[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 198 (Tuesday, December 5, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1659-E1660]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE LIFE OF DONALD C. POGUE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 5, 2017

  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my dear friend 
and colleague, the late honorable Donald C. Pogue. Judge Pogue passed 
away peacefully last October and his absence is felt by all who knew 
him.
  Born in Macomb, Illinois in 1947, Don graduated magna cum laude, Phi 
Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1969 and earned his juris 
doctorate and masters of art in philosophy from Yale in 1973. Following 
graduation, he began his legal career representing labor unions at his 
firm, Kester, Pogue & Gould, in Hartford. During his fifteen years of 
practice, Judge Pogue lectured on labor law at the University of 
Connecticut School of Law, assisted in teaching Harvard Law School's 
program on negotiation and dispute resolution for lawyers, and chaired 
the Connecticut Bar Association's Labor and Employment Law Section.
  In 1989, Don was appointed Commissioner of Connecticut Hospitals and 
Healthcare by Governor O'Neill, and then Chairman by Governor Weicker. 
In 1994, Don became a judge in Connecticut's Superior Court and was 
appointed to the U.S. Court of International Trade by President Clinton 
just one year later. There he led the Court's Long Range Planning and 
Budget committees. In 2010 he became

[[Page E1660]]

Chief Judge and served as a statutory member of the Judicial Conference 
of the United States Courts. Don assumed senior status in 2014. In 
addition to being a great lawyer and judge, he was also a devoted 
husband, father, and grandfather and an active member of his community. 
He served on the Board of Connecticut Hospice and volunteered there for 
over a decade.
  Mr. Speaker, I came to know Don Pogue during his time as chair of the 
Hospitals and Healthcare Commission, from 1989 to 1994. I was a state 
representative at the time, leading the Connecticut General Assembly's 
Public Health Committee. It was a time of great change in healthcare. 
Working with Don, we created one of the first children's health 
insurance programs in the country and initiated cutting edge reform to 
lower healthcare costs. Don was a brilliant public servant who was 
always the smartest guy in the room. Despite that, he was an extremely 
courteous gentleman who always was focused on helping the people of the 
state, particularly the less fortunate.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please join me in remembering 
Dan's life and work. His public service serves as an example to all who 
hold public office to stay focused on the people who vested their trust 
in us. Although Don is deeply missed, we take comfort in knowing his 
commitment to justice left the world a better place.

                          ____________________