[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 103 (Thursday, June 25, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E990]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    IN RECOGNITION OF HAROLD HOLZER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 25, 2015

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay 
tribute to Mr. Harold Holzer who has had an extraordinary and 
distinguished career as a communications director and historian. He is 
retiring after 23 years of invaluable service to the Metropolitan 
Museum of Art, the largest and most comprehensive art museum in the 
western hemisphere. Mr. Holzer helped broaden the media visibility of 
the Museum both here and abroad. In addition to his day job at the 
Museum, Mr. Holzer is widely considered one of the preeminent 
authorities on Abraham Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil 
War era. Mr. Holzer's impact on New York's civic and cultural life has 
been profound and his contributions to our understanding of the Civil 
War era have been incalculable.
  Mr. Holzer began his career as a reporter and later editor for The 
Manhattan Tribune, going on to become political press secretary first 
for Bella Abzug during her campaigns for Senate and Mayor, and then for 
Mario Cuomo's Gubernatorial campaign. He served as a government 
speechwriter for Mayor Abraham Beame, leaving to become the public 
affairs director for WNET. From 1984 to 1992, he served Governor Mario 
Cuomo as Special Counselor to the Director of Economic Development and 
Executive Vice President for Public Affairs at the New York State Urban 
Development Corporation (NYSUDC), which was then involved in overseeing 
the construction of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
  In 1992, Mr. Holzer became Chief Communications Officer for the 
Metropolitan Museum. Four years later, he was promoted to Vice 
President and, in 2005, he was named the Senior Vice President for 
Public Affairs. In this capacity, Mr. Holzer has been responsible for 
supervising external affairs and overseeing publicity, marketing, 
audience research and tourism promotion for the Museum, and has served 
as chief spokesman on all local, national, and international issues. 
During his tenure, Mr. Holzer helped persuade government grantors to 
deliver unprecedented levels of funding to the Museum, which have, 
among other things, supported educational programs and critical 
improvements to the Museum's physical plant. He also created broadcast 
marketing partnerships with radio, television and the Internet, 
magnifying the Museum's outreach.
  A prolific writer, Mr. Holzer has authored, coauthored, and edited 
over forty books on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. Some of his 
works include: Lincoln at Cooper Union, The Lincoln Image, and the 2015 
Lincoln Prize-winning Lincoln and the Power of the Press. In 2008, Mr. 
Holzer received the National Humanities Medal from President George W. 
Bush, the highest recognition America awarded to individuals or 
institutions that have had a positive impact on the nation's 
understanding of the humanities.
  Mr. Holzer authored Lincoln: How Abraham Lincoln Ended Slavery in 
America, the young-adult companion to Steven Spielberg's Academy Award-
winning biopic, Lincoln. Mr. Holzer also served as a script consultant 
on the adapted screenplay for the film.
  President Bill Clinton appointed Mr. Holzer as cochairman of the U.S. 
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, which oversaw the planning of 
the national celebration of Lincoln's 200th birthday. Mr. Holzer served 
in that capacity from 2000-2009. He now serves as Chairman of the 
successor organization, the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation.
  Mr. Holzer lives in Rye, New York with his wife, Edith. They have two 
daughters and a grandson.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Harold 
Holzer's talent, dedication and erudition. His contributions to our 
nation's civic and cultural life, as well as our understanding of 
President Lincoln and the extraordinary era when he was President will 
last long into the future.

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