[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 7326-7327]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO THE LATE SENATOR THOMAS WARD OSBORN

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, today I would like to speak of a man who 
was instrumental in the completion of the Washington Monument, a former 
Senator from Florida, Thomas Ward Osborn. The cornerstone of the 
Washington Monument was laid July 4, 1848, but the monument itself was 
not completed and opened to the public until October 9, 1888. The 
construction of the memorial was stopped in 1856 due to the Civil War, 
a lack of funding, and political difficulties within the Washington 
Monument Society.
  Senator Thomas Ward Osborn was instrumental in passing the 
legislation required to complete the monument after the Civil War. Many 
were reluctant to finish funding the project because of technical 
issues related to the construction and the perception among some that 
it was a waste of money. S. 245, a bill to secure the completion of the 
Washington and Lincoln Monuments, was introduced on the Senate floor by 
the Honorable Thomas Ward Osborn on April 1, 1869. Through Senator 
Osborn's efforts, this legislation was enacted and construction of the 
Washington Monument quickly resumed. The design of the monument was 
altered to remove much of the embellishment in the original design and 
the result was the 555 foot obelisk that is so recognizable today as 
the symbol of an exceptional man and an exceptional Nation.
  Senator Thomas Ward Osborn was motivated out of a sense of patriotism 
and a desire to create a permanent reminder for posterity of the 
character of George Washington. It is important for citizens to retain 
a link to their country's origins in order to fully engage in civic 
life in the present. To understand the exceptional nature of 
Washington's character is to understand the exceptional nature of the 
United States as a Nation.
  I believe that Senator Thomas Ward Osborn deserves recognition for 
his vital efforts in seeing to the completion of the Washington 
Monument. In

[[Page 7327]]

fact, I have written to the Department of the Interior urging that some 
form of recognition, such as a plaque, be provided to remind visitors 
of Senator Osborn's efforts. It is my understanding that the regional 
director for the Park Service National Capitol Region has since 
directed the chief of Visitor Services to research Senator Osborn's 
efforts and share that information with the park rangers whose job it 
is to help interpret the monument for visitors. The late Senator Thomas 
Ward Osborn played a key role in seeing that George Washington received 
the recognition he deserves, and now it is my hope that Senator Osborn 
will receive the recognition he deserves.

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