[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.

                          ____________________