[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 17, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1005]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                 HONORING MR. CHARLES McDOWELL LEE, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRADLEY BYRNE

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 17, 2014

  Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember a friend and a great 
Alabamian, Mr. Charles McDowell Lee, Sr.
   Mr. Lee, as he was commonly known, served as Secretary of the 
Alabama State Senate from 1963 to 2011. At the time of his retirement, 
McDowell Lee was the longest serving secretary of a legislative body in 
the entire nation. During my time as a state senator, I grew to know 
Mr. Lee as a brilliant mind and the unequivocal historian of the 
Alabama Legislature.
   Mr. Lee, a native of Clio, Alabama, graduated from Barbour County 
High School in 1942 and went on to study at Auburn University. He 
answered the call of duty during World War II, serving in both the 
European and Pacific theaters. He then returned to Alabama to finish 
his education at Troy State Teachers College. After graduating, Mr. Lee 
was elected mayor of his hometown of Clio, earning the recognition as 
one of the youngest mayors in the nation.
   Mr. Lee was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1954, 
and he went on to serve in that position for eight years, earning the 
titles of ``Outstanding Freshman'' and ``Best Debater'' by the Alabama 
Press Association. In 1963, he was selected as Secretary of the Alabama 
Senate.
   He would go on to serve as Secretary of the Senate for 47 years. 
During that span, Mr. Lee worked with ten different governors and 
hundreds of state senators. He was known nationally as an expert 
scholar on parliamentary procedure and received countless state and 
national awards for his years of public service.
   Every morning that the State Senate was in session, a number of 
other senators and I would gather in Mr. Lee's office to drink coffee 
and get his input on current events. It was in those candid 
conversations with Mr. Lee that I truly learned how the State Senate 
worked and gained a deep appreciation for the unique rules that govern 
legislative bodies.
   In a legislative body where emotions and politics sometimes get the 
best of us, Mr. Lee provided calm, unbiased leadership and direction. 
He respected the rules and the institution, and through that each 
senator quickly grew to respect him.
   Mr. Lee passed away on April 17, 2014, at the age of 89. He is 
survived by his wife, Hazel; his sons Arch, Charles Jr., and Kenneth; 
his daughters Margaret and Josie Lee; and a number of grandchildren and 
great grandchildren. I know his family must miss him very much, but 
they can find peace in the countless individuals' lives that McDowell 
Lee improved, mentored, and impacted in his lifetime.
   Mr. Speaker, I find it only fitting to recognize this great American 
in this body, the People's House, for his dutiful service to our nation 
and immense respect for the legislative process.

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