[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 157 (Wednesday, September 27, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E898-E899]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN MEMORY OF BRERETON C. JONES

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. ANDY BARR

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 27, 2023

  Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an exemplary Kentuckian, 
former Governor Brereton Chandler Jones. He was born in Ohio on June 
27, 1939, and was raised in West Virginia. Mr. Jones passed away on 
September 18, 2023. He will long be remembered for his contributions to 
the Commonwealth of Kentucky and to the thoroughbred horse industry.
  Mr. Jones was raised on a West Virginia dairy farm. A star football 
player and class valedictorian, he went on to attend the University of 
Virginia, where he played football and graduated in 1961. At the age of 
25, he was the youngest person ever elected to the West Virginia House 
of Delegates and served there until 1968. Mr. Jones met his wife Libby 
on a trip to Kentucky's Keeneland racetrack and they were married in 
1970. They had two children, Lucy and Brereton, Jr. (Bret). The family 
moved to Woodford County, Kentucky in 1972 and established Airdrie 
Stud. The farm grew from 350 acres to its current size of over 2,500 
acres and is internationally recognized for its horses. A leader in the 
thoroughbred industry, Mr. Jones chaired the Kentucky Thoroughbred 
Commission and served as treasurer of the Breeders Cup. Mr. Jones 
founded the Kentucky Equine Education Project in 2004 and served as 
KEEP's chair until 2011.
  Mr. Jones was elected Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky in 1987 and in 
1991 he became Kentucky's 58th governor. His administration highlights 
included strengthening ethics laws, streamlining state government, and 
passing health care reform. He advocated for an amendment to the state 
constitution which allowed governors to succeed themselves once, but he 
exempted himself from the succession provision. Other accomplishments 
included increasing funding for state parks and phasing out the state 
inheritance tax.
  Governor Jones was a highly respected leader in the political realm 
in Frankfort and

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was also well-respected in the thoroughbred industry. He was a man who 
led with ingenuity and integrity. Brereton C. Jones was a true leader, 
and I am humbled to honor his contributions to Kentucky and to the 
Nation before the United States Congress.

                          ____________________