[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 207 (Wednesday, December 1, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H6721-H6722]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING ROBERT HAMILTON HURT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Carter) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I 
rise today to honor a man who has dedicated his life to a better 
Georgia and a better United States: Robert Hamilton Hurt.
  Bob Hurt is retiring this year, but his legacy will last generations. 
You would be hard-pressed to find a better adviser, more loyal friend, 
or hardworking foot soldier for every cause to which he has dedicated 
himself than Bob Hurt. This includes his commitment to his lovely wife, 
Virginia, and daughters Emma and Louisa, who are daily witnesses to 
Bob's unwavering support.
  Bob is a proud graduate of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, where 
he studied history. During this time reporting for and serving as 
editor for the campus newspaper, The Cluster, Bob both covered and 
advocated for the school's desegregation.
  After graduating, Bob cashed in on a couple of summers interning for 
the Atlanta Constitution to score a full-time job reporting for the 
paper.
  That career was put on hold as Bob was commissioned as an officer for 
the United States Army through Mercer's ROTC program and was then 
called to defend our Nation in Vietnam.

  While in Vietnam, he served as an Army infantryman and military 
intelligence officer with the 173rd Airborne Brigade and with the 5th 
Special Forces, more commonly called the Green Berets.
  Bob returned to Atlanta following the war, where he continued his 
career as a journalist covering many beats before moving to Washington, 
D.C., to report on the happenings inside this building for the people 
of Atlanta.
  While in Washington, Bob continued to pursue his goals while studying 
legislative affairs at George Washington University, where he went on 
to receive a master's degree.
  Bob left the Atlanta Constitution and began an illustrious career in 
the United States Congress working for both the House of 
Representatives and the United States Senate.
  Accumulating an incredible 24 years of combined experience, Bob has 
truly seen it all, but he never lost his commitment to the people of 
his beloved Peach State. He served as chief of staff to two of my 
predecessors, Representative Bo Ginn and Lindsay Thomas, as well as 
staff director for Senator Sam Nunn.
  Though his dear friend Frank Norton may have convinced Bob to leave 
the government service, Bob never stopped working for our State. He has 
been a trusted adviser to Members on both sides of the aisle to further 
the interests of Georgians at the Federal level.
  For more than 40 years, Bob Hurt has had a hand in nearly every 
project to create jobs and improve lives in the First District of 
Georgia. He has also been a fierce advocate for our military 
installations and for ensuring America's troops are the best equipped, 
highest trained, and most well cared for in the world.
  While he is the first to roll up his sleeves and commit to doing the 
hard things, Bob is the last person who will ever take credit for 
getting the job done.
  Mr. Speaker, I am here today to shine a light on this faithful public 
servant who I am honored to call my friend.
  Joining me in honoring Bob today are former Senator Sam Nunn and my 
predecessors Lindsay Thomas and Jack Kingston.
  Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record their remarks.

                                                November 29, 2021.
       Dear Bob: It is a pleasure to join with your family and 
     many friends to congratulate you on your well-deserved 
     retirement. (I don't really believe it.)
       From your work at The Atlanta Constitution and your service 
     in the U.S. Army--to your time as my Administrative Assistant 
     in the Senate and your hard work at Hurt & Norton, you have 
     had an outstanding, impactful, and I am sure, very fulfilling 
     career. In every role, you have served with distinction, 
     integrity, and a great sense of humor, and you have been a 
     force for good for Georgia and our nation. You've given all 
     of us who have been blessed by your company a joyful example 
     of how to live a wonderful life.
       Considering your news media background, I am reluctant to 
     admit that you are a superb writer, so let's put it this way: 
     I am looking for a speechwriter for my own retirement years. 
     Are you available? I am honored that we've had the 
     opportunity to work closely together over these many years, 
     and I treasure our relationship.
       Thank you for your friendship, your leadership, your wise 
     counsel and your good jokes, which you have occasionally 
     shared. Colleen and I send our best wishes to you and 
     Virginia for a relaxing and enjoyable retirement. She is the 
     one who really deserves it, and we hope to see more of both 
     of you on the Georgia coast!
           Sincerely,
     Sam Nunn.
                                  ____

       Though a newcomer to the political arena, I was well aware 
     of the reputation and capabilities of Bob Hurt long before he 
     agreed to serve as my Chief of Staff.
       I cannot recall a serious disagreement that came between us 
     throughout those ten years. There were surely times when my 
     naivete and lack of experience frustrated him greatly but 
     never did it shake his steady, even-handed manner of 
     directing the affairs of our office.
       Bob selected our staff, directed the budget, and inter-
     office proceedings and, with his established knowledge of the 
     First District, precluded any serious opposition during my 
     ten years in office. His careful stewardship of the complex 
     management challenges that face any congressional office 
     enabled me to concentrate on focusing on the district and its 
     people. In doing so, he afforded me the ability to spend the 
     kind of time I found necessary to keep our pulse on the 
     sentiments of the people we represented and the agenda of the 
     First District.
       I came to recognize how much respect Bob had on Capitol 
     Hill. Other chiefs of staff and even other Members were aware 
     of his knowledge, experience, and wisdom, seeking his counsel 
     often. On many occasions I was perfectly aware of how Bob 
     felt about various issues before us based on their questions 
     of me.
       In serving former Congressman Bo Ginn before me and then 
     Senator Sam Nunn after, I have often thought of what a 
     contrast it must have been to take on the responsibility of 
     such a novice as myself. He did so in a manner that helped me 
     come to a resolution on controversial matters, on the gamut 
     of ordinary issues that affected the nation and the First 
     District, and on the mundane responsibility of assuring the 
     people who elected me that our office was there to serve them 
     in every way possible.
       Bob Hurt is a person of sterling character, very deep 
     intellect, and passion for our nation. He has exemplified 
     that passion not only through his years as Chief of Staff for 
     three Members of the United States Congress, a Vietnam 
     veteran, a father and family man, and a consultant to some of 
     the most important enterprises in the country, but also as a 
     friend and trusted counsel to people who shape the nation's 
     agenda.
       He is a perfect example of a life well lived, and a person 
     whose service has made our country a better place.
       I am truly honored to be his friend and I can say without 
     reservation our longtime friendship and association has made 
     me a better man.

                                               Lindsay Thomas,

                                   Member of Congress (1983-1993),
     First District of Georgia.
                                  ____

       Most of us don't know if Bob Hurt ever officially moved his 
     residency to the state of

[[Page H6722]]

     Virginia but either way we in Georgia claim him as one of our 
     most outstanding citizens.
       As a young man Bob played an integral volunteer role in the 
     election of the late Congressman Bo Ginn. After Ginn was 
     elected Bob stayed on as a staff member. Knowing the hours he 
     worked and the reality of congressional salaries, I'm sure 
     the compensation was only slightly better than what he made 
     as a volunteer!
       He worked grueling hours traveling the state of Georgia, 
     meeting its people and dealing with the issues that most 
     affected them. Along with Congressman Ginn, his successor 
     Lindsay Thomas, and Sen. Sam Nunn, Bob was on the forefront 
     of nearly every major public project for the last five 
     decades. He helped push for the development and expansion of 
     our ports, universities, military installations, countless 
     roads, bridges, airports, and industries. As Georgia grew and 
     prospered Bob never forgot the quality of life in which we 
     all believe. He balanced environmental, rural, and urban 
     dynamics so that generations to come will still be able to 
     know and love the same Georgia in which Bob was reared.
       In all of these achievements Bob never cut the ribbon or 
     took the applause. He worked quietly behind the scenes and in 
     most cases crafted the message and wrote the very speeches 
     the elected officials gave as they accepted the accolades.
       After his retirement from Congressional life Bob continued 
     his public service as a lobbyist. I always describe Bob is a 
     guy who charged you a dollar when he should've charged you 
     two dollars and always gave you three dollars worth of work. 
     He has been an example for many other public advocates. To 
     Bob the mission is always primary, not the dollars or the 
     political impact.
       Bob's wife Virginia and daughters Emma and Louisa have been 
     part of Bob's contribution to a better Georgia. Bob puts his 
     family first yet there been many sacrifices that all of them 
     have made to make Bob a success. I hope Bob stays in the game 
     but whatever the future holds he will be known as the premier 
     and most successful public servant and lobbyist on Capitol 
     Hill.

                                                Jack Kingston,

                                   Member of Congress (1993-2015),
                                        First District of Georgia.

                              {time}  1100

  Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, Bob Hurt is a great Georgian. He 
is a great American. Most importantly for me, he is a great friend who 
has helped me tremendously, as he has helped so many people.
  I wish him well in his retirement. I know that he will be living in 
my district. I look forward to representing him. We need more people in 
this world like Bob Hurt. We need more people in the United States and 
in Congress like Bob Hurt.
  I thank Bob for his tutelage and for all he has done for our great 
State and for our great Nation.

                          ____________________