[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13427-13428]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    COMMENDING ELIZABETH LETCHWORTH

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, earlier today both the Democratic and 
Republican Conferences unanimously passed resolutions which I believe 
ought to be made part of the Record at this point during the business 
of the Senate.
  I ask unanimous consent that both resolutions by read at this time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the clerk will read the 
Democratic resolution.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

               Resolution Commending Elizabeth Letchworth

       Whereas Elizabeth Letchworth has served the Senate for over 
     25 years serving as both Secretary for the Majority and 
     Secretary for the Minority;
       Whereas she has worked for, and with, 6 different Majority 
     Leaders;
       Whereas, though she has worked for our colleagues on the 
     other side of the aisle, her assistance, over the years, to 
     members of the Democratic conference has often been 
     appreciated.
       Whereas her institutional memory, unflappable demeanor, and 
     good humor will be missed by Senators and staff alike on both 
     sides of the aisle: Now therefore be it
       Resolved by the Democratic Conference, That Elizabeth 
     Letchworth is to be commended and thanked for her many years 
     of service to the Senate and wishes her, and her husband Ron, 
     all the best in the years to come.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will read the Republican resolution.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

     Resolution Relating to the Retirement of Elizabeth Letchworth

       Whereas Elizabeth B. Letchworth has served this conference 
     ably and honorably for over 25 years;
       Whereas in 1995 she was elected as the Secretary for the 
     Majority becoming the first women to hold this post;
       Whereas during her service she has assisted all members of 
     this Republican Conference with diligence and 
     professionalism;
       Whereas her knowledge of the Senate rules and Institutional 
     history has been a valuable asset to all Members: Now 
     therefore be it
       Resolved, That the Republican Conference extends its 
     sincere thanks to Elizabeth B. Letchworth for her service for 
     over 25 years and wishes her all the best in her future 
     endeavors.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Republican leader.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I thank Senator Daschle for allowing me to 
comment on these resolutions. I would like to begin by thanking the 
Democratic caucus for doing this. This is a

[[Page 13428]]

very magnanimous gesture and I know it is being done because of 
appreciation for the job that our floor assistants do, but specifically 
for the job that has been done over many, many years by Elizabeth 
Letchworth. She protects the institution. She loves the institution. 
She works not only with Republicans but, as your resolution says, with 
Democrats too, Senators on both sides of the aisle, collectively and 
individually. So we in the Republican Conference appreciate the 
generosity of your resolution and the fact that you did that.
  We did one also. But I must confess, when I made the announcement 
that she would be leaving after 25 years, there was a very strong round 
of boos and objections to the whole idea. I said: My colleagues, this 
is not in the form of a motion; this is an announcement of a decision 
that has been made by a friend and loved one--to which they stood and 
applauded, unanimously thanking her for her dedication and 
professionalism.
  I believe later on we will have a resolution on behalf of the entire 
Senate at a time when we will notify all of our colleagues that it 
would be appropriate for them to come to the floor and express their 
appreciation. I know she has a special relationship with Senator Byrd, 
for instance, because she not only knows his love of the institution 
but respects his knowledge of the rules and his insistence that we 
comply with them, sometimes when we are a little bit derelict in doing 
that. So we will have that opportunity to speak further. At that time, 
I will go into great detail about her Senate service.
  We all know she has been part of the institution for 25 years. It is 
hard to believe, looking at her, that she has been here 25 years. It is 
obvious, Senator Byrd, that she was very young when she started working 
for the Senate--and that in fact is true. She came here, I believe, as 
a page, working for then-Senator Hugh Scott from Pennsylvania. I know 
she did a great job there.
  Over the years she has worked in the Cloakroom, worked as a floor 
assistant, worked for Senator Baker, Senator Dole, and for me when I 
was majority leader and when I was minority leader. She has served so 
well as the Secretary for the Majority since 1995 and Secretary for the 
Minority for the past few weeks. She has just done an outstanding job.
  I appreciate her knowledge of the rules, but I also appreciate her 
determination to make sure we conduct ourselves appropriately, knowing 
what the rules are. We have been through some tough times while she has 
been here, both in the majority and the minority. We did the historic 
impeachment trial for only the second time in history, and I think we 
did it in a way that was appropriate. We complied with our 
responsibility under the Constitution. We did it in a reasonable period 
of time, and we tried to make sure we did it in a respectful way and a 
fair way for all concerned. That took a lot of time, a lot of effort by 
our floor assistants, by all of our staff members.
  But beyond her knowledge is just the fact that she is a very fine 
person. I have grown to appreciate her, love her, admire her--as a 
member of the family, if you will. I must say she has shown great, 
great wisdom because in the husband to whom she is married she chose 
one with a Mississippi background, so she truly became even further a 
member of the family by making that wise decision.
  They have plans for the future that include a little more free time, 
not quite as many nights here in the Senate Chamber, 6 or 7 or 9 or so 
on a Thursday night, but also, hopefully, some business investments 
that will be a great success--just, most importantly, some personal 
time.
  To Elizabeth Letchworth and to Ron I offer my most sincere 
appreciation personally and the appreciation of the Senate Republican 
Conference.
  Again, my thanks to Senator Daschle and our Democratic colleagues for 
their gesture in their resolution also.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I think the distinguished Republican 
leader has spoken for all of us in expressing his affection and his 
gratitude for a very special person. This will not be our farewell 
speech. We will give that later as it accompanies an official Senate 
resolution that I am certain will be offered on a bipartisan basis by 
the two leaders and perhaps with the cosponsorship of others but 
certainly with the unanimous, enthusiastic support of the entire 
Senate. But we take the floor this afternoon to acknowledge the 
decision Elizabeth has made and to call attention to that decision and 
to express our gratitude and our deep affection for a person to whom we 
have turned, on both sides of the aisle, on countless occasions.
  I have been leader now for about 7 years. I have had the good fortune 
of working with Elizabeth all 7 of those years. But that is just less 
than a third of the time she has worked in various capacities in this 
Chamber.
  She has served the Senate, not just the Republican caucus but the 
Senate, so admirably, so professionally, so capably that it goes 
without saying that on occasions such as this it is a heartfelt gesture 
for us to pass a resolution as we did in the caucus this afternoon.
  I might say, even though she wasn't there, there was rousing applause 
after the resolution passed, with the hope that she might have heard it 
even though she wasn't in the room.
  Isaac Bassett was the second page to serve in the Senate. He was 
Daniel Webster's choice as a page. He served here for a long period of 
time, over a half a century. Isaac Bassett wrote prodigiously about his 
experiences and never rose to a level any higher than Assistant 
Doorkeeper. Isaac Bassett would talk about his remarkable view of 
history. To read his notes is to read history in the first person. I 
think Elizabeth could write notes in the first person about the history 
she has witnessed, as Senator Lott has noted.
  She could write history that I am sure would enlighten all of us. I 
am sure it would be every bit as valuable to future historians and 
future citizens a hundred years from now as Isaac Bassett's notes are 
to me today. Regardless of how much history she writes, she should know 
that she has helped make history. She has been a witness to history. As 
she has witnessed history, and as she has made it, she has done it in a 
way that will make her family and future generations very proud.
  Today, rather than saying farewell, we simply say that we admire her, 
and we are grateful to her not only for what she has done but for what 
she will continue to do here in the Senate for the next few weeks and 
beyond as she serves in other roles and recognizes the importance of 
being a member of the family that goes beyond the Senate.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I received late word of this little 
seance and wanted to make sure that I was present to thank our friend 
who is retiring.
  My first father-in-law said that English is the only language in 
which that word means other than go to bed. I am glad to know that 
Elizabeth is going on to another career and a beautiful place in the 
country. And I am here to wish her very well.
  I can remember the various steps of her employment in the Senate. At 
each level she has excelled and deserved the promotions she has gotten. 
But above all, Catherine and I will remember the trips that she and her 
husband have taken with us as she represented the Senate so well as one 
of our officers.
  I have no prepared remarks. I heard the leaders' very kind remarks. I 
join with both leaders in wishing you well and expressing our sadness 
that you are leaving because you have been really one of the Senate in 
terms of your services here. We will miss you very much.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia is recognized.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, as one who has served with Elizabeth for 
these long years now, I will have something to say on another day about 
that service and about my feeling toward her.




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