[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 37 (Thursday, March 1, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S1312]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        REMEMBERING JOHN TUNNEY

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor a former Member 
of this Chamber, Senator John Tunney, whose seat I now hold.
  Senator Tunney passed away on January 12 in Brentwood, CA, at the age 
of 83. His family and friends will gather on Monday to celebrate his 
life.
  The son of a world heavyweight boxing champion, Senator Tunney was 
born in New York in 1934. After graduating from Yale in 1956, he went 
on to study law at the University of Virginia.
  While attending law school, he was roommates with Senator Ted 
Kennedy, and the two became lifelong friends.
  After graduating in 1959, he began his career in public service as a 
JAG lawyer in the Air Force. He was eventually stationed in California, 
where he settled after leaving the military.
  He first ran for Congress in 1964, winning a House seat representing 
Riverside and Imperial Counties. After three terms in the House, when 
he was only 36 years old, John challenged Senator George Murphy in 
1970.
  It was highly contested election. Senator Murphy shared the ballot 
with his good friend, then-Governor Ronald Reagan, who was seeking 
reelection.
  Despite the Governor's popularity, Senator Tunney was able to win and 
by a wider margin of victory than the Governor. That campaign would 
serve as the inspiration for Robert Redford's movie, ``The Candidate.''
  Ever the statesmen, Senator Murphy went to Sacramento to meet with 
Governor Reagan immediately after the election. The two pledged to work 
together for the betterment of California.
  That willingness to reach across the aisle allowed Senator Tunney to 
be an effective legislator during his career in the Senate.
  A champion of civil rights and environmental causes, he passed 
several major bills, including the Noise Pollution Act in 1972 and an 
extension of the Voting Rights Act in 1975.
  He also authored the landmark Antitrust Procedures and Penalties Act, 
commonly referred to as the Tunney Act. The antitrust bill gave the 
Justice Department oversight of corporate mergers and acquisitions.
  Senator Tunney also played a key role in keeping the United States 
out the Angolan civil war, pushing to end the Pentagon's covert 
operations there.
  As a freshman Senator, he authored more than 38 bills, a record few 
of us here today could claim in our first term.
  That success can be attributed in part to the talented staff he 
hired, including future Congresswoman Jane Harman and Hadley Roff, who 
later served on my own staff.
  Despite his successful record, Senator Tunney lost his reelection bid 
to S.I. Hayakawa during the anti-incumbent wave that followed 
Watergate.
  Upon leaving office, he continued to practice law, becoming a partner 
at Manatt, Phelps, Rothenberg & Tunney in Los Angeles.
  He also served on the boards of several nonprofits, including Living 
With Wolves and UCLA's Hammer Museum.
  After retiring, Senator Tunney spent most of his time in Idaho, 
enjoying poetry, reading, fishing, skiing, and hiking with his family.
  Senator Tunney is survived by his second wife, Kathinka Osborne 
Tunney, his six children and stepchildren, and two grandsons.
  After his defeat in 1976, Senator Tunney famously said, ``When you 
get into public life, you've got to be prepared to take your knocks.''
  On behalf of all Californians, I am grateful he was willing to take 
those knocks and thankful for his life of public service.

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