to 
come.
  I urge my colleagues to stand with me to celebrate and honor the life 
and work of Congresswoman Mary T. Norton on the 70th anniversary of the 
Fair Labor Standards Act.

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