[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 127 (Thursday, September 10, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2235]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING SUFFOLK COUNTY LEGISLATOR JOHN J. FOLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. TIMOTHY H. BISHOP

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 10, 2009

  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor former 
Suffolk County Legislator John J. Foley, who passed away this week at 
the age of 90.
  Mr. Foley served from 1976 to 1993 in the Suffolk County legislature, 
longer than any other Democrat. Before this, he served on the 
Brookhaven Town board from 1959 to 1967. In office and out, he fought 
to improve health care, education, and the environment in order to make 
life better for the Long Island residents he represented.
  He was succeeded in the legislature by his son, Brian X. Foley, who 
said that his father's personal creed was ``people not politics.'' 
Today, Brian carries on his father's work as a member of the New York 
State Senate.
  A man of strong personal faith, John Foley believed that every person 
had dignity and sought to treat every person with respect. He believed 
that the government could play a positive role in the lives of 
individuals and communities.
  Mr. Foley earned the respected of colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle in New York as he fought to increase funding for open space, 
health centers, community college, mental health and services for the 
disabled. In the 1980s, he was a delegate to the White House Commission 
on Aging. In 1990, he led the effort to save the county infirmary and 
replace it with a modern $34-million nursing home, which was named in 
his honor. A strong supporter of education, he served for 25 years on 
the Eastern Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services and was a 
trustee of Suffolk Community College.
  John Foley served as a role model to me and so many others who have 
entered into public service. His voice will be sorely missed.
  My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, his sons Brian, Dennis 
and Michael, daughters Mary Ann Hughes and Patricia Kuhn, 12 
grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

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