[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 16492-16493]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                  TRIBUTE TO HONORABLE JIMMY MORRISON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaTourette). Under the Speaker's 
announced policy of January 6, 1999, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. 
Vitter) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority 
leader.
  Mr. VITTER. Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise to mourn the passing of a 
former Member of this body, the Honorable Jimmy Morrison of Louisiana.
  Congressman Morrison was one of my constituents and represented much 
of the district I now represent. He served in this body from 1944 
through 1966.
  I was only 5 years old when he left this House, so my knowledge, 
obviously, of his tenure here is limited to conversations with those 
who were privileged to work with him and to the history books. I do 
know that he was a Member of whom we can all be proud.
  In 1944, when he was first elected to office, his district was, like 
much of the country, a rural area still working to recover from the 
Great Depression.
  Congressman Morrison earned a seat on the Committee on Agriculture 
and the Post Office and Civil Service committee, two assignments that 
allowed him to address the immediate needs of his constituents.
  The esteem in which my older constituents hold him speaks volumes of

[[Page 16493]]

his effectiveness. He had a distinguished record in this body. He 
always stood up for the downtrodden and spoke very passionately about 
his commitment to speaking and working for the causes of the 
downtrodden.
  Perhaps the clearest example of that was his vocal support of the 
Civil Rights Act of 1964. He was extremely instrumental in furthering 
the needs and the interests of his particular district. He was really 
personally responsible for seeing to it that the intersection of I-12 
and I-55 in his district happened in the area of Hammond, which helped 
enormously with the growth of the entire Hammond area.
  He also worked as a leading member of the Committee on Post Office 
and Civil Service to establish needed post offices throughout his 
district.
  On a more national scale, he introduced the legislation that led to 
the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
  He was also very colorful and effective in the realm of politics. 
Besides being a sterling stump speaker, Mr. Morrison staged what he 
called the ``convicts parade'' on Canal Street during the 1939-1940 
campaign to call attention to the convictions arising out of the 
Louisiana scandals involving the Huey Long machine.
  Perhaps those of us in Louisiana politics today should take a lead 
from that in light of the recent conviction of our former governor, 
Edwin Edwards. Maybe we need another convicts parade.
  I can speak from personal knowledge of his life after Congress. He 
returned full time to his hometown of Hammond and resumed an active 
role as an attorney and civic leader. Leaving Congress in no way 
weakened his commitment to public service. He was a strong supporter of 
Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, the institution that 
houses his congressional papers.
  In honor of this support, the University hosts an annual lecture. The 
James H. Morrison Lecture on Politics and Government has brought 
leaders from throughout Louisiana and the Nation to Hammond to share 
their wisdom with the southeastern community.
  Shortly after joining this body a little over a year ago, I traveled 
to Hammond to seek Congressman Morrison's advice. It is clear from our 
conversation that he held the House in great esteem and viewed his 
opportunity to serve as a great honor accompanied by great 
responsibilities. I always will remember our discussion and the advice 
and wisdom he shared.
  To his wife, Marjorie, to family and many friends, let us all offer 
our sincere condolences. May they be comforted by the knowledge that he 
is now blessed with the joy and peace far greater than any on Earth.
  Mr. Speaker, Congressman Morrison served with only two present 
Members of the House. One of those with whom he served for quite a bit 
of time was the honorable gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell).
  The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) could not join with me 
tonight. He had a pressing engagement off the floor. But he did give me 
a statement which he asked for me to read on his behalf. This again is 
from the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell):

       Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to an honorable, 
     courageous man who passed away last Thursday in his hometown 
     of Hammond, Louisiana. James H. ``Jimmy'' Morrison 
     represented his constituents well, fought for the underdog 
     admirably, and served in this body with distinction.
       I had the pleasure of serving with Jimmy Morrison, a 
     principled populist and a passionate fighter on behalf of 
     Louisiana and his Sixth District, which he served from 1942-
     1966. He was an advocate for working men and women before he 
     came to Congress, beginning his legal career organizing 
     strawberry farmers who fell prey to unfair price fixing. In 
     Congress, he continued to fight to ensure that every 
     individual was entitled to fair treatment in the workplace 
     and given the opportunity to live the American dream. Always 
     alert to the needs of his constituents, he brought back 
     federal dollars home for roads, schools, and post offices.
       Mr. Speaker, I would like to note Jimmy Morrison's courage. 
     Jimmy Morrison's proudest and most courageous vote, in 
     support of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, undoubtedly cost him 
     his seat. His opponent played the race card during a tense 
     time in the South, throwing fuel on the fire of fear and 
     hate, and beat Jimmy in doing so. But that did not matter; 
     Jimmy Morrison knew he was on the side of righteousness, not 
     political expediency. History should remember his courage.
       I would ask my colleagues to join me in honoring James H. 
     Morrison, a good, descent, courageous public servant who 
     should be remembered both for his accomplishments and the 
     example he set.

  Those were the comments, as I said, Mr. Speaker, of the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Dingell).
  Mr. Speaker, I know the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Baker) joins me 
in this special order, and he is here with us on the floor. I yield to 
the gentleman.
  Mr. BAKER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, as a recent high school graduate many, many years ago, I 
had the occasion to open my mail and there in the mailbox was a letter 
from my Congressman. I was so shocked to think that he first knew that 
I had graduated high school and that he would send me such a nice 
congratulatory note.
  Many years later, I was at the dedication of a new building project 
in the congressional district and in the audience was Congressman Jimmy 
Morrison. And I reminded him of his kind act of courtesy in sending me 
this congratulatory letter in which he not only said ``Congratulations 
on your fine academic achievement. But should you ever have occasion to 
come to Washington, I certainly want to invite you.''
  In that context, I extended my appreciation for that offer and 
accepted his kind invitation to come to Congress.
  Congressman Jimmy Morrison was more than just a good political 
figure. He had exemplary courage. In fact, he was a leader in the civil 
rights fights of the 1960s. And many believe it was his belief and 
conviction in the action of civil rights that brought his long and 
distinguished congressional career to an end.
  But it was also exemplary of the core of what Congressman Morrison's 
strengths really were. He was a courageous person. Serving in office 
from 1943 to 1967, he was never afraid to take a stand whether 
controversial or not.
  Many might say about many Louisiana politicians that at times they 
can be flamboyant. Certainly Congressman Morrison was no exception to 
that observation. But throughout it all, he was a leader. He is a 
leader who is known in the State for his accomplishments but also as a 
political legend. But he is known as a legend for all the right 
reasons.
  Mr. VITTER. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, we will all remember 
Congressman Morrison very fondly, very proudly for his contributions 
not only to his part of Louisiana, to our home State, but to the 
Congress and to the country.

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