[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 21, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H3028]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REMEMBERING AMBASSADOR ARTHUR SCHECHTER

  (Mr. MENEFEE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MENEFEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one of Houston's and 
this Nation's great public servants. Ambassador Arthur Schechter ended 
his journey in life on April 13, at the wise age of 86. He was an 
attorney, a diplomat, a philanthropist, and one of Houston's most 
committed civic leaders.
  Ambassador Schechter was a Houston man through and through. He built 
his legal career there, fought for maritime workers and working people 
and poured himself into this community for decades.
  His impact didn't just stop in the city. President Clinton appointed 
him U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas in 1998, and he served our country 
with dignity and honor.
  The Governor General of the Bahamas called him the finest ambassador 
ever posted to that country. That says everything you need to know 
about the ambassador.
  When Ambassador Schechter finished his post abroad, he continued the 
work back home. He chaired Houston's Public Transit Authority and 
helped open Houston's first light rail on our Main Street. He rode in 
that very first car with his grandchildren. That image captures who 
Arthur Schechter was. He didn't just build things. He made sure that 
the people he loved and everyone else in our communities got to 
experience them.
  To Joyce, to Jennifer, to Leslie, and to the grandchildren and other 
family members that Ambassador Schechter loved so deeply, an entire 
Nation is grieving with you. God bless Ambassador Schechter in his 
service. May we carry his legacy forward.

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