[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 138 (Thursday, November 13, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H7973-H7975]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE LIVES OF FORMER REPRESENTATIVES PHIL CRANE AND LANE EVANS
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. McAllister). Under the Speaker's
announced policy of January 3, 2013, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Shimkus) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority
leader.
Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague from Ohio
mentioning Lane Evans. The point of this time is to recognize two of
our colleagues who have have passed. We want to remember them. I
appreciate Marcy for those kind words about Lane Evans.
I am going to manage this hour. So with respect to my colleagues who
are down here, I would like to yield to Congressman Hultgren.
Mr. HULTGREN. I want to thank my good friend, Congressman Shimkus,
for this time and for this important time to honor these wonderful
colleagues.
Before I get started, I will enter into the Record an article titled:
``Philip M. Crane: Teacher, Lecturer, Author, Congressman and Friend,''
written by Ed Feulner, former president of the Heritage Foundation.
Philip M. Crane: Teacher, Lecturer, Author, Congressman and Friend
(By Ed Feulner, Former President of the Heritage Foundation)
Former Rep. Phil Crane, R-Ill., died Nov. 7 after a
struggle with lung cancer.
His passing reminded all of us who knew Phil what a unique
contribution to the modern conservative movement he had made.
On some days he was giving his famous lecture, ``The
Blessings of Liberty,'' to audiences around the nation. For
many months he was stumping for Barry Goldwater, Ronald
Reagan, fellow congressional candidates and many other
conservatives running for office at every level in our
nation.
After his election to the U.S. House of Representatives, he
played a key role advising and leading conservatives both
inside and outside of the Capitol on legislative tactics and
institution building always based on principles of our
Founding Fathers.
I met Phil when he was a lecturer for the Intercollegiate
Studies Institute in the early 1960s. He was teaching history
at Bradley University, in Peoria, Ill., before founding a
private school in the Chicago suburbs.
Phil's reputation was that of an emerging leader: a great
speaker, a motivator of the grassroots and an original
thinker.
Most significantly to me, Phil was a man who understood the
power of ideas. After all, he had attended Hillsdale College
(and served on its board of trustees for many decades), and
then earned his Ph.D. in history from Indiana University,
where ``his academic record had never been exceded.'' Phil
was the author of an important early book on the
philosophical issues that defined the difference between
conservatives and the reigning progressive orthodoxy, ``The
Democrats Dilemma'' (Regnery, 1964).
His vision for the future, based on the underlying
principles of America's Founders' commitment to liberty, was
an inspiration to all of us who knew him and who worked for
him and with him.
Phil was elected to succeed Don Rumsfeld in the Congress in
a special election in 1969, against a field of seven other
candidates. Many of us were rooting for him as the principled
conservative in this large and complex field, but we weren't
certain that he could really do it. Phil was a principled
conservative--a tea partier long before there was a tea
party. But throughout the primary process, his message of
principled conservatism rang true to his constituents-to-be.
He won that special election, then won 17 more times.
He stuck to his guns, whether he was in the minority or in
the majority, throughout his 35-year tenure in Washington.
When Phil was sworn in as the newest member of the U.S.
House of Representatives, he was a representative of a
minority (committed conservatives) in the minority party (the
Republicans). When he left the Congress in 2004, he had
helped make conservatism the mainstream of the Republican
Party and of the entire U.S. political arena.
In his early Washington years, when I had the great
privilege of serving as Phil's legislative director (1970-71)
and then as his chief of staff (1971-74), he was the leading
light of elected conservatives in Washington.
It was Phil Crane who passionately argued that private
American citizens should be permitted to own gold. It was
Phil who argued as a matter of principle that federal
spending for subsidies for urban mass transit systems--even
in his home city of Chicago--was not an appropriate use of
federal taxpayer funds. Big arguments over foreign policy and
domestic issues involved Phil as a leading conservative
figure in Washington and around the nation.
Battles like these--some won, others lost--may be
forgotten, as the media focus on Phil's battle to preserve
the Panama Canal as an integral part of the United States. Of
course, on the Panama Canal he fought side-by-side with the
former governor of California, Ronald Reagan.
For those of us who worked for Phil, we remember the late-
night meetings of conservative congressmen, staffers and
activists, who looked to Phil Crane for leadership on policy
issues.
It was during these legislative battles that Phil formed
the idea of a coordinated effort among House conservatives.
These conceptual discussions resulted in Crane's vision for
the Republican Study Committee to counter the long-
established Democrat Study Group of liberal House members.
Today, the RSC is the largest faction within the membership
of the House Republicans, and it exists because Phil Crane
envisioned its potential.
But my fondest memories of Phil will be of long discussions
about conservative ideas and how they best can be advanced in
the political milieu of Washington.
We talked about how conservatives can communicate more
effectively with grassroots leaders around the nation. And we
discussed how to build a conservative infrastructure to
counter the establishment interests of Washington.
We decided that America needed a number of new
institutions, including a new form of a policy research and
communicating organization. From these discussions, Phil
became an early advocate of that new conservative think tank,
The Heritage Foundation. And for that, all conservatives
should be grateful.
And speaking very personally, a picture of Phil holding our
month-old son, flanked by Linda and me, has a special place
of honor in our living room. That son is now 43 years old, by
the way.
Rest in the peace of the Lord, which you have so eminently
earned, my friend.
Mr. HULTGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute and respect to
former Congressman Phil Crane, who we lost this week.
As a fellow committed conservative Representative of the west and
northwest suburbs of Chicago, I have always had a special connection to
Congressman Crane. For 35 years, he represented sizable portions of
what is now the 14th Congressional District, the district I represent
in Congress. When Illinois was redistricted following the 1990 Census,
Phil Crane was willing to give the McHenry County portion of his old
district to the newer 16th District in order to present the Republican
nominee, Don Manzullo, with a better chance of recapturing the district
for the GOP. And he did this, arguably, to the detriment of his own
reelection prospects down the road.
Twenty years later, most of McHenry County is in the 14th
Congressional District, and I am proud to represent his former
constituents, who were stalwart supporters of his.
When he left office in 2004, he was at the time the longest-serving
House Republican. In his book: ``The Sum of Good Government,'' Crane
wrote:
Once people are willing to admit the possibility of
alternatives, the battle is more than half won and the time
for refinements of a ``conservative reform platform will be
at hand.''
Phil pursued that platform as a leader of the conservative movement
both in and outside of Congress. He served as chairman of the American
Conservative Union, a prominent think tank and advocacy organization.
In 1973, he founded the preeminent conservative organization in the
House, the Republican Study Committee, of which I am a proud member.
Today, the RSC is the largest Member organization of House Republicans
and drives much of the conservative agenda.
Congressman Crane spent most of his career pursuing that agenda on
the Ways and Means Committee. There, he championed many of the ideals I
and many of our shared constituents subscribe to. These include
lowering taxes on everyone, simplifying the Tax Code so that it is fair
and transparent, defending free market economics, and promoting free
trade with other nations.
His work propelled him to become the ranking member and eventually
chairman of the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee. While there, he led
the effort to pass numerous free trade agreements, including the North
American Free Trade Agreement, which opened up economic opportunities
with our northern and southern neighbors.
[[Page H7974]]
He also was very active in efforts to reduce or limit government
spending and authored and supported hundreds of bills and amendments to
bring overspending under control.
In addition, Phil had a passion for and deep knowledge of American
history. Citing historical events in the Constitution to make one's
case during floor debate and public speeches is not a recent
phenomenon. Congressman Crane did this regularly when fighting for his
principles and policies.
Every day, he looked for opportunities to demonstrate his love for
robust discussions on conservative ideals. But he didn't let his firm
positions on issues drive a wedge between him and other Members of
Congress. He built relationships with those with whom he disagreed, and
was well-liked on both sides of the aisle, handwriting letters to
colleagues, especially thoughtful notes to those who were going through
tough times or had lost a relative or loved one.
Most importantly, he wrote letters to, and spent time with, his
constituents whom he represented. To him, they were his most important
relationship. They were his boss, as they are to all who are privileged
to enter Congress on their behalf.
Every day, I strive to represent my district with the same commitment
and dedication as Congressman Phil Crane did, and to stand up for the
principles that make this country great.
Mr. SHIMKUS. I thank my colleague. It is great that you took the time
out to come. A lot of our colleagues want to come down but are caught
up with time issues.
General Leave
Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. SHIMKUS. As I said, Mr. Speaker, we want to recognize two
colleagues whom I served with. Congressman Hultgren mentioned Phil
Crane and Congresswoman Kaptur mentioned Lane Evans. Both were
colleagues of mine that I was fortunate to serve with, so I am going to
talk about both of those at this time.
Lane was born in Rock Island, Illinois. On August 4, 1951, he joined
the Marines at the age of 17. He had orders for Vietnam, but he served
in Okinawa, Japan, as a security guard because his older brother was
already deployed in the war.
In 1982, Lane was first elected from his western Illinois district
and served for an additional 12 terms. He worked for more than a decade
after his Parkinson's diagnosis, but announced in 2006 that he wouldn't
seek reelection because of his deteriorating health.
As a Congressman, he fought for the rights of veterans and became the
senior Democrat on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee. He pushed
legislation to help those exposed to agent orange and to give former
servicemembers' rights to judicial review in pursuing their benefits.
He also campaigned for veterans grappling with post-traumatic stress
disorders and other health problems.
As I know Lane, he was very adamant and focused on serving the
veterans. He also was one of the first to start talking about the
concerns of veterans in finding jobs after their service. President
Obama credited Lane Evans with aiding his own political rise, saying
once that he wouldn't have made it to the U.S. Senate without early
support from his fellow Illinoisan.
Lane is survived by his three brothers.
Lane and I bordered each other in our congressional districts. We
split the community of Adams County and a little bit of a town called
Quincy. When you share congressional border lines with a colleague, you
do numerous events together. And when they are of different parties,
they are even more important because there are so many things that
unite us. A lot of times there is a view that there is always division
here, but back home when we are working on issues like infrastructure,
roads, bridges, and veterans' benefits, it really is a chance for the
public to see Members working together.
So I relished my time meeting and serving with Congressman Evans as
we shared a congressional boundary line. He gave his all to his
country. He gave his all to this country through his service as a
Member of Congress, and he fought a very tough fight against
Parkinson's. He would still be here today had he not had this
debilitating disease that forced him to leave public service.
I will remember Lane well. I wish God's blessing to his family.
We also want to take this time to remember Congressman Phil Crane.
Congressman Crane was born in Chicago, Illinois, on November 3, 1930.
He received his undergraduate degree from Hillsdale College in 1952,
and went on to earn a Ph.D. in history from Indiana University in 1963.
He also served in the United States Army from 1954 to 1956.
In 1969, Phil Crane won a special election race triggered by the
appointment of then-Illinois Congressman Donald Rumsfeld to the Nixon
administration. He served in that seat from 1969 until his defeat in
2004.
In the 1970s, Congressman Crane was instrumental in founding, as was
mentioned by my colleague, Congressman Hultgren, the Republican Study
Committee, the Heritage Foundation, and the American Conservative
Union, stalwarts of the view of conservatism who lead the way in the
debate of conservatism in this country.
So I reached out to friends of mine this afternoon, Don and Wanda
Weder, who reside in Highland, Illinois, because they were very close
to Congressman Crane, and I would like to read from some remembrances
that were put down on my behalf to submit for the Record:
We met Phil in 1964 when my father arranged for Barry
Goldwater, Jr., and Phil to speak at the Highland High School
auditorium concerning the Presidential campaign of Barry
Goldwater. Phil and Barry, Jr., delivered excellent speeches.
My father, Wanda, and I were amazed at Phil's intellect and
the fact that he spoke eloquently, including detailed budget
numbers and cogent economic theory, all without notes.
Let me interject here, for those of us who served with Phil, that was
true then and it was true when he served here in Washington.
{time} 1915
At that time, Phil was a professor of history at Bradley
University. In 1966, I transferred from the University of
Illinois to Bradley, at my father's suggestion, to enable
attending Phil's classes and those of Professor Nicholas
Nyaradi, the former Minister of Hungary prior to and during
World War II. The first of Phil's classes I attended was a
lecture series with about 300 students.
Phil typically arrives in the auditorium about 5 minutes
after his aides had imposed order on the students. He entered
impressively, at a brisk pace, and with the Chicago Tribune
and other papers under his arm.
Placing the papers on the podium, he greeted the class and
began a wonderful lecture, citing facts, dates, describing
personalities, and humorous anecdotes, all with no reference
to notes. His most memorable lectures were those on the
Spanish American War and Colonel Theodore Roosevelt.
His lecture on TR was so memorable that I could recite most
of it today: TR commandeering two leaky boats to transport
the Rough Riders to Cuba; TR being down to his last pair of
glasses at the time of the charge up San Juan Hill; the
deficiencies of the Rough Riders' lever-action Craig rifles
being outranged by the Spanish 1898 Mausers; and the real
hero at the Battle of San Juan Hill, a young second
lieutenant recently graduated from West Point and leading a
platoon equipped with Gatling guns.
In 1969, Donald Rumsfeld was appointed by President Nixon
to head the Office of Economic Opportunity, and Phil decided
to run for the congressional seat vacated, the 13th Illinois
District.
I graduated from Bradley that spring and spent a good deal
of my time attempting to be of some service to Phil in his
campaign. He referred to his philosophy as conservatism, an
approach I thought daring at the time. He attended many
``teas'' throughout the district and was always received,
especially by the lady voters who were the primary attendees.
In subsequent campaigns, I had the privilege of flying Phil
around Illinois. Phil frequently introduced me generously as
his best student and a Bradley summa cum laude.
I recall him sitting next to me in a single-engine Cessna
on a trip from Springfield to Vandalia when I asked him what
he intended to say to the group of voters in Vandalia. Phil
commented, ``I have no idea. I will have to think fast.''
On another occasion, I asked him if his exceptional
speaking skills came to him naturally. He said, ``No. I
developed them by forcing myself to speak publicly and turn
the cobwebs in my brain into high voltage electrical
cables.''
Phil was not only exceptional mentally. Hunting rabbits and
quail with my father and me, he demonstrated considerable
skill
[[Page H7975]]
with a shotgun. His endurance was phenomenal.
In 1980, Phil ran in the primaries against Ronald Reagan,
John Connolly, and others. Phil campaigned on an intellectual
plane. He was obviously the most capable and sincere
candidate.
Had Phil been elected, he would have made his best efforts
to move the country to smaller government, greater personal
liberties, and a more nearly free market economy. Phil
enjoyed the New Hampshire debates and commented that Reagan
was well-received, primarily as a result of the old B movie
lines he used.
During President Reagan's second term, I commented to Phil
that the President had not actually made any real progress in
reducing the size of government and establishing a free
market economy. He invited my father and 11 other people to
meet about twice monthly in Washington to advise him.
My father was hospitalized prior to an early meeting of
this group, and Phil asked me to attend. Thereafter, the
group asked me to be the 13th member of group. Phil's
campaign accountant left the campaign. We could not find the
financial records. His political adviser had not had a bad
day. He also left the campaign.
His lead staff person left the campaign and joined the
Reagan campaign, later to receive an appointment under the
Reagan administration. Phil wound down the campaign and
stumped for Reagan.
A few months later, he commented to me, ``I have not had a
bad day since the campaign ended.'' In 1987, Phil told me
that President Reagan always treated him courteously but
seldom sought his input. He believed that the First Lady was
adverse to him because he sought the nomination in 1980.
Phil and Barry Goldwater, Jr., delivered eulogies at the
funeral of my father and mother in 1987 and 2005. Both
recalled many years of happy times and were most touching.
You know better than I Phil's legislative contributions.
Two major successes in which he played a significant part
were the bill that legalized ownership of gold by private
citizens and the Freedom of Information legislation.
Phil was an inspiration to his students, his constituents,
and the many advocates of personal liberty who heard him
speak or read his literary works. His passing represents an
irreplaceable loss of knowledge, capability, and spirit to
our society and all who pursue the ideal of liberty.
So I couldn't put into words any better than what my good friends Don
and Wanda Weder did in a short time in doing remembrance of someone
they knew very well.
I know I have other colleagues coming down to make sure they make
their voices heard. I was fortunate to serve with Phil. I was fortunate
to go sit in his office in the Cannon Building, around with colleagues
talking about public policy issues of the day. It will be times that I
fondly remember.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________