[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 19235-19236]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          SENATOR JESSE HELMS

  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to North 
Carolina Senator Jesse Helms, a dedicated public servant who has served 
with distinction for five terms in the United States Senate. During 
this time, Senator Helms has had a tremendous influence on the issues 
which have faced our country and his reasoned and determined beliefs on 
foreign policy have helped to shape the direction of America's 
relationships around the globe. In doing so, Senator Helms has always 
put the interests of the United States above all else, and his efforts 
were often rewarded with hard-fought concessions. Indeed, when others 
would hope to expedite and rush through legislation, it was often 
Senator Helms who called for deliberation and patience. Senator Helms 
truly understands the Senate's function as a deliberative body and 
takes to heart the great responsibility the Constitution has given the 
Senate in its role as a check to the powers of the Executive branch. I 
have had the pleasure to work with Senator Helms for the past 16 years 
and it is with great appreciation and respect that I commend him for 
all of his meaningful work as he retires at the end of the 107th 
Congress.
  Senator Helms was born in Monroe, NC in 1921. A product of the public 
schools of Monroe county, he took to heart the lessons he learned early 
in life. A firm believer in family, respect for one's elders, morality, 
patriotism and religious faith, Senator Helms has let these convictions 
be his guide throughout his life. After serving his country in the Navy 
during World War II, Senator Helms came back to his home State as a 
city editor of the Raleigh Times. It was not long before he received 
his first exposure to Senatorial duties working as an Administrative 
Assistant to U.S. Senator Willis Smith and later for Senator Alton 
Lennon. Politics seemed to agree with Senator Helms, for in 1952, he 
directed the radio-television division of the presidential campaign of 
Democratic Senator Richard B. Russell of Georgia.

[[Page 19236]]

For the next 7 years, Senator Helms served as the Executive Director of 
the North Carolina Bankers Association and editor of the Tarheel 
Banker, which grew under his guidance into the largest banking 
publication in the United States. Following this remarkable success, 
Senator Helms in 1960 became the Vice-President, Vice-Chairman of the 
Board and assistant Chief Executive Officer of Capitol Broadcasting 
Company. It was from this post that Senator Helms became a familiar 
voice in politics, filing daily editorials for WRAL-TV and the Tobacco 
Radio Network. Over the next 12 years, Senator Helms became known as an 
articulate conservative across the nation, where his editorials were 
printed regularly in more than 200 newspapers throughout the United 
States and broadcast by more than 70 stations in North Carolina. 
Senator Helms capitalized on his familiarity and popularity with the 
voters of North Carolina in 1972, when he was elected to the U.S. 
Senate on his first attempt at state-wide elective office. His election 
marked the beginning of a long and distinguished career in the Senate, 
where Senator Helms has been an active and consistent presence 
dedicated to preserving American freedom and liberty.
  Senator Helms has had a tremendous influence on policy matters over 
the last 30 years. He has been an outspoken critic of ceding American 
power to international organizations and an ever-vigilant watch dog of 
any treaty or agreement which may not be in the best interests of the 
United States. He has been a reliable conservative voice on many social 
issues and a consistent critic of government bureaucracy. Of his many 
achievements, Senator Helms has been the most active through his 
position on the Foreign Relations Committee, which he took over as 
Chairman in 1994. He sponsored the Helms-Burton Act, which codified the 
U.S. trade embargo against Cuba and allowed lawsuits against foreign 
companies who benefitted from American property expropriated by 
Castro's Communist dictatorship. Senator Helms also achieved another 
remarkable feat, when in 1998, he worked across the aisle to achieve 
passage of historic legislation reorganizing the State Department. 
Senator Helms has also maintained flexibility in his thinking, working 
closely with other members of the Foreign Relations Committee to 
examine and solidify the relationship of the United States and the 
United Nations, examine trade relations with China and examine the 
policies surrounding U.S. foreign aid.
  Senator Helms has had a significant impact in his 30 years here in 
Washington. His absence from important policy decisions will truly be 
missed. Anyone who has dealt with Senator Helms knows that he is a man 
whose conviction to his beliefs will not be easily swayed. They will 
also tell you that there are few people who are more congenial and 
charming than Senator Helms. I wish he and his wife, Dorothy, and the 
rest of his family all the best. It is with great appreciation and 
admiration that I offer these words to commemorate his retirement.

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