[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 153 (Wednesday, October 21, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10648-S10650]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RELATIVE TO THE DEATH OF CLIFFORD PETER HANSEN, FORMER UNITED STATES 
                    SENATOR FOR THE STATE OF WYOMING

  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, it is with a great deal of sadness that 
Senator Barrasso and Representative Lummis and I inform our colleagues 
that we have lost one of our good friends and a former Member of this 
body, Clifford P. Hansen.
  Cliff Hansen passed away on Tuesday night at the age of 97. His was, 
in every sense, a truly remarkable life. He was a man to match his 
mountains. He came from the shadow of the Tetons. If you have ever been 
there, you know that when God made the Alps he had a couple left over 
and he took the biggest ones and he put them in Wyoming, and that is 
where Jackson Hole is.

  Times such as these always draw me to the words of the Bible which 
remind us that ``to everything there is a season, a time for every 
purpose under heaven.'' So it is with all of us. Each role we play, 
each task we are called to perform is another time for us, another 
season in our lives.
  As has often been said, Cliff Hansen was Wyoming through and through, 
a favorite son of the West who knew and understood our western way of 
life better than anyone else. He knew it because he lived it and he 
lived it each and every day.
  Cliff Hansen lived most of his life in the Jackson Hole area--all of 
his life, except the time he was providing public service. He was born 
at the base of the Tetons and he lived a life in which he stood as tall 
and as proud in his support of Wyoming as those magnificent mountains. 
His parents were homesteaders and from them he learned the importance 
of working hard for what you believe in and always giving it your best. 
It was a philosophy that suited him well. A lot of people don't know 
that as a child he was a stutterer, but he had a phenomenal teacher who 
worked with him, put rocks in his mouth. He attributed his success at 
oratory to her help through those years.
  A rancher by profession, Cliff spent the early part of his life 
working the

[[Page S10649]]

land and learning to appreciate what a tremendously important resource 
it was. For him, the land was a precious gift, a legacy that helped him 
establish himself as a rancher. As he tended the land, he also was 
working at the local level to address the issues of the day. But that 
kind of success wasn't enough for him. Determined to find something 
else he could do to help make a difference, he soon found his way to 
run for public office. He was a county commissioner and, as a part of 
that season, he served as Wyoming's Governor.
  There was a lot to be done, so Cliff rolled up his sleeves and got 
right to the tasks at hand. To help the people of our State, Cliff 
worked to lower the voting age from 21 to 18. To make life a little 
easier for our senior citizens, he supported increasing retirement pay 
for State employees. To help the next generation of our State's 
leaders, he helped increase funding for our schools and our education 
system.
  At that point, Cliff could have called it a day and returned to the 
ranch to sit back and enjoy reminiscing about all he had accomplished. 
Once again, it wasn't enough for Cliff. He still had some good ideas 
and an interest in getting things done. That great heart of his 
wouldn't let him quit. So it was back to the campaign trail and an 
offer he once again made to the people of Wyoming to serve them again 
and began another season in his life. This one resulted in a run for 
the Senate and a defeat of a very popular Democrat on the way, Teno 
Roncalio.
  In the Senate, Cliff served on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, the 
Finance Committee, and the Special Committee on Aging. At each post, 
amid every opportunity, Cliff always had his eye on Wyoming and how he 
could best be of service to the people back home. He focused on issues 
such as reservoir projects, recreation and wilderness areas, and making 
sure we were good stewards of the Federal Treasury. He kept spending 
under control.
  He also made a major change for Wyoming. In the early days, the 
States got about 37.5 percent royalty on minerals and he was able to 
raise that, with the help of a lot of his fellow Senators, working 
across the aisle, to 50 percent. When he got that passed, it was at the 
time that Gerald Ford was the President and the Chief of Staff was a 
Wyoming boy named Dick Cheney. Dick Cheney had to initiate a call to 
Cliff Hansen and let him know the President had some bad news for him.
  At that point Dick Cheney put President Ford on the phone and the 
President said, I have some bad news for you, Cliff. I am going to have 
to veto that bill.
  Cliff Hansen said, I have some bad news for you. I am going to find 
the votes to override it, and he did.
  It has been a great boon to our State.
  While Cliff was serving in the Senate, I was serving as president of 
the Wyoming Jaycees. Diana and I were in Washington to meet with him. 
He invited us to the Senate dining room for breakfast. It was a great 
thrill for Diana and me to have a chance to meet with a Senator. We 
will never forget how it was to be in that dining room with this good 
person who turned out to be a trusted and valued friend. It was also my 
first encounter with grits. I found they taste as the name suggests.
  Although Cliff had every reason to be proud of what he had achieved 
at every stage of his life, he would always be the first to say that he 
could never have done it alone. Fortunately, he didn't have to, for 
when he returned to Jackson Hole after graduating from college he 
married a very special woman, Martha. I have to tell you, her dad was a 
little bit skeptical. He said, This guy comes from the valley that is 
known as the safe harbor for horse thieves. Well, it happened, it 
stuck, and they started a wonderful love story that would last forever. 
It is an adage that love is stronger than anything that comes to us in 
life. Cliff and Martha will be forever great examples of that and their 
story of life and love that lasted 75 years.
  Diana and I always enjoyed seeing them together for they were the 
epitome of a great marriage. Cliff had a warm, engaging personality, he 
was full of life, and he had a smile that reflected the genuine 
happiness and contentment that he found in his life and in his family. 
Martha, by his side, was a kind and gracious woman. With her support 
and encouragement, Cliff had a tremendous asset in his life and in his 
political career. She also helped to keep him grounded. I remember one 
of the stories he often told of coming back from one of the Washington-
type gala events where he had been presented an award as legislator of 
the year, one of 535 people to receive this award. As he was driving 
home he was reflecting and saying, Martha, how many truly recognized 
people are there in this world, she quickly said, One less than you 
think. It is a lesson that he always kept.
  I am pleased with the number of calls and e-mails we have had from 
former staff members. His staff counsel mentioned the kindness he 
always had, knowing the people who worked at the doors and the 
elevators, and at that time there were a lot of them who worked in the 
elevators. But one time he was waiting outside the Chamber door for him 
to come for a vote and he was getting a little worried that the vote 
was going to run out, so he went looking for him and found that he was 
helping a lady in a wheelchair up some of the steps so she could get 
into the building. It was just the kind of thing he would do, go out of 
his way to help out.
  When I arrived in the Senate, Cliff and Martha became role models for 
Diana and me. They blazed a trail together and we learned a good deal 
from watching how they did it. Diana and I weren't the only ones to 
learn from Cliff. One thing that so many of us will always remember 
about him was his love for teaching the next generation about Wyoming's 
heritage and our land, our agricultural industry, an aspect so 
important to our State's economy that it is noted on our State seal.
  Cliff was very proud of the training arena that was established at 
his alma mater, the University of Wyoming, in his name. He went there 
often to visit the College of Agriculture and to meet with the 
students. Cliff knew full well that the future of our State could be 
measured by how well we took care of our State's land and he was 
determined that those who were to follow would have a sense of great 
responsibility with which they had been entrusted.
  Cliff understood the importance of everything he had been given in 
life, from the greatest of resources to the smallest of everyday 
things. I remember hearing a story from his grandson that I can't tell 
as well as his grandson, but I am going to make an attempt at anyway. 
He was doing something called straightening nails with his grandson and 
some of his grandson's friends. For those of you who don't know about 
straightening a nail, you take a nail that is bent that you pull out of 
some piece of wood and as you pull it, you bend it. He had a coffee can 
full of those and he had an empty coffee can, and he would take one of 
the bent nails, put it on a board and tap it with a hammer and then 
examine it to see if it was straight. His grandson and the other boys 
who were there said, Why are you going to all that work? Why don't you 
just go buy some new nails?

  He said, How much is this costing me? The answer was, Nothing.
  While he was doing this, this tapping away on these nails, Martha 
came to the door of their house and said, You have a call, Cliff. You 
have a call on the telephone here. Well, he kept tapping away on the 
nails, tapping away on the nails. Pretty quickly she came back and she 
said, Cliff, it is the President of the United States. So he got up and 
he went in the house and took the phone call. A few minutes later he 
was back out there tapping away on the nails, tapping away on the 
nails. His grandson was excited and wanted to know what that was all 
about and asked him: What did the President want?
  Cliff said, The President wanted me to be the Secretary of Interior; 
tap, tap, tap; tap, tap, tap. I said, No; tap, tap, tap; tap, tap, tap. 
He was a man who knew what he wanted to do and what he needed to do and 
could be totally absorbed in whatever he was doing.
  There are a lot of stories like that one. Cliff cherished the simpler 
days and the simpler ways of life. He also appreciated the benefits 
that would come from technology and innovation and how they would 
improve cattle and crop production. Technology and innovation, however, 
could never replace

[[Page S10650]]

the basic ideals of working hard, being of good character, and always 
keeping your word. Those were things that could never be compromised. 
He has left us all with a great legacy that will continue to inspire 
and encourage others to follow the path he leaves behind.
  With the passing of Cliff Hansen, the political landscape and 
everyday life in Jackson Hole, WY, the West, and the United States has 
changed. Wyoming has been blessed to have enjoyed a great history full 
of remarkable and colorful leaders in every sense of the word who have 
helped to settle this Nation, tame the West, and bring the United 
States to the position of greatness and power it enjoys today. We owe a 
lot to the great people of our past such as Cliff Hansen. Thanks to 
them, our Nation and the world is a better place for us all to live.
  Now this season of his life has come to an end. The season he was 
born has led to this season when he has died. Everyone who knew him 
will carry with them a special memory of his life and how the 
experience of knowing Cliff changed them forever for the better. He was 
a great gift in our lives and the lives of people all across the 
country who may never have known him but enjoyed the benefits of his 
labors. His great calling was to be a teacher and he taught us all a 
great deal about life by how he lived his own. So much of my State 
bears his mark for his having passed by. He will be greatly missed for 
who and what he was. He will never be forgotten for what he 
accomplished during his 97 years of life.
  Diana and all the Enzis and our delegation send our deepest sympathy, 
our great appreciation, and our love to Martha and all the family. You 
will be in our thoughts and prayers.
  I thank the Chair and yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming is recognized.
  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I join Senator Enzi today on the floor 
to share with our colleagues the profound sorrow that is felt all 
across the State of Wyoming today as we mourn the death of a western 
American icon and a former Member of this body, the Senate.
  Cliff Hansen, Senator, Wyoming Governor, died last night, October 20, 
at home at his ranch in Jackson Hole, WY. He was 97 years old. He was 
at the time of his death the oldest living former Member of the Senate, 
a career and a life that spanned nearly a century of American history. 
But it wasn't the length of time he spent on this Earth that makes his 
life so unique and so meaningful to all of us who knew him and who 
respected him. It would be difficult to tell the story of Wyoming 
without also describing the life and the time of Cliff Hansen. They are 
intertwined, a pioneer State and its patriarch.
  If it is true, as many people say, that Wyoming is what America was, 
Cliff Hansen is the independent spirit, the rugged cowboy who made her 
great. My wife Bobbi and I wish to offer our deepest condolences to the 
Hansen and the Mead families, to his beloved Martha, especially, his 
wife, as Senator Enzi said, of over 75 years. Just last month they 
celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary. She was with him to the end.
  Cliff Hansen is a legendary Wyoming figure, but to his family he was 
a dedicated husband, father, a special grandfather and great-
grandfather, and someone who will be terribly missed.
  He was born October 16, 1912. Prior to graduating from the University 
of Wyoming, he worked for his parents on a cattle ranch in Teton 
County. It was there we can presume that Cliff Hansen learned the 
manner and the skills that would take him from Wyoming to Washington 
and back.
  In 1962, Hansen was elected Governor of Wyoming. He served for 4 
years. He believed he could do more for the people of Wyoming in 
Washington than he could in Cheyenne. So he then ran and won a seat in 
the Senate and was reelected by an overwhelming margin in 1972.
  These simple dates hardly tell the story. Cliff Hansen was Wyoming's 
John Wayne--a proud, commonsense cowboy who spoke to the hearts and the 
minds of a great State.
  As we have the opportunity to reflect more on Governor Hansen's 
passing, to hear, as well, from his family, there will be much more to 
say and remember about his extraordinary legacy. But today, on the news 
of his passing to the Kingdom of Heaven--a phrase he used with great 
reverence--I want to make sure his friends and his colleagues know that 
God accepts home a great man today.
  To his wife Martha, his son Pete Hansen, his grandsons Matt and Brad 
and their families, his granddaughter Muffy, the Nation, and Wyoming 
send you our heartfelt condolences. We hope you and your family are 
comforted by his strength of character, his convictions, and his grace 
as a truly great man.
  I speak today for thousands--for tens of thousands--of people who 
knew and who loved Cliff Hansen--all that he stood for, all that he 
today represents that is good about our Nation, the West, and Cliff's 
beloved Wyoming.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming.
  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, on behalf of our entire delegation, I ask 
unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate 
consideration of S. Res. 315, submitted earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant bill clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 315) relative to the death of 
     Clifford Peter Hansen, former United States Senator for the 
     State of Wyoming.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider 
be laid upon the table en bloc, and that any statements relating to the 
resolution be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 315) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 315

       Whereas Cliff Hansen worked as a cattle rancher and was 
     inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame as a ``Great 
     Westerner;''
       Whereas Cliff Hansen served as governor of the State of 
     Wyoming from 1963-1967;
       Whereas Cliff Hansen served the people of Wyoming with 
     distinction in the United States Senate from 1967-1978; and
       Whereas Cliff Hansen was the oldest former Senator at the 
     time of his death: Now, therefore be it
       Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow 
     and deep regret the announcement of the death of the 
     Honorable Cliff Hansen, former member of the United States 
     Senate.
       Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate communicate 
     these resolutions to the House of Representatives and 
     transmit an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the 
     deceased.
       Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns today, it stand 
     adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the 
     Honorable Cliff Hansen.

  Mr. ENZI. I thank the Chair. I thank my colleague for his outstanding 
comments.

                          ____________________