[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16] [House] [Pages 22914-22915] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]WILLIAM L. BEATTY FEDERAL BUILDING AND UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE Mr. LaTOURETTE Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 3093) to designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 501 Bell Street in Alton, Illinois, as the ``William L. Beatty Federal Building and United States Courthouse,'' and ask for its immediate consideration in the House. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Ohio? Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I do not intend to object, and I ask the chairman of the subcommittee for an explanation of the bill. Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield? Mr. COSTELLO. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio. Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. H.R. 3093 designates the Federal Building and the United States Courthouse in Alton, Illinois as the William L. Beatty Federal Building and United States Courthouse. William L. Beatty was born in Mendota, Illinois, in 1925. He grew up in east St. Louis and graduated from Central Catholic High School. He served in the United States Army's 394th Field Artillery Batallion in Europe during the Second World War. After returning from the war, he attended Washington University for undergraduate studies, and graduated from St. Louis University Law School in 1950. Upon graduating from law school, he passed the Illinois and Missouri bar and entered a private law practice for 18 years, including serving as municipal attorney for Granite City, and as an Assistant State's Attorney. Judge Beatty was elected Illinois State Circuit Judge in Madison County in 1968. He served on the State Circuit Court until 1979, when President Carter appointed him to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. While sitting on the bench, Judge Beatty was always known for crafting fair and creative sentences. He was eligible to retire from the bench in the 1992, but instead, continued to maintain a busy workload as a senior judge. Judge Beatty had a distinguished 50-year law career. I want to commend and congratulate my colleague and the ranking member of our subcommittee, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Costello), for bringing this important legislation forward. Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, continuing my reservation of objection, I thank the chairman of the subcommittee for his explanation of the bill. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3093 is a bill to designate the Federal Building and United States Courthouse located at 501 Bell Street, Alton, Illinois, in honor of Judge William L. Beatty. Judge Beatty was born in Mendota, Illinois, in 1925 into a working class family. As a child, he moved with his family to east St. Louis, Illinois, where he lived until 1952. At the age of 10, he started his first job selling Liberty Magazines and the Saturday Evening Post, earning a penny for each magazine sold. This was one of many part-time and summer jobs that he would hold prior to obtaining his law degree. In June of 1943, Judge Beatty graduated from Central Catholic High School. Later that year, he was drafted in the Army and served his country in the 394th Field Artillery Batallion in Germany in 1944. He was discharged in 1945. After the war, he attended Washington university as an undergraduate, and graduated from St. Louis University Law School in 1950. After passing the Illinois and Missouri bar exams, he began private practice with George Moran, where they specialized in personal injury law. He also worked part-time as a city attorney in Granite City, Illinois. In 1968, Judge Beatty was elected circuit judge in Madison County, Illinois, and served on the circuit bench from 1968 until 1979. He was appointed to the Federal bench by President Carter in 1979, and served the Southern District of Illinois until his death in July of this year. Judge Beatty touched and influenced not only the lives of his colleagues and fellow attorneys, but also everyone who appeared in his courtroom. He was known for his integrity, honesty, and fairness, and his courtroom was known as a place where justice would be done. In his personal life, he was a devoted husband and a loving father. I am privileged to have known Judge Beatty, and I am honored to sponsor this bill. It is a fitting tribute to a dedicated public servant whose career will be remembered for his fairness, consistency, and dedication, both to his job and to the area. It is fitting and proper to honor the outstanding public service of Judge Beatty with this designation. Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield? Mr. COSTELLO. I yield to the gentleman from Illinois. Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, I just want to chime in on the words of praise and accolades on the work of Judge Beatty, the work that he has done as a resident of Madison County. He did bring honor and integrity to the courts. It is a very difficult job, as we all know, and it takes a special person of high caliber to weigh law and pronounce justice. He is well respected in the community, and I can think of no more honorable way to recognize his work than doing this. I want to thank my colleague for his efforts. Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Illinois? There was no objection. The Clerk read the bill, as follows: H.R. 3093 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF WILLIAM L. BEATTY FEDERAL BUILDING AND UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE. The Federal building and United States courthouse located at 501 Bell Street in [[Page 22915]] Alton, Illinois, shall be known and designated as the ``William L. Beatty Federal Building and United States Courthouse''. SEC. 2. REFERENCES. Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the Federal building and United States courthouse referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to the William L. Beatty Federal Building and United States Courthouse. The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________