[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 7, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E25-E26]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         RECOGNIZING THE PASSING OF FORMER REP. HERBERT HARRIS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 7, 2015

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise with 
the members of the Virginia delegation to inform our colleagues of the 
passing of a former Member of this Chamber, Herbert Harris.
   Herb died at the age of 88 on Christmas Eve at his home in the Mount 
Vernon neighborhood of Fairfax County.
   He served three terms in the House from 1974 to 1980, representing 
what was then Virginia's 8th District.
   Like his predecessor, Stan Parris, my predecessor, Tom Davis, and 
me, Herb served on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors prior to his 
election to Congress, and that experience served him well here. He was 
a champion for the region, helping secure the necessary federal funds 
to complete construction of the Metro system and to expand the Manassas 
National Battlefield Park.
   He stood out as an outspoken liberal at a time when most of 
Virginia, even Northern Virginia, was still largely conservative. 
During his tenure on the Fairfax County Board, he fought for community 
infrastructure investments, particularly for transportation and sewer 
system modernization. He also helped with Inova Health System's 
expansion to Mount Vernon. It was during these years that he served on 
regional transportation boards, including the Metro Board of Directors, 
and became one of its chief regional advocates.
   Upon his election to Congress, he pushed to secure the necessary 
federal funds to complete the regional Metro system, and he was an 
early proponent for expanding the system further into Virginia to reach 
Dulles International Airport and other communities. A veteran of the 
Navy, Herb fought the Carter Administration on proposed cuts in 
national defense and military pay. And based on his experience in local 
government, he became an advocate for granting full voting 
representation in the House for the District of Columbia. After 
narrowly losing his bid for re-election in 1980 and then a rematch in 
1982, Herb put his political career aside, telling one confidant that 
the time required by today's Members to raise campaign funds put too 
much emphasis on chasing money rather than exchanging ideas.
   He returned to private law practice after leaving the House.
   Our former colleagues, Representatives Moran, Davis, and Wolf 
collaborated in 2001 to name a new Post Office building in the Mount 
Vernon area to honor Herb's service.
   Many of us attended funeral services for Herb yesterday, and flags 
were flown at half-mast at the Fairfax Government Center and the 
capitol in Richmond.
   Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join us in extending our 
gratitude for his public service and sympathy on his passing to Herb's 
family and friends by standing with us to observe a moment of silence.

[[Page E26]]



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