[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 2 (Friday, January 4, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S30-S31]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING JOHN C. CULVER

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I come to the Senate floor to pay my 
respects and to pay tribute to a fellow Iowan. This fellow Iowan served 
for 6 years right here in the U.S. Senate. In fact, the Iowan who 
brings me to the floor today is my predecessor, the Honorable John C. 
Culver.
  I was sorry to learn that Senator Culver passed away the day after 
Christmas. I have no doubt that his spirit of public service and his 
commitment to civic engagement will carry on for generations to come. I 
will come back to this legacy in just a moment.
  John and I had our differences, as he was a Democrat and I a 
Republican, but we shared a commitment to public service and to working 
to advance the interests of the people of the great State of Iowa. We 
both had the privilege of serving Iowans in both Houses of Congress. 
For a decade, John represented Iowa's Second District in the House of 
Representatives, from 1965 to 1975. I represented Iowa's Third District 
from 1975 to 1980. Then we both had the opportunity to represent the 
State of Iowa here in the U.S. Senate.
  John made the decision to pursue a life of public service early in 
his life. After graduating from Franklin High School in Cedar Rapids, 
Senator Culver headed east to Boston, MA. He earned his undergraduate 
degree in American Government from Harvard University. He also played 
fullback for the Crimson football team. He was brawny and had a big 
build. In fact, he was even drafted to the NFL, but John punted a 
career on the gridiron and answered the call to a different vocation, 
and that was to public service.

  First, he served for 3 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. Then, after 
earning his law degree from Harvard Law School, he returned home to 
Iowa and ran for public office.
  When Senator Culver was serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, 
I was serving in the Iowa statehouse. Although we shared a passion for 
public service, we didn't share the same space on the political 
spectrum, but our constituents expected their elected officeholders to 
bring Iowa integrity to that job.
  In politics, family is often a uniting factor. Senator Culver's son, 
Chet, served as the Governor of Iowa from 2007 to 2011. In fact, the 
last time I saw

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John was at Governor Culver's inaugural ball. I had the chance to tell 
Senator Culver, ``I know how proud you are of your son.'' That is a 
feeling I know well, as my grandson is serving his seventh term in the 
Iowa House and serves as chairman of the Appropriations Committee--a 
committee I once chaired.
  Senator Culver and I then knew the importance of family and were 
fortunate to have family who value public service.
  When Senator Culver won election to the U.S. Senate in 1974, he won 
the seat left open with the retirement of another towering political 
figure in Iowa--the man from Ida Grove. That is also the title of a 
book about former Iowa Governor and U.S. Senator Harold Hughes.
  Here in the Senate, he served with his longtime friend and liberal 
lion, Senator Ted Kennedy. Senator Culver served on the following 
committees: Armed Services, Judiciary, Environment and Public Works, 
and Small Business.
  That brings me to another similarity Senator Culver and I share from 
our respective service in this institution--our assignments on the 
Senate Judiciary Committee and our interest in helping at-risk 
juveniles avoid a life of crime.
  Senator Culver chaired the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee to 
Investigate Juvenile Delinquency. He convened oversight hearings to 
examine the 1974 Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, now 
widely known as the JJDPA.
  At a hearing in 1977, Senator Culver pointed out that in our State of 
Iowa, 8,400 juveniles were processed through the courts in 1965. Then, 
by 1974, at the time of these hearings and the passage of this 
legislation, the number had increased to 20,200--highlighting the need 
for reforms like those in the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
Prevention Act.
  John's leadership on the subcommittee helped make sure that this 
sweeping, new law, passed just 3 years before, worked to help keep 
young people on the right track and away from a life of crime. His 
focus on helping youth lead productive lives became a mission that he 
pursued long after he left the U.S. Senate.
  Four decades later, the JJDPA is as necessary as ever. Again, going 
back to statistics from Iowa, in 2015--50 years after the figure I gave 
you of about 8,000--Iowa had 14,837 violations of law by a minor that 
were adjudicated in our State.
  That same year, I held a congressional hearing to raise awareness 
about the need to reform and renew that law so it works effectively to 
help at-risk youth in the 21st century. The JJDPA had not been updated 
or reauthorized since 2002. As chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I 
was pleased to champion a successful bipartisan, bicameral effort to 
update and reauthorize that act. The updates emphasize substance abuse 
and mental health services. These efforts helped at-risk young people 
obtain an education and, of course, accept more responsibility because 
it had stronger accountability measures to protect taxpayers and to 
better serve youth who come into contact with the juvenile justice 
system.
  Another part of Senator Culver's work was his work on the Commission 
that bore his name, the Culver Commission. He deserves great 
recognition for this. I am told the audit was the first of its kind to 
review the Senate's legislative and administrative operations. Senator 
Culver said the Senate needed ``a careful and probing study of the 
whole central nervous system of the Senate and its institutional well-
being.'' As the newly chosen Senate President pro tempore and as 
officer of the Congressional Accountability Act, I also want this 
institution to run as efficiently and effectively as possible for the 
American people.
  In 1980, Senator Culver and I faced off in an election for the U.S. 
Senate. He was a very formidable opponent and ran a very solid 
campaign. Ultimately, I won that election. While I am sure that wasn't 
the outcome Senator Culver wanted, John was very gracious. I will never 
forget his grace and good wishes after that 1980 election.
  After his departure from the Senate, Senator Culver continued an 
extraordinary career, practicing law until 2009. He was a gifted 
athlete and a gifted public speaker. He became an author, a guest 
lecturer, and a visiting professor, carving an extra-wide path with 
extra-broad shoulders to inspire generations of young Americans to 
engage in civic life, in service, and in politics. His list of 
achievements and awards reflect a tireless devotion to public service 
and to country.
  Since 1975, he served on the Senior Advisory Committee of the 
Institute of Politics at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of 
Government.
  In 2013, he became chair emeritus. In 2012, Harvard's John F. Kennedy 
School of Government created the John C. Culver Scholarship. In 2008, 
Senator Culver was presented with the Norman E. Borlaug Lifetime 
Achievement Award for Public Service. In 2010, he was presented with 
the Congressional Joint Leadership Foundation's Leadership Award for 
his work encouraging young Americans.
  He received six honorary degrees. In 2010, Simpson College in 
Indianola, IA, partnered with Senator Culver to launch the John C. 
Culver Public Policy Center. The nonpartisan policy institute is 
designed to educate and to inspire participation in our democracy. It 
seeks to encourage young people to consider public service as their 
life's work.
  John's life reminds all of us that a life spent in the service of 
others is a life well-lived. John's tireless efforts to serve his 
country and the people of Iowa will be long remembered and serve as an 
example to all who honor his memory.
  Barbara and I extend our deepest condolences to the entire Culver 
family. May God bless them in their time of bereavement, and may God 
bless Senator Culver.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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