[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 21680]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          SENATOR VANCE HARTKE

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in paying tribute to 
former Senator Vance Hartke of Indiana, who passed away this summer.
  Throughout his three terms in the Senate, Vance Hartke was known for 
his tremendous energy, vision, and courage.
  First elected to the Senate as part of the great Democratic class of 
1958, Vance Hartke campaigned with legendary vigor and vim, visiting 
every county and town in Indiana and stopping to talk and listen to 
everyone who would stand still. He worked hard to benefit his home 
State, using his chairmanship of the Commerce Transportation 
Subcommittee to bring key road and rail projects to the Hoosier State.
  Senator Hartke helped enact landmark legislation, including the 
progressive programs that made up President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great 
Society. Despite fierce opposition, he helped steer Medicare through 
Congress. He was the Senate's acknowledged champion of higher education 
and adult education, and he also helped lead the efforts to expand 
veterans benefits and establish Federal student loan programs.
  In the mid-1960s, Senator Hartke put his political future on the line 
when he became one of the first Senators to oppose the war in Vietnam. 
In following his conscience, he parted ways with most of his 
constituents and his good friend President Johnson, but he stuck to his 
principles and survived a bruising reelection campaign in 1970.
  Though Senator Hartke lost his Senate seat in 1976, he became a good 
friend and adviser to the man who defeated him, Senator Richard Lugar, 
and he never lost his passion for politics or his home State.
  Senator Vance Hartke served the people of Indiana and the U.S. Senate 
with great distinction. I am honored to add my voice to the chorus of 
praise for his life's work and legacy.

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