[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 66 (Thursday, April 28, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E625]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IN HONOR OF THE RETIREMENT OF JOHN FOX SULLIVAN

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 28, 2016

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor John Fox Sullivan, who 
is retiring after four decades as the publisher of the National 
Journal.
   Most in this chamber knows John as the powerful media executive who 
transformed the National Journal into one of Washington's most 
respected periodicals. I've had the pleasure of knowing John as my 
childhood friend from Carmel, California.
   The Sullivan family moved next door to my family in Carmel during 
the 1950s. Thanks to our mothers' shared interest in politics, our two 
families quickly became friends. Johnny, as we called him back then, 
and I attended school together--from Carmel Sunset School to Carmel 
High School. After graduating, he left to attend Yale University and 
Columbia Business School.
   Following a five-year career at Newsweek, John joined the still 
relatively young National Journal in 1975, where he would go on to 
serve as Publisher, President and CEO. Under his leadership, the 
National Journal would change the face of Washington journalism.
   Shortly after John joined the National Journal, I reconnected with 
him at the Democratic National Convention in New York City in 1976. I 
was attending as a delegate and John noticed my name on the press 
roster. When my old high school friend found me in the Madison Square 
Garden crowd, I just happened to be sitting next to Jane Fonda. We 
shared a good laugh when he thought Jane and I were there together.
   After reconnecting at the convention, John and I managed to stay in 
touch. He and his wife, Beverly, would come and visit in Carmel. It was 
a joy to catch up on family news and to discuss politics. My father 
often joined those discussions and I believe he became the first 
subscriber of the National Journal on the West Coast.
   When I first came to Washington, the Sullivans returned that 
hospitality. Anyone who has ever had the fortune of dining with John 
and Beverly walked away with fond memories. Dinner parties in their 
beautiful home are known to be filled with charming people engaged in 
the most interesting conversations.
   History will remember the role their Georgetown rowhouse played in 
the leadership bid of the first woman to become Speaker of the House. 
John and Beverly always made their home available to anyone to discuss 
politics. One evening, I brought Representatives George Miller and 
Nancy Pelosi and a few members of Congress who had not yet agreed to 
support her leadership campaign. Thanks to that dinner, commitments 
were made that solidified her leadership bid that eventually led to her 
Speakership.
   Being a respected leader in one Washington wasn't enough for John. 
After moving to ``Little'' Washington, John was elected mayor of the 
historic Virginia town in 2010. He easily won reelection in 2014 with 
28 of the 29 votes cast. Who in this chamber can boast about receiving 
97 percent of the votes cast? That's how much people like and respect 
John.
   From our youth spent in Carmel to our friendship here in Washington, 
I have always admired the way John and Beverly celebrated the lives of 
others.
   Mr. Speaker, it is only fitting on the day of John Fox Sullivan's 
much deserved retirement that we get to celebrate his life and all the 
good that has come from his service.

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