[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 59 (Monday, April 26, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E644]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN HONOR OF CONGRESSMAN BOB FRANKS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. SCOTT GARRETT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 21, 2010

  Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
life and service of former Congressman Bob Franks. Bob heard the call 
to serve the State he loved, and did so faithfully, throughout his 
illustrious career. Congressman Robert Douglas Franks was born on 
September 21, 1951. It is true that until Bob was taken away from us, 
following a hard-fought battle with cancer, he still served the people 
of New Jersey as the President of the Health Care Institute of New 
Jersey . . . a position he loved as much for the work he was doing, as 
for the time he could spend with his close-knit family.
  Bob's stellar career as a New Jersey Republican began very early on 
when he organized political movements such as the New Jersey Teenage 
Republicans. Bob was as principled as he was outspoken and he soon 
became a force to be reckoned with in New Jersey politics.
  Bob is widely considered to be the primary catalyst behind the New 
Jersey Republican resurgence in the 1990s. However, he is equally as 
well-known for his willingness to be bipartisan--especially in working 
with former political rivals. Bob's wisdom and grace far outpaced his 
age and it could not be more true that this loss is felt deeply across 
party lines.
  His influence in New Jersey is well-known and stands as a testament 
to the best aspects of elected office. An ardent supporter of voluntary 
term-limits, Bob practiced what he preached and left Congress after 4 
dedicated terms. His desire to serve our State was unfaltering.
  Bob is not only survived by his adoring family, but by a State that 
remains thankful for his years of devoted service as well as a Congress 
of peers who will remember him as a man of conviction and principle.

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