[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 180 (Wednesday, December 18, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S8974]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                    REMEMBERING JAMES VON DER HEYDT

 Mr. BEGICH. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to James von 
der Heydt. In his over half a century of service, James von der Heydt 
built a lasting legacy with distinguished service in all three branches 
of government. Coming to Alaska in 1943 originally to work on the 
construction of the ALCAN Highway, James demonstrated the versatility 
for which Alaskans are famous. By 1945, he was a deputy U.S. Marshall 
in Nome. Seeking to give more to his new home State, James left Alaska 
in 1948 to attend law school. When he returned, he served as the U.S. 
Commissioner at Nome and then as the United States attorney for Alaska. 
He served in the Alaska Territorial Legislature in the 1957 session and 
then became one of the first superior court judges when Alaska became 
State in 1959. In 1966, President Johnson appointed him to serve as a 
judge in the U.S. District Court for Alaska where he continued to shape 
the interpretation of Federal laws in Alaska for the next three 
decades. We will all miss his love of Alaska, wisdom, and 
compassion.

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