[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 218 (Monday, December 21, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7935-S7936]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO LAMAR ALEXANDER

  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I would like to start by thanking my good 
friend Senator Lamar Alexander for his nearly two decades in the Senate 
and his longstanding devotion to improving our country. His dedication 
to the people of Tennessee and Americans throughout our Nation has been 
unwavering. We have served together in the Senate for 18 years, but he 
has been in public service for much longer than that.
  I remember when Senator Alexander was first elected to the Senate in 
2002. He was no stranger to his new colleagues. Lamar had already 
served as the Governor of Tennessee, the president of the University of 
Tennessee, and the Secretary of Education under George H.W. Bush. He 
also ran for President in 1996 and again in 2000.
  We should have seen the writing on the wall then--that Senator 
Alexander would be one of the smartest and most ambitious Members we 
would serve with throughout our careers.
  Born in Maryville, TN, Lamar graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Vanderbilt 
University and went on to receive his juris doctor from the New York 
University, NYU, School of Law. He then clerked on the Fifth Circuit 
for Judge John Minor Wisdom in New Orleans.
  Following his time in Louisiana, he moved to Washington to work as a 
legislative assistant for then-Senator Howard Baker of Tennessee. This 
is when he met his beloved wife Honey. They married and had four 
children, and his remarkable career took off.
  During Lamar's time as a U.S. Senator, he served as the chairman of 
the

[[Page S7936]]

Senate Republican conference, an important leadership position in which 
he influenced his fellow Members to accomplish conservative 
achievements by working in unison.
  Currently, Lamar is the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions, HELP, Committee-- a``Class A'' committee in the Senate. In 
2016, he was instrumental in passing the overwhelmingly bipartisan 21st 
Century Cures Act--landmark legislation that has brought new 
innovations and advances to patients who need them faster and more 
efficiently.
  I have been blessed to serve with Lamar on the Senate Rules Committee 
and the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he is the current 
chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development.
  In this role on Appropriations, he has supported and advanced a host 
of important national priorities, such as nuclear security, critical 
infrastructure projects across the country, and the science and 
research taking place at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. I, along 
with my colleagues on the committee, am grateful for his hard work to 
craft many years of significant and influential funding measures.
  Lamar came to the Senate as a staffer and is leaving as chairman of 
one of the largest and most significant committees in the Senate. His 
impact and leadership during his time here has been both substantial 
and constructive.
  Lamar and I have travelled the world together. Annette and I have 
enjoyed the many hours spent with Honey and him. He will be missed in 
the Senate. I thank Senator Alexander for his dedication to the 
betterment of our country and wish him all the best in his next chapter 
of life.

                          ____________________