[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15098-15099]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING SENATOR CRAIG THOMAS

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, it is with a heavy heart that I rise 
today to honor the service and memory of my friend, Senator Craig 
Thomas of Wyoming. His exemplary service in the Congress over the past 
18 years is a shining example of the good that can be accomplished for 
the public benefit. A 1955 graduate of the University of Wyoming, 
Senator Craig demonstrated considerable leadership early in his life; 
he entered the Marine Corps soon after graduation and rose in rank from 
private to captain in just 4 years. Following his service, Senator 
Thomas returned to Wyoming to make a difference in his native State, 
serving as executive vice president of the Wyoming Farm Bureau and 
later as general manager of the Wyoming Rural Electric Association. In 
1984, Senator Thomas first entered public service as a State 
representative, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1989, 
and finally ascended to the Senate in 1995.
  It was my honor to work with Senator Thomas during his Senate career. 
He was a firm believer in compromise and bipartisanship. This was no 
more evident than when he and I introduced legislation to protect 
taxpayer privacy. We worked together on a broad range of issues from 
protecting consumers to stopping the proliferation of nuclear weapons 
to Iran. Senator Thomas and I shared a belief in this body and what it 
can achieve. I am very saddened by this tremendous loss, but the memory 
of Senator Thomas and his good deeds remind us all of a long, rich life 
that should be celebrated, and I respectfully request that this 
statement be entered into the Record.
  Mr. KYL. Madam President, Senator Craig Thomas was a wonderful friend 
to all of us. He was an accomplished Senator, and he was a true cowboy. 
It is that spirit that won't be replaced in the Senate, and it is that 
spirit that I would like to remember today. Craig's record in the 
Senate will reflect his significant accomplishments, and I wish to 
honor the quality of the man who achieved them.
  I had a special affinity for Craig. Not only did he and I come to the 
Senate at the same time, we had also served in the House of 
Representatives together. Craig came to the House in 1989, 2 years 
after I did, when he won a special election to replace our current Vice 
President, Dick Cheney, who had been made Secretary of Defense.
  We, of course, were also fellow westerners, and I admired the manner 
in which he embodied the values of the West: the self-reliance, grit, 
and quiet determination of pioneers that shape Americans still today.
  These values were impressed into Craig as he grew up on a ranch near 
Cody, WY. Those values of the American West, instilled by the rugged 
landscape of Wyoming, would serve him well in the Marine Corps and in 
the Senate.
  Craig did not talk a whole lot, but he always meant what he said. He 
communicated in a way that didn't require a whole lot of ``jibber-
jabber,'' as he would say. Everyone appreciated this quality in him. 
You never had any doubt about where Craig stood, something our public 
officials could learn from today.
  Craig understood that words and rhetoric easily vanish from our 
memories. He recognized that honor is not won by keeping up appearances 
but by working hard and accomplishing what you set out to do. He 
understood that the best way to accomplish difficult things was to get 
busy doing them. To Craig, this was common sense, but oftentimes common 
sense is all too uncommon.
  In his commonsense manner, he served the people of Wyoming who 
overwhelming elected him to the Senate on three occasions. Craig let 
the interests of the State guide his work in the Senate. He never let 
his ego get in the way of doing what was best for Wyoming and the 
country.
  My wife Caryll and I grieve with Craig's wife Susan and their family. 
But, in our grief, we also celebrate his life. There is much to 
celebrate not only in Craig's accomplishments--whether on behalf of our 
national parks, farmers, or rural families, to name only a few of his 
legislative priorities--but also in his character. He was a humble 
servant for Wyoming

[[Page 15099]]

who stood up for the people of his State. Even in his illness, he never 
wavered from his duties as a legislator.
  The values of the American West are the commonsense values that make 
self-government possible. Craig Thomas, the cowboy and statesman, 
embodied these values that made this country what it is and are needed 
to sustain it in years to come.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I join with my fellow Senators and so many 
in Wyoming and throughout the country in expressing my profound sadness 
on the passing of my colleague and good friend, Senator Craig Thomas. I 
also want to offer my most sincere condolences to his wife Susan, their 
four children, and the entire Thomas family at this most difficult of 
times.
  Today, we mourn the loss of a true patriot whose love of country and 
loyalty to its principles were always an inspiration and example to us 
all. A U.S. Marine captain, an advocate for rural concerns with the 
Wyoming Farm Bureau, American Farm Bureau, and the Wyoming Rural 
Electric Association, and an indefatigable public servant as a Member 
of the Wyoming House of Representatives, the U.S. House of 
Representatives, and the U.S. Senate--Senator Thomas always placed a 
premium on bettering the lives of the citizens of his state, ensuring 
that their concerns were not only heard--but were addressed vigorously, 
effectively, and with results.
  I recall the distinct honor and privilege of serving with Craig for 
more than 17 years both in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Indeed, we 
entered the Senate in the same class of 1994, and I remember with 
tremendous regard our service together on the Senate Foreign Relations 
and Senate Finance Committees. Time and again, regardless of the issue, 
Craig exhibited a stalwart dedication to his country and his 
constituents--with a steadfast devotion that was ever mindful of the 
public trust placed in his hands.
  Senator Thomas was unwavering in his allegiance to the tenets that 
guided his life. True to his core beliefs and unshakable in the values 
he drew from his beloved Wyoming, Senator Thomas held fast to his 
philosophy of fiscal conservatism. And yet when he advanced his 
arguments, he did so without rancor and with the utmost respect and 
cordiality. He possessed an unyielding decorum that contributed to his 
esteemed presence in the Senate, and he had at his disposal that 
indispensable tool of politics--humor, which he used to great effect 
and at times with incredibly disarming outcomes. Even when we 
disagreed, he was never disagreeable, rather choosing to give no more 
than an occasional good-natured ribbing--always with a smile on his 
face.
  As my colleague Mike Enzi stated in his tribute, Craig Thomas was not 
one who necessarily sought the limelight. He lived his life and 
comported himself in a manner that exemplified the words President 
Ronald Reagan displayed on his desk in the Oval Office: ``There's no 
limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who 
gets the credit.'' Whether on matters of rural health, safeguarding the 
interest and concerns of farmers, or reducing the deficit, Craig 
focused on making concrete strides, not amassing accolades.
  In the arena of public life, regardless of trial, tribulation, or 
triumph, Senator Craig Thomas remained a compassionate person of 
immense caliber who served the best interests of the people of Wyoming 
with unyielding advocacy, integrity of purpose, and uncommon civility. 
We will miss his benevolent nature, his good will, and his great deeds. 
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and staff here in 
Washington and in Wyoming.

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