[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13194-13195]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   NEWELL GEORGE POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 4222) to designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 550 Nebraska Avenue in Kansas City, 
Kansas, as the ``Newell George Post Office Building.''
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4222

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. NEWELL GEORGE POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 550 Nebraska Avenue in Kansas City, 
     Kansas, shall be known and designated as the ``Newell George 
     Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the Newell George Post Office Building.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Michigan (Mrs. Miller) and the gentlewoman from the District of 
Columbia (Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller).


                             General Leave

  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks on H.R. 4222, and to include extraneous material 
on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume, and I rise in support of H.R. 4222, which names the postal 
facility in Kansas City after former Congressman Newell George.
  Congressman George represented the second district of Kansas for one 
term in this House, from 1959 to 1961. Congressman George was the last 
resident of the City of Kansas City, actually, to represent the State 
of Kansas in the Congress. He later served as United States Attorney 
for the District of Kansas during the 1960s, after being appointed by 
President John F. Kennedy.
  Newell George was a devoted, caring, vigorous public servant, who is 
highly deserving of this post office naming. It is a pleasure to 
support this meaningful measure, and I am hopeful and confident the 
entire House will as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Government Reform, 
I am pleased to join my colleague in the consideration of H.R. 4222, 
legislation naming a postal facility in Kansas City, Kansas, after 
Newell George. The measure was introduced by the gentleman from Kansas 
(Mr. Moore) on April 27, 2004, unanimously reported by our committee on 
June 3rd, 2004, and enjoys the support and cosponsorship of the entire 
Kansas delegation.
  Newell A. George had a distinguished career serving the citizens of 
Kansas. He served as a member of the 86th Congress from 1959 to 1961, 
representing the second congressional district. This district was later 
redesignated as the third congressional district following the 1960 
congressional reapportionment.
  While serving in Congress, Representative George served on the House 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs. After his defeat, former representative 
George served as U.S. Attorney for Kansas from 1961 to 1968. After 
that, he practiced law until his death in 1992.
  Newell George was an exceptional public servant and active member of 
his community. Naming a postal facility after the late representative 
from Kansas honors his legacy and dedication to public service. I 
commend my colleague, the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moore), for 
sponsoring this bill and I urge its passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, as the author of H.R. 4222, I want to thank 
Chairman Davis and Ranking Member Waxman of the Government Reform 
Committee for expediting the floor consideration of this legislation.
  In introducing H.R. 4222, I was joined by Representatives Todd 
Tiahrt, Jim Ryun and Jerry Moran. This legislation would designate the 
United States Postal Service facility

[[Page 13195]]

located at 550 Nebraska Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas, as the ``Newell 
George Post Office Building.''
  Newell Adolphus George served as a member of the 86th Congress, from 
1959-61, representing the Second District of Kansas, which was 
redesignated as the Third District following the post-1960 
congressional reapportionment. He was a member of the House Veterans' 
Affairs Committee. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1904, he attended 
Hawthorne Grade School and Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, 
Kansas, as well as Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri, 
and Park College in Parkville, Missouri.
  After studying law at the University of Kansas City School of Law, 
Newell George obtained employment as a Capitol Hill elevator operator 
through the patronage of Senator George Mcgill of Kansas and graduated 
from the George Washington University Law School.
  He then was an attorney for the Reconstruction Finance Corporation in 
Washington, D.C., from 1935-1937, a regional counsel for the War 
Manpower Commission from 1942-43, and a regional attorney for the 
Bureau of Employment Security and the Federal Security Agency from 
1937-52. After the Democratic Party lost control of the Executive 
Branch, George served as first assistant Wyandotte County Attorney from 
1953-58.
  At that point, he began running for Congress, losing to incumbent 
Republican Errett Scrivner in 1954 and 1956. In 1958, however, a strong 
anti-Republican tide ran through the farm and western states, resulting 
in the defeat of numerous incumbent Senators and Representatives, 
including the defeat of Representative Scrivner by Newell George.
  With Republican dominance returned to Kansas in 1960, Representative 
George was defeated for re-election by Robert Ellsworth of Lawrence, 
making Newell George the most recent resident of Kansas City to 
represent Kansas in the U.S. Congress.
  After his defeat, however, George was the first U.S. Attorney 
nominated for appointment by the new Kennedy-Johnson Administration. 
Newell George served as U.S. Attorney for Kansas from 1961-68. After 
losing another congressional race in 1968 to Representative Larry Winn, 
Jr., George practiced law privately in Kansas City, Kansas, and died in 
1992.
  Married to the former Jean Hannan of Kansas City, Kansas, Newell 
George was an intrepid public servant and active, concerned citizen. In 
addition to his political activities, he was a member of Abdallah 
Shrine, Scottish Rite; a master of the West Gate Masonic Lodge; 
president of the Kansas City, Kansas, Hi-12 Club; a member of the 
Kansas State Hi-12 Association; a member of the Breakfast Optimist 
Club; a member of the Wyandotte County, Kansas and American Bar 
Associations, the American Judicature Society, Delta Theta Phi law 
fraternity, the American Academy of Political And Social Science, the 
Kansas City, Kansas Chamber of Commerce, the Terrace Club, the Top o' 
the Morning Club, and the First Presbyterian Church of Kansas City, 
Kansas.
  Newell George's other public service included membership on the 
Kansas Public Disclosure Commission; the Civil Service Commission of 
Kansas City, Kansas; the Kansas State Government Ethics Commission; and 
service as a director of the Kansas Multiple Sclerosis Society. 
Nicknamed ``Punk'' by his friends, George's other activities included 
managing a string of boxers, after boxing himself at Wentworth Military 
Academy; bowling; and adding to a collection of old books--mainly 
Bibles and McGuffey readers--begun by his father.
  In short, Mr. Speaker, Newell A. George was the kind of community 
oriented, politically active individual who made things happen on the 
state and local level in so many American cities during the middle 
third of the twentieth century. With regard to Kansas and Kansas City, 
he was one of a small but hardy group of Democratic activists who kept 
two-party government alive in one of our country's most Republican 
states. It is fitting, therefore, that the House today approves 
legislation introduced by the bipartisan Kansas House delegation that 
will designate Kansas City, Kansas', civil center post office in memory 
of U.S. Representative Newell George.
  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4222.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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