[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 23 (Monday, February 8, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S569-S570]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     REMEMBERING RICHARD THORNBURGH

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, today I want to pay tribute to the late 
Richard L. Thornburgh, a former Pennsylvania Governor and former U.S. 
Attorney General. Dick Thornburgh was also a hero to the disability 
community for his longstanding advocacy for the rights and self-
determination of people with disabilities.
  Born in Pittsburgh on July 16, 1932, Dick received an undergraduate 
degree from Yale University and a law degree from the University of 
Pittsburgh Law School before going into private practice.
  In 1969, President Richard Nixon appointed Dick as the U.S. attorney 
for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and in 1975, President Gerald 
Ford appointed him to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for the 
Justice Department's Criminal Division. Two years later, he returned to 
Pennsylvania.
  In 1978, Dick was elected Governor of Pennsylvania and was reelected 
in 1982, becoming the first Republican to serve two successive terms as 
Governor of the Commonwealth.
  During his time in office, Governor Thornburgh provided a steady hand 
and a calm demeanor. Most notably, he led Pennsylvania through the 
Three Mile Island crisis, America's worst nuclear meltdown. He took 
charge of the crisis and in so doing won praise from President Jimmy 
Carter and from Pennsylvanians for how he handled the potential 
disaster. At the time of the Three Mile Island Crisis, Governor 
Thornburgh said:

       You have to reassure people. You have to go before the 
     cameras and microphones and tell them what you know and what 
     you don't. You have to stop the rumors and, of course, you 
     have to make decisions. There isn't any Republican or 
     Democratic way to deal with a nuclear crisis. Nobody has ever 
     had to deal with this kind of accident before.

  In 1988, President Ronald Reagan nominated Governor Thornburgh to be 
the U.S. Attorney General, a position in which he served until 1991. He 
resigned in 1991 to run for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania following 
the tragic death of Senator John Heinz in a plane crash. Governor 
Thornburgh lost the Senate election to Harris Wofford, who had been 
appointed to the vacancy 6 months before the 1991 election.
  Following his Senate run, Governor Thornburgh served a 1-year 
appointment as Under-Secretary General at the United Nations at the 
request of President George H.W. Bush. In that role, he sought to bring 
reform, transparency, and accountability to the United Nations.
  After his service at the United Nations, Governor Thornburgh returned 
to private practice but would continue to serve in advisory roles at 
the State and Federal level, imparting his wisdom and experience in a 
number of different arenas.
  Of his many contributions to public life, Governor Thornburgh was 
especially respected in the disability rights community for his 
tireless advocacy for the rights and self-determination of people with 
disabilities.
  Governor Thornburgh's son, Peter, was injured in a car accident in 
1960, a tragic accident that also killed Thornburgh's wife, Ginny 
Hooton. The accident left Peter Thornburgh, then just 4 months of age, 
with a significant brain injury that caused physical and intellectual 
disabilities. Governor Thornburgh is quoted as saying that the accident 
``made him think about what he could do with his life to contribute to 
the world.''
  As Attorney General in Bush Administration, Dick Thornburgh helped to 
shepherd the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA, through Congress 
during a most critical period in 1989. On

[[Page S570]]

June 21, 1989, then Attorney General Thornburgh affirmed to the 
disability community and the Nation the Bush administration's intent to 
support the passage of the ADA and to sign the legislation when 
Congress passed the bill.
  When the ADA passed Congress, Attorney General Thornburgh said that 
the day was ``one of emancipation, not just for the millions of 
Americans with disabilities who will directly benefit from this Act, 
but even more so for the rest of us now free to benefit from the 
contributions which those with a disability can make to our economy, 
our communities and our own well-being.''
  Walter Cohen, who served as both Pennsylvania's secretary of public 
welfare and attorney general, stated that Governor Thornburgh was 
responsible for Pennsylvania creating home and community based services 
for people with disabilities and for ordering the closure of the 
Pennhurst State School and Hospital, which had been found to be housing 
hundreds of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities in 
squalor.
  Mr. President, for many Governor Thornburgh is known for his decades 
of public service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and to the 
Federal Government. He is deserving of this recognition, and the people 
of Pennsylvania owe him their deepest gratitude for his service. But 
any discussion of Governor Thornburgh's service would be incomplete if 
we did not pause to note that because of his efforts, in part, the 
lives of people with disabilities have been dramatically improved. Our 
built environment and transportation system have been made available to 
all people. It is now understood that every child, no matter their 
disability, has the right to a quality, public education. People with 
disabilities, rather than living in institutions, are now free to grow 
up and flourish in the community and setting of their choice.
  These opportunities may be taken for granted now, but they were hard 
fought gains achieved through the sweat and tears of the disability 
community and those who fought alongside them every step of the way. 
Dick Thornburgh was one of the greatest of these champions. His public 
service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is worthy of commendation. 
We extend condolences to Dick's wife, Ginny, his sons, John, David, 
Peter and William, and to his grandchildren and great grandchildren.

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