[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 28, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6392-S6393]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

                                 ______
                                 

                      REMEMBERING GEORGE J. RITTER

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, today I honor the life and career of 
George J. Ritter, who passed away on July 18, 2010, at the age of 90.
  George was a remarkable public servant and a person of great 
principle and energy. His commitment to helping the less fortunate and 
for advancing social progress through the law made a lasting impact on 
the city of Hartford and the lives of many working families.
  He grew up in New Jersey, raised by the children of German immigrants 
who were the very embodiment of the American dream. His grandfather had 
been sent to this country--alone--as little more than a child and began 
working full time to build a new life at the age of 12. His parents 
both began working when they were very young as well.
  Their lives and the values they espoused had a deep impact on George, 
and it should come as no surprise that he would become a stalwart 
advocate for advancing the economic opportunities of all Americans, 
particularly for working families and minorities.
  This clearly defined sense of social justice and the value of equal 
opportunities no doubt contributed to George's lifelong captivation 
with the law and the Constitution. He even hitchhiked as a teenager all 
the way to Washington, DC--just to observe the U.S. Supreme Court 
firsthand.
  In our Nation, the will of citizens is the strongest force for social 
change. But building the coalitions necessary to make change happen is 
a difficult task and requires a common vision and commitment, and lots 
of energy.
  George certainly had energy, and got to work building coalitions to 
push for change at a young age. As a student at Rutgers University, he 
worked to organize the nonfraternity members of the student body into a 
cohesive voting

[[Page S6393]]

block--which in turn, elected him to serve as the first nonfraternity 
student body president in the school's nearly 200 year history.
  After college, his passion for the law took him to Yale Law School, 
in my home State of Connecticut. His legal education was interrupted by 
his distinguished service to the United States in the Pacific during 
World War II. Upon finishing his degree, he became active in the U.S. 
labor movement. He and his wife and partner in social activism, 
Patricia, had the opportunity to travel the United States and Europe 
studying unions and the labor movements that were beginning to gain 
steam and become a force in politics and society all across the globe. 
As a young labor attorney he worked to organize some of Connecticut's 
first municipal unions, and also served as an attorney for Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr.
  At the ripe old age of 36 he became Hartford Corporation counsel, 
which launched a career in public service that continued until 1980. He 
served on the Hartford City Council from 1959 until 1968, and in 1969 
was elected to represent Hartford in the Connecticut General Assembly. 
During his time on the council and in the general assembly, George 
worked to highlight and pursue progressive solutions to issues that 
were not yet part of mainstream concerns; from civil rights, to elder 
and juvenile justice, to government accountability, and of course, 
working to provide equal opportunities for all.
  He was truly a pioneer when it came to raising concerns about and 
finding solutions to address the issue of civil rights and equal 
opportunities. In fact, in the early 1960s--prior to the passage of the 
Civil Rights Act--he and Patricia started the Connecticut Housing 
Investment Fund to help finance minority home-ownership and integrated 
housing. This organization became a model for subsequent national 
programs to support affordable housing.
  Throughout his career he fought tirelessly for the rights of workers, 
and the advancement of housing, employment, and other opportunities for 
minorities--including by recruiting and managing the campaigns of the 
first minority candidates for the Hartford City Council and Board of 
Education.
  He was also the first man ever appointed to Connecticut's Permanent 
Commission on the Status of Women, an honor that always gave him a 
smile, and spoke volumes of his commitment to equal opportunities for 
all Americans.
  Even outside of public life, George continued to work to help others. 
After retiring from the general assembly in 1980, he cofounded the 
Independent Energy Corporation. One of the projects of Independent 
Energy helped to streamline the electricity usage of the largest 
business in the Caribbean region. The electricity savings from that one 
business helped to lower the foreign exchange bill of the entire nation 
of Jamaica--a truly notable achievement.
  By any measure, the life of George Ritter was an utter success. In 
business, in public life, and as the loving father of five children, 
George led a life of principle and purpose. His work benefitted his 
community and helped to expand opportunities for the less fortunate.
  Even though he has passed, George's spirit of public service lives 
on. His sons Thomas and John have both served in the State legislature, 
and his grandson Matt is a member of the Hartford City Council and is 
running to fill the general assembly seat George once held.
  I am confident they will continue to build on George's legacy, and am 
proud to call them my constituents. I wish them the best of luck, and 
hope that they will continue to pass George's values and character on 
for generations to come.

                          ____________________