[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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