[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 95 (Wednesday, June 23, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H4728-H4731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MOMENT OF SILENCE HONORING THE PASSING OF FORMER REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS
LUDLOW ASHLEY
(Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute.)
Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, it is with a sad but grateful heart that I
rise today on behalf of my Ohio colleagues to inform the House that
Congressman Thomas Ludlow Ashley of Toledo, Ohio, passed from this life
on June 15, 2010.
Lud ably served in our Congress from 1955 to 1981, a career that
spanned a quarter century, after he returned home as a corporal in the
Army during World War II, serving in the Pacific theater.
As the Toledo Blade editorial reminds us, ``The late Senator Edward
Kennedy once said: 'Americans sleep in better housing today because of
Lud Ashley.''' As chair of the House Subcommittee on Housing and
Community Development, Lud led America in urban and small town
revitalization, improving our condition as a society a home and block
at a time. He voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and authored many
pieces of legislation to rebuild America following the civil rights
movement of that period.
In 1977, Mr. Ashley was selected by his beloved friend and Speaker,
Thomas ``Tip'' O'Neill, to lead the House in the first ad hoc Energy
Committee after the first Middle East oil embargo threw America into a
deep recession. As Speaker O'Neill said at the time, ``Lud has a
toughness and a never-say-die attitude, and who, when he was put on the
first team, could run with the ball.''
Born on January 11, 1923, in Toledo, Lud was raised on Robinwood
Avenue. He has been laid to rest nearby at Woodlawn Cemetery. He was
the great grandson of James Mitchell Ashley of Ohio, who served before
him from 1859-1869 and coauthored the 13th Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution outlawing slavery. In that tradition, Lud Ashley's legacy
was his abiding spirit of equal justice that moved civil rights forward
in the post-World War II era.
It is appropriate this Congress has honored both Congressmen in
passing legislation that named the Federal courthouse at Toledo forever
in their memory.
Our prayers go out to the Ashley family: to his daughter Lisa and
sons Meredith and his wife Monica, to Mark, brother Charles, sister-in-
law Gerry, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his
wife, Kathleen.
Our citizenry in the 9th Congressional District shall miss his great
intellect, dogged nature, and incredible sense of humor that lifted us
all to carry forward.
Thank you, Thomas Ludlow Ashley.
[From toledoBlade.com, June 16, 2010]
Congressman Known for Aiding Housing, Civil Rights Dies at 87
(By Mark Zaborney)
Thomas Ludlow ``Lud'' Ashley, a liberal Democrat who played
key roles in passing landmark civil rights, housing, and
anti-poverty legislation while representing Toledo in
Congress for more than a quarter century, died yesterday of
melanoma at his home in Leland, Mich. He was 87.
Mr. Ashley cut a large figure on national and local stages,
a genial good companion with a ready wit. He was colorful at
times but also a thoughtful, skilled legislator capable of
reconciling diverse interests to produce bills that would win
floor approval.
While a student at Yale University in the 1940s, he
befriended George H.W. Bush, and
[[Page H4729]]
the two remained close for more than 60 years. Yesterday,
former President Bush said in a statement that he and his
wife, Barbara, ``mourn the loss of a very close friend'' and
said Mr. Ashley ``might well have been my very best friend in
life.''
During Mr. Ashley's congressional tenure from 1955 to 1980,
he brought millions of dollars home to northwest Ohio.
On Capitol Hill, he was known as ``Mr. Housing,''
shepherding America's public-housing programs through
Congress in the 1960s and 1970s--including more than $15
million in public-housing units across Lucas County.
Through his efforts, Toledo was one of the first 30 cities
in which food stamps were distributed to the poor.
With more than $11 million he secured, the Port of Toledo
was dredged and improved, creating one of the nation's
leading ports.
``It seemed like when the city needed the money, Lud
would come through,'' Harry Kessler, Toledo's mayor from
1971-77 and now deceased, told The Blade in 1997.
Mr. Ashley's son Meredith, of Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J., said
yesterday that of all his father's Washington achievements,
the lawmaker was proudest of what he did to help Toledo.
``There was a lot of national legislation that Dad was
really proud of, but there was nothing he was more proud of
than scoring that $11 million grant for downtown Toledo,'' he
said.
Known universally as ``Lud,'' Mr. Ashley was the 26th man
to represent the 9th Congressional District in the House.
Until his defeat in 1980, he served the district longer than
anyone before him.
His great-grandfather James M. Ashley represented Toledo in
Congress from 1859-69 as a Republican, having left the
Democratic Party because of his anti-slavery beliefs.
The federal courthouse in downtown Toledo was named the
James M. and Thomas W. Ludlow Ashley United States Courthouse
by an act of Congress two years ago. President George W. Bush
signed the measure, which had been sponsored by U.S. Rep.
Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo), in a private White House ceremony,
and the official renaming was held in Toledo on June 3, less
than two weeks ago.
Miss Kaptur, who with her re-election in 2008 surpassed Lud
Ashley's record for representing Toledo the longest in
Congress, said yesterday that ``Lud Ashley gave true meaning
to the term `public servant.' He followed admirably in the
footsteps of his abolitionist great-grandfather, James,
putting his genius to work in another tumultuous time and
helping pass the momentous 1964 Civil Rights Act.''
James Ashley's co-authorship of the 13th Amendment, which
abolished slavery, and his great-grandson's work on the
Housing and Community Development Acts of 1974 and 1977
``reflect the Ashley family's place in history on the scales
of justice and equality for all people,'' Miss Kaptur said.
Mr. Ashley had been a resident in recent years of Leland,
Mich., near Traverse City, but noted in 2008 that his great-
grandfather chose to settle in Toledo.
``It's where he was buried, and where I'm going to be
buried,'' Mr. Ashley told The Blade. ``Toledo's home.''
Mr. Ashley was first elected to Congress in 1954, defeating
incumbent Frazier Reams, Sr., an independent, in a three-way
race. He proved a redoubtable vote-getter over the years,
dispatching some of the best opponents the Republican Party
could muster.
He rose to a position of leadership in the House of
Representatives, becoming a close ally and personal friend of
House Speaker Thomas P. ``Tip'' O'Neill, Jr.
In 1977, Mr. O'Neill named Mr. Ashley chairman of a special
committee created to handle a package of bills submitted by
President Jimmy Carter to deal with the energy crisis.
When energy legislation cleared Congress more than a year
later, Mr. O'Neill sent Mr. Ashley a letter of praise.
``Somebody said that it couldn't be done, but they didn't
know that Tip O'Neill had a friend who had knowledge,
ability, toughness, and a never-say-die attitude, and who,
when he was put on the first team, could run with the ball,''
the House Speaker wrote.
There were other instances of political courage.
In 1959, more than a decade before President Richard
Nixon's landmark visit to the People's Republic of China, Mr.
Ashley was one of two House members to openly support that
nation's admission to the United Nations.
In 1961, he was one of only six congressmen who voted to
cut off funds for the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Mr. Ashley also became a senior and influential member of
three permanent House committees: budget; banking, finance,
and urban affairs; and merchant marine and fisheries, serving
briefly in 1980 as chairman of the latter panel.
Mr. Ashley was known especially for his expertise in
housing and community development legislation.
He was chairman of the housing and community development
subcommittee of the House banking, finance, and urban affairs
committee, and much of the legislation dealing with urban
housing and development problems that was passed in the 1970s
bore his imprint.
In October, 1979, President Carter, at a White House
ceremony marking the anniversary of a community development
program, praised Mr. Ashley's legislative abilities.
``He cares about people, and he is superb in his ability to
conceive legislative programs and have them passed by
Congress,'' President Carter said.
Mr. Ashley loyally supported Democratic presidents, but he
had good relations with President Gerald Ford, a Republican,
and many Republican members of Congress.
While Mr. Ashley and President George H.W. Bush were Yale
undergraduates, the two were tapped to be members of the
elite secret student society Skull and Bones. In an old stone
building owned by the society and known as the Tomb, the
members confessed deep secrets to one another as part of
their initiation.
``It allowed us to come to know more about one another,''
Mr. Ashley told The Blade in 1997. And from that sprang a
lifelong friendship.
After Mr. Bush was elected president, Mr. Ashley spent many
days with him at Camp David and the White House, especially
in times of crisis.
In 1990, he went to Camp David to buck up the president
after his budget was spurned by Congress, leading to a
temporary shutdown of the federal government.
``I have a lifetime of memories of friendship between those
two that stretch back to my youngest days,'' Meredith Ashley
said yesterday. ``We'd go up to Kennebunkport [Maine] during
the summer, well before he became vice president and
president, and nothing ever changed in their friendship after
he became vice president. If anything, their friendship got
stronger.''
Mr. Ashley joined Mr. Bush at the opening of the Bush
Presidential Library and Museum in Texas, where the Toledo
congressman's name appears prominently in biographies and
videos of the 41st president.
Mr. Ashley, born Jan. 11, 1923, to Alida and William
Ashley, was raised on Robinwood Avenue in the Old West End
and attended Glenwood Elementary School.
His father owned a small steel manufacturing firm on Tracy
Road and nearly lost his business during the Great
Depression. The business rebounded, and the family moved to
Front Street in Perrysburg. His parents sent their son to
Kent School in Kent, Conn., from 1939 to 1942.
His older brother William, the heir apparent to the Ashley
political legacy, was killed at age 22 in May, 1944, when his
Army bomber exploded during a training mission over
Massachusetts. All 10 aboard died.
Decades later, Mr. Ashley said he was greatly affected by
the loss. ``We were inseparable friends,'' Mr. Ashley said.
Mr. Ashley was a corporal in the Army during World War II,
serving in the Pacific Theater.
He graduated from Yale in 1948 and was associated with the
Toledo Publicity and Efficiency Commission that year.
Michael DiSalle, then mayor of Toledo and later governor of
Ohio, encouraged him to study law, and Mr. Ashley enrolled in
the University of Toledo law school. He later transferred to
Ohio State University, from which he received a law degree in
1951.
Mr. Ashley was hired to be a special projects coordinator
for Radio Free Europe and was stationed briefly in New York
City.
In 1954, Mr. DiSalle was looking for a candidate to
challenge Mr. Reams, the independent 9th District incumbent.
Mr. DiSalle provided Mr. Ashley with considerable advice and
aid. Mr. Ashley provided the energy and image in what was the
first local campaign to make extensive use of television. Mr.
Reams was defeated by 4,000 votes.
In 1980, when he was defeated by Republican challenger Ed
Weber, some political analysts linked it to the landslide
presidential victory of Ronald Reagan. But Mr. Ashley told
The Blade in 1997 that it was his own fault, saying it was
``tough to get enthusiastic about another campaign. And
that's when you get beaten. I just didn't get the job done.''
Miss Kaptur defeated Mr. Weber in 1982.
Mr. Ashley was married twice. He and the former Margaret
Mary Sherman of Toledo married in August, 1956, in Manassas,
Va., but separated that fall.
In 1967, he married Kathleen Lucey, a graduate of
Georgetown University law school who'd begun working as an
assistant in his office in 1962.
Mr. Ashley was a student of history and politics with a
personal library that testified to those passions. He also
loved opera and gardening.
His decision to make Leland, Mich., his home came a few
years after the death of Kathleen in 1997.
Mr. Ashley was a member of the George H.W. Bush
Presidential Library Foundation at the time of his death and
earlier served on numerous other boards including those of
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the nation's two largest
mortgage lenders.
He is survived by sons Meredith (Monica) Ashley of Ho-Ho-
Kus, N.J., and Mark Ashley of Washington; daughter, Lise
Murphy of Washington; brother, Charles S. Ashley, and sister-
in-law Gerry Ashley, of Leland, and many nieces and nephews.
A reception for family and friends will be held from 3-6
p.m. Sunday in the Ashley home, 402 Mill St., Leland. A
memorial service will be held later in Washington and
interment will be in Toledo's Historic Woodlawn Cemetery.
The family requests that any donations be to the Leland
Township Library. Martinson Funeral Home is handling
arrangements.
____
Ashleys Served With Honor, Vigor
(By James M. Ashley IV)
This Thursday, Toledo's new federal courthouse will be
dedicated to two men--both
[[Page H4730]]
past congressmen from our city, both named Ashley. I am proud
to claim kinship with both men.
James M. Ashley and Thomas Ludlow Ashley served their
constituencies and their country with vigor, honesty, and a
firm resolution to achieve what they saw as the best courses
of action for the people. They served our state for more than
16 percent of the time from when Ohio was admitted to the
United States in 1803 to the present day.
James Ashley served in Congress during the most difficult
period of our history, from 1859 through 1869--the era of
John Brown, the Civil War, and the impeachment of President
Andrew Johnson. He saw slavery firsthand while he worked on
riverboats in the South during his youth. He became a
passionate and dedicated abolitionist, working within the
Underground Railroad.
The turmoil of the decade before the Civil War led to the
formation of the Republican Party. Like Abraham Lincoln,
James Ashley was stirred into action by the growing national
emergency and ran for public office as a Republican. Both men
put their strongly held beliefs into action.
In Congress, James Ashley adamantly opposed secession and
any compromise on slavery. He worked zealously and skillfully
to make the emancipation of America's slaves a reality.
Expressing his hard-line outlook and frontier upbringing, he
proposed that a congressman who favored a slavery compromise
should be ``kicked by a steam Jackass from Washington to
Illinois.''
Such no-nonsense dedication was useful to Lincoln in his
efforts at emancipation. As president, Lincoln could not
express or overtly back anything that might weaken support
from border states or moderates within the Union. James
Ashley became Lincoln's go-to man in Congress.
When Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation during
the Civil War, it immediately freed only a few thousand
slaves. But it turned the war from a sectional struggle into
a crusade to free the millions of African-Americans who were
still held in bondage.
The stage was set for the Constitutional amendment that
would finally outlaw chattel slavery throughout the country,
forever. James Ashley focused on the complexities of
achieving necessary harmony within Congress to pass this
monumental amendment.
With help from the president, James Ashley garnered the
necessary votes and support. To those who wavered, Lincoln
stated that ``whatever Ashley had promised should be
performed.''
The Thirteenth Amendment, authored by James Ashley, became
the law of the land in 1865. ``Neither slavery nor
involuntary servitude'' without due process for crimes
committed would ever again stain America.
Thomas Ludlow Ashley, the abolitionist's great-grandson,
represented Toledo in Congress as a Democrat from 1955
through 1981. During that time, his influence and impact on
both Congress and this community grew immensely.
Toledo's ethnic blue-collar voters provided Lud Ashley's
power base during the latter part of the industrial heyday
the city enjoyed during the mid-20th century. But instead of
riding that wave of prosperity to become part of the
industrial establishment, he pursued a congressional career
noted for liberal causes.
``I think probably one of the most lasting contributions
was my role in housing,'' Thomas Ashley said in retirement.
Sen. Edward Kennedy concurred: ``Americans sleep in better
homes today because of Lud Ashley.''
Thomas Ashley fought urban sprawl with legislation. He
warned his colleagues about the tremendous flight of
Americans to suburbs from the inner cities--a crushing fact
of national life in the 21st century.
Thomas Ashley's stance on civil rights, community block
grants, and enterprise tax zones contributed to his image as
an urban liberal. But the late Judge William Skow, a former
aide to the congressman, noted that he was a moderate on
fiscal issues.
Whatever the label, Thomas Ashley's career centered on
fighting racism and poverty. It was a natural extension of
his family legacy. Like James Ashley, he fought the good
fight.
James M. Ashley IV, of Maumee, is a senior lecturer in
sociology and anthropology at the University of Toledo. He is
a great-grandson of James M. Ashley and first cousin of
Thomas L. Ashley.
____
Thomas Ludlow Ashley
The late Sen. Edward Kennedy once said: ``Americans sleep
in better homes today because of Lud Ashley.'' He was right.
Mr. Ashley, the longtime Toledo congressman who died this
week at age 87, chaired a House committee on housing and
community development. For years, he worked hard to provide
federal grants to improve low and moderate-income housing
nationally, as well as close to home.
Thomas Ludlow Ashley also was important to and instrumental
in the development of the city where he was born, which he
represented in Congress from 1955 until 1981.
``Lud'' Ashley was the great-grandson of James Ashley, who
settled in frontier Toledo, changed political parties because
of his opposition to slavery, and represented Toledo in
Congress during the Civil War. James Ashley was a co-author
of the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery. In that
tradition, his great-grandson sought to free Americans from
the squalor of terrible housing.
Lud Ashley served in the Pacific during World War II before
he attended Yale University. He and George H.W. Bush, who
would become President decades later, were classmates and
fellow members of the ultra-elite secret society Skull and
Bones. Though they were of different political parties, the
men remained longtime friends.
Mr. Ashley earned a law degree at Ohio State University and
worked for Radio Free Europe before he returned home in 1954
to campaign for Congress. He ousted independent Rep. Frazier
Reams, in part because of the support of the late Paul Block,
Jr., publisher of The Blade, who felt Toledo's interests
would be best represented by a member of Congress with ties
to a major political party.
During his career, Mr. Ashley landed millions of dollars
for public housing in Lucas County. He got a crucial $11
million to improve Toledo's port.
Late in his career, during the energy crisis of the 1970s,
Mr. Ashley was chairman of a special committee that
successfully steered through Congress a controversial package
of bills proposed by President Jimmy Carter that were
designed to reduce oil consumption.
That assignment won him some enemies in the auto industry
but high praise from then-House Speaker Thomas ``Tip''
O'Neill, who counted Mr. Ashley as a personal friend.
In 1980, Mr. Ashley was defeated for re-election by
Republican Ed Weber in a stunning upset. Mr. Ashley fell
victim to Ronald Reagan's landslide victory and huge negative
feeling against the Carter administration.
His death came days after the federal courthouse in Toledo
was renamed in both his and his great-grandfather's honor.
That tribute is appropriate.
When the energy bills were passed, Rep. Ashley knew the
legislation was unpopular with Jeep. But he responded: ``My
view is that my district elected me to represent, when called
upon, a wider national interest.''
That is who Thomas Ludlow Ashley was. As he is laid to rest
in his hometown, that is how Toldeo's congressman should be
remembered.
____
`Gracious' Right Label for Ashley
It always saddens me when a great warrior dies, and among
other things Lud Ashley was a warrior (``Congressman known
for aiding housing, civil rights dies at 87,'' June 16).
In the 1980 campaign, we debated at least six times.
Although an incumbent's strategy would usually be to deny the
opponent the public forum of a debate, Lud never failed to
accept any challenge.
Of course, he was well informed, and I believe our joint
appearances led to a clarification of the issues and opposing
viewpoints in an intelligent and civil manner that we don't
always see at election time.
Lud Ashley's name is etched in the history of Toledo and
Lucas County. For 26 years, he was an important member of the
liberal Democratic wing that controlled the House of
Representatives. Always a strong advocate of Toledo, he
brought millions of dollars to Toledo and the area during his
tenure in office.
He was a likable person, with good friends on both sides of
the aisle. At the time of his defeat, he was very gracious to
me. Two years later, at the time of my defeat, he was equally
gracious and considerate.
It is very fitting that the federal courthouse here is now
named for Lud Ashley and his great-grandfather James Ashley,
the Republican abolitionist congressman during the Civil War.
Ed Weber.
____
[From the Washington Post, June 16, 2010]
Ohio Congressman and Public Housing Supporter Thomas W. Ludlow Ashley
Dies at 87
(By T. Rees Shapiro)
Thomas W. Ludlow Ashley, 87, a 13-term Ohio Democrat in the
U.S. House of Representatives who was chiefly known for his
work on housing and addressing the energy crisis of the
1970s, died of melanoma June 15 at his home in Leland, Mich.
Mr. Ashley--known colloquially as ``Lud''--served Ohio's
9th District, which includes Lucas County and the city of
Toledo, from 1955 to 1981.
As chairman of a House subcommittee on housing and
community development, Mr. Ashley was a key supporter of
legislation to provide federal grants to cities and counties
to improve low- and moderate-income housing.
``Americans sleep in better homes today because of Lud
Ashley,'' Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) once said of Mr.
Ashley's extensive work on low-income housing legislation.
In 1977, Mr. Ashley was appointed to an ad hoc energy
committee by House Speaker Thomas P. ``Tip'' O'Neill Jr. (D-
Mass.), who said he picked Mr. Ashley because he had
``toughness, and a never-say-die attitude, and who, when he
was put on the first team, could run with the ball.''
A year later, Mr. Ashley helped the 40-member bipartisan
group pass a series of energy bills aimed at reducing the
nation's use of oil and increasing the budget for research
into alternative energy sources.
Upon his appointment to the position, Mr. Ashley assured
critics that he would not be close to the automobile
industry. At the time, Toledo housed the headquarters of
[[Page H4731]]
many car-parts manufacturers and an American Motors plant
that produced Jeeps.
``That district is a part of me,'' Mr. Ludlow told the New
York Times in 1977. ``It is responsible for the perspective I
bring with me. But my view is that my district elected me to
represent, when called upon, a larger national interest.''
Thomas William Ludlow Ashley was born Jan. 11, 1923, in
Toledo. His great-grandfather, James Mitchell Ashley, served
Ohio's 9th District from 1859 to 1869 as a Republican, having
switched from the Democratic Party because he was vehemently
opposed to slavery.
The elder Ashley co-authored the 13th Amendment abolishing
slavery and led the campaign to impeach President Andrew
Johnson, who he claimed had conspired to assassinate Abraham
Lincoln in order to assume the presidency. He was also
chairman of a committee on territories and helped choose the
names for Wyoming and Montana.
After Army service in the Pacific during World War II, the
younger Mr. Ashley graduated from Yale University in 1948. At
Yale, he became close friends with George H.W. Bush when they
were members of the Skull and Bones secret society.
He received a law degree from Ohio State University in 1951
and practiced law for a short time with his father before
moving to New York to work for Radio Free Europe.
Before losing his House seat in the Reagan landslide of
1980, the only time Mr. Ashley had come close to being
defeated was in 1974. The race occurred only months after
he'd been convicted of drunken driving and resisting arrest
in Toledo, and Mr. Ashley eked out a victory over his
Republican opponent by a margin of 3,500 votes.
Mr. Ashley directed federal funds toward his district,
including more than $15 million for public housing units and
$11 million for the improvement of the Port of Toledo. By an
act of Congress in recent years, the city's federal
courthouse was named in his and his great-grandfather's
honor.
His marriage to Margaret Mary Sherman ended in divorce. His
second wife, Kathleen Lucey Ashley, died in 1997.
He had two children from his first marriage; two children
from his second marriage; and a brother.
Mr. BOEHNER. Madam Speaker, Thomas ``Lud'' Ashley was a tireless
public servant who ably served Ohio and our nation for more than a
quarter century.
A World War II veteran, Lud was raised in Toledo in a family with
deep Ohio roots and a strong sense of patriotism. Lud's brother William
was killed in an army training accident in 1944. His great grandfather,
James Ashley, represented Toledo and Ohio's 9th Congressional District
as a Republican during the Civil War era, co-authoring the 13th
Amendment to abolish slavery.
As a member of Congress, Lud added to his great-grandfather's legacy,
helping pass the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, along with fellow
Ohio Republican Congressman Bill McCulloch. Lud was also a strong
advocate for the Toledo area. To this day he is remembered for his role
in securing federal support to build the Port of Toledo into one of the
nation's key hubs for trade and industry.
Though an unabashed Democrat, Lud was well-liked and respected on
both sides of the aisle. That George H.W. Bush would count him among
his best life-long friends certainly speaks to Lud's character. Lud
will be missed, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family and
friends.
Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life
and public service of former Congressman Thomas Ludlow Ashley.
Representing Ohio's 9th District, ``Lud'' Ashley served in the House of
Representatives for 26 years. Throughout his tenure, Congressman Ashley
successfully balanced his loyalty towards his home city of Toledo and
his responsibility to the country at large.
As Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Community
Development, Lud was an important figure in passing legislation which
provided federal grants that improved low and moderate-income housing
nationwide. During the 1970's oil crisis, he was appointed to an Ad Hoc
energy committee that passed a series of bills which reduced the
nation's oil use and increased the budget for researching alternative
energy sources. Among his many other accomplishments, Lud secured
millions of dollars in federal grants to improve the Port of Toledo and
maintain this vital Midwestern economic pathway.
His achievements were products of his tenacity. Former Speaker of the
House Tip O'Neill praised Ashley for his ``toughness, and a never-say-
die attitude, and who, when he was put on the first team, could run
with the ball.'' Furthermore, Lud did not hesitate to work with
Republican lawmakers. He was a lifelong friend of President George H.W.
Bush, had a good relationship with President Gerald Ford, and made
countless other alliances with members across the aisle. I will
remember his commitment to public service and helping the American
people.
Ms. KAPTUR. I ask that my colleagues now do rise and remember him and
his service with a moment of silence.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The House will observe a moment of silence.
____________________