[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 19 (Monday, January 31, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S410-S411]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING HERBERT M. FRANKLIN

  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I honor Herbert M. Franklin, who passed 
away on November 16, 2021. He has left a meaningful and beautiful mark 
on the heart of our Nation's Capital.
  Mr. Franklin's true affection for the history and buildings of our 
exceptional Capitol and Washington, DC, was put to great use through 
his service as executive officer to George M. White and Alan M. 
Hantman, the 9th and 10th Architects of the Capitol, from 1989 until 
Mr. Franklin's retirement in 2001. In that capacity, he acted as chief 
of staff for all administrative policies and actions of the agency, 
which has over 2,000 employees and is essential to the preservation and 
maintenance of this marvelous structure and its grounds.
  His appreciation for architecture, politics, and gardens showed in 
the thoughtful proficiency he put into the many important projects 
under his purview. Among his accomplishments, he served as project 
director for the design and construction of the Thurgood Marshall 
Federal Judiciary Building, the 1995 refinement of the Capitol Center 
Visitor Project, the National Garden Project, and the renovation of the 
U.S. Botanic Garden.
  Additionally, Mr. Franklin served on the National Capital Memorial 
Commission. While on the commission, he worked on a special task force 
that also included the Commission on Fine Arts and the National Capital 
Planning Commission. The group was asked to draw up a master plan for 
the placement of memorials in the capital city, with the challenging 
objective of preserving the remaining open space on the Mall for 
particularly significant memorials. Through his role at the Architect 
of the Capitol, he also served on the D.C. Zoning Commission.
  A person needed only to take a tour of the Capitol with Mr. Franklin 
to see just how deeply he loved it, the people who work in these halls, 
and the processes and procedures at the core of its operation. He 
delighted in his work and took very seriously his charge to guard and 
honor our Capitol.
  Susan Hawkes Wheeler, chief of staff for my Washington, DC, office, 
is one of the very lucky people to have benefited from one of Mr. 
Franklin's tours. He gave Susan her first and best tour of the Capitol, 
and I am so glad he did. Her visit with his warm and hospitable family 
was instrumental in her deciding to join my staff just a few weeks 
later. And she is just one of many who benefited from his experience 
and guidance throughout his extraordinary life and career.
  Mr. Franklin's admiration for architecture and the building arts also 
showed in his volunteer work, as he was instrumental in the founding of 
the National Building Museum. In 1977, he was part of a small group 
that created the Committee for a National Museum of the Building Arts, 
in response to concerns over the fate of the historic Pension Building 
in Washington, DC. Mr. Franklin drafted the legislation that eventually 
led to Congress establishing the National Building Museum in 1980. He 
later served as its counsel, sat on its executive committee, and was 
chairman of its board, among his many contributions.
  Mr. Franklin also devoted considerable time to leadership roles for 
many

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other organizations. He taught at American University, was a guest 
lecturer at numerous colleges and universities, and was very involved 
in the governance of the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC, including as 
its president. He also authored and coauthored several published 
articles and books.
  Mr. Franklin graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. 
Originally from Milwaukee, WI, he started his legal career in his 
hometown before coming to Washington, DC, during the Kennedy 
administration as a lawyer in the Housing and Home Financing Agency. In 
1965, he served as the director of the Business and Development Center 
for Urban America, Inc. before becoming the first development 
administrator for the city of Middletown, CT. He couldn't stay away 
from his beloved Washington, DC, for long, though, returning in 1968 to 
serve in a leadership role for the National Urban Coalition, where he 
staffed a national task force on urban revitalization.
  In 1973, Mr. Franklin became a founding partner in the law firm of 
Lane and Edson, P.C. in Washington, DC, specializing in real estate 
finance and development. He was in private practice until joining the 
office of the Architect of the Capitol in 1989.
  I extend my condolences to Mr. Franklin's wife of 61 years, Barbara 
Braemer Franklin; daughter Marcia; son and daughter-in-law Jonathan and 
Sharon; son David; grandchildren Stephanie, Noah, Sophia, Norah and 
Sarah; and other family and friends. Thank you for sharing Mr. Franklin 
with us and our extraordinary seat of government he loved so much. We 
are all, no doubt, bettered by the respect, intellect and calm he put 
into the measured problem-solving that typified his service to our 
country.

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