[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 7704-7707]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            CHARLTON HESTON

  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 1091) honoring the life, achievements, and 
contributions of Charlton Heston and extending its deepest sympathies 
to the family of Charlton Heston for the loss of such a great generous 
man, husband, and father, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1091

       Whereas the United States of America has lost a great 
     patriot with the passing of Charlton Heston;
       Whereas Charlton Heston first became beloved by the Nation 
     as a great actor and portrayed many heroic figures, including 
     Moses, Michelangelo, Andrew Jackson, John the Baptist, Mark 
     Antony, and El Cid in epic movies of the 1950s and 1960s, and 
     won the 1959 Best Actor Oscar for the lead character in 
     ``Ben-Hur'';
       Whereas Charlton Heston was a leader in many areas of life 
     outside of acting, including serving as President of the 
     Screen Actors Guild, which he helped to integrate with Ronald 
     Reagan and was Chairman of the American Film Institute;
       Whereas Charlton Heston was an active supporter of the 
     civil rights movement, including protesting the showing of 
     his film at a segregated movie theater in Oklahoma City and 
     participating in and leading the Arts Group in the 1963 civil 
     rights march on Washington;
       Whereas in the last major public role of his life, Charlton 
     Heston was President of the National Rifle Association from 
     June 1998 until April 2003;
       Whereas as President of the National Rifle Association, 
     Charlton Heston was a stalwart advocate of the position that 
     the 2nd Amendment gave citizens the right to keep and bear 
     arms;
       Whereas Charlton Heston was an active promoter of wildlife 
     management through hunting;
       Whereas, in 2003, Charlton Heston was awarded the 
     Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civilian 
     honor;
       Whereas Charlton Heston was born in Illinois on October 4, 
     1923, and his parents moved to St. Helen, Michigan, where he 
     grew up;
       Whereas, in 1943, Charlton Heston enlisted in the Army Air 
     Force and served as a radio-gunner in the Aleutian Islands of 
     Alaska, and in 1947, he was discharged from the Army;
       Whereas, in 1944, Charlton Heston married the love of his 
     life, Lydia Clarke, to whom he had been married 64 years at 
     his death;
       Whereas the Hestons were the parents of two children, 
     Fraser Heston and Holly Heston Rochell; and
       Whereas Charlton Heston passed away on April 5, 2008, and 
     the contributions he made to his family and his Nation will 
     not be forgotten: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) honors the life, achievements, and contributions of 
     Charlton Heston; and
       (2) extends its deepest sympathies to the family of 
     Charlton Heston for the loss of such a great generous man, 
     husband, and father.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Clay) and the gentleman

[[Page 7705]]

from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Missouri?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the House Committee on Oversight 
and Government Reform, I present for consideration H. Res. 1091, which 
seeks to recognize the life of Charlton Heston for his accomplishments 
both and off the big screen. Not only did Heston command an 
overwhelming presence in theaters, but his actions in support of the 
civil rights movement during the 1960s and on behalf of other social 
causes throughout his life deserve recognition. For example, Charlton 
Heston joined Martin Luther King, Jr., in the march on Washington, D.C. 
in 1963, and was an early civil rights activist long before Hollywood 
found it fashionable.
  H. Res. 1091 was introduced by Representative Don Young of Alaska on 
April 8, 2008, and was considered by and reported from the Oversight 
Committee on April 16, 2008, by voice vote after being amended by the 
panel.
  The measure has the support of well over 100 Members of Congress and 
is evidence of a wide, national appreciation for the enduring legacy 
that this great American citizen left behind.
  Heston was born on October 4, 1923, in No Man's Land, Illinois. In 
1944, Heston enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, spending 2 years of his 
life as a B-25 radio operator and gunner in the Alaskan Aleutian 
Islands.
  In August of 2002, after a long and illustrious acting career, Heston 
publicly announced that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In 
2003, Mr. Heston was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 
commemoration of the positive impact he has had on our culture and 
country.
  In memory of his life of greatness and activism, I urge swift passage 
of H. Res. 1091.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, rather than my making a statement, I would 
like to yield to the sponsor of the resolution, our very distinguished 
veteran, Mr. Young from Alaska, and just advise him I am going to yield 
him such time as he may consume, letting him know that the former 
chairman of the Rules Committee would like some time as well.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I thank my chairman of the 
subcommittee and Mr. Shays and the chairman of the full committee.
  It is indeed an honor that I will speak on Charlton Heston today. We 
have already heard some of the roles that he played in ``Planet of the 
Apes,'' ``Julius Caesar,'' ``Antony and Cleopatra,'' ``Omega Man,'' and 
I can go on down the line. His famous roles, of course, were Moses, 
Michelangelo, Andrew Jackson, John the Baptist, Mark Antony, El Cid, 
and Ben Hur.
  Some people may not remember his role in politics. He became very 
active as president of the Screen Actors Guild. Before every actor in 
the world got involved politically, he was involved in the Screen 
Actors Guild. He was also very active and involved, as mentioned by the 
chairman, in civil rights. He marched with Martin Luther King. And one 
of my interests was that he enlisted in the Army Air Force in World War 
II and served 2 years as a B-25 gunner in the Aleutian chain, a God-
awful place it was, but part of my great State of Alaska, and defended 
against the enemy at that time with great honor.
  He had two children. He married the love of his life, Lydia Clarke, 
in 1944, and was married to her for the rest of his life.
  He was the president of the NRA from June 1998 until April 2003, and 
was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bush.
  I have to say I knew him personally. I never called him Chuck or 
Charles, it was always Mr. Heston or Mr. President because he was 
president of an organization which I am very proud of, and that is the 
NRA, the National Rifle Association. He probably did more to protect 
the freedoms of America in his actions as president of that 
organization than any other individual. And that may not be proper with 
certain people in this body, but he did guarantee us, through the 
second amendment, the right to protect ourselves, the right to protect 
the castle which we live in, the right to be able to protect those that 
we love against those who would do us harm. He believed in it, as I 
believe in it. It is very, very important.
  If America were to recognize one individual who probably contributed 
most to our individual freedoms, it would be Charlton Heston.

                              {time}  1545

  Not his movie and acting career, not his Guild presidency, but his 
action as the NRA president, National Rifle Association of America; his 
role in being able to assure that each person could carry, on his hip, 
if necessary, against those that invade our domicile. And for that 
alone, we should recognize his great contribution. His civil rights, 
yes, his activities willing to speak out, and his great acting 
capability, yes, but the ability, and what he has left us in the legacy 
under the second amendment, because it will be under attack.
  Let's not kid ourselves. It's under attack by those that would like 
to have the government do everything for you. They want to give you all 
your health care. Of course you won't have health care. They would 
like, in fact, to have you taken care of from the birth until the 
death, and they might decide when you will die and even when you will 
be born.
  And they definitely don't want the American citizen to be armed. They 
don't want the American citizen to be able to protect themselves from 
those who would do you harm. It will be under attack.
  But he left a great legacy. We have 37 States in the Union today who 
have the ``Right to Carry Law,'' and it's all because of Charlton 
Heston, because he saw the need to protect the United States of America 
against those who would take away the great nation that we know.
  So, with great honor, I was able to take and introduce this 
legislation to just recognize him and his family for what he 
contributed to those he leaves behind, the freedom of the great United 
States of America.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve my time.
  Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
former chairman of the Rules Committee, now its ranking member, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier).
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by expressing my 
appreciation to Messrs. Clay and Shays for their leadership on this 
and, most important, to our good friend, Don Young, for having stepped 
forward to author this resolution.
  And I want to say that as I listened to our friend, Don Young, talk 
about Charlton Heston, I was struck by a story. Don began by taking the 
acting career, which, since I represent Los Angeles, I'm particularly 
proud of people who have great acting careers, and Mr. Heston was 
certainly one of those. I was struck by the fact that Don Young drew 
from that to the fact that he focused on reality.
  And as he was saying that, Mr. Speaker, I'm reminded of a story that 
Mr. Heston used to enjoy telling with regularity. When he was in the 
midst of rehearsals for that famous movie, Ben Hur, he would regularly 
say to people around him, I really want to make sure that I do this 
right because I want to make sure that I win this race. And he was 
constantly assured that he was going to win the race because the 
outcome was clearly predetermined.
  But he understood full well that there was a great disparity between 
the roles that he played, as a great actor, and the fact that the 
reality of life is something that is much different, and it does take a 
great deal of vigilance and hard work.

[[Page 7706]]

  Now, all of my colleagues have spoken about the role that he played 
as a civil rights leader. Mr. Young has talked about the fact that he 
played such an important role in preservation of second amendment 
rights, which was very important.
  He was always involved, Mr. Speaker, in public policy issues. Again, 
as a Representative from Los Angeles, I had the opportunity to 
regularly discuss with him issues, and he exercised his first amendment 
rights with me with great regularity. He would call. And I will say 
that even though he was ill, I had the privilege of talking with him 
about, I think it was a year and a half, 2 years ago. And I knew that 
he had been ill, but he still was asking me questions about things that 
were going on here in this institution, making sure that we were 
staying on the right path.
  And so it's difficult to imagine a greater patriot than Charlton 
Heston. And I have to say, Mr. Speaker, that still, to this day, our 
thoughts and prayers are with Lydia and the wonderful Heston family. 
And I know that at this moment he's probably up there playing tennis, 
which was one of his great loves, and looking down and working to make 
sure that we, as Members of the United States Congress, and as leaders 
in our great Nation, do everything that we can to preserve these very, 
very precious liberties that he loved so dearly.
  I thank my friend for yielding.
  Mr. CLAY. I continue to reserve, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time we have left.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Connecticut has 13 
minutes remaining. The gentleman from Missouri has 18 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) 
such time as he may consume.
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman yielding. And I want 
to thank Mr. Young from Alaska for offering this resolution. I'm 
certainly proud to support this resolution honoring Charlton Heston's 
iconic life.
  Charlton Heston has done much for this country in many, many 
different areas of public involvement and public service. He appeared 
in over 100 films during 60 years, but he's best remembered by me as 
Moses. To many Americans, Moses died on April 5, 2008.
  As a kid, I actually thought Heston was Moses. I can remember sitting 
in a Sunday school class as a young kid when the teacher asked me if 
I'd ever read about Moses and the 10 Commandments in the Bible. And I 
said no, but I saw the movie version.
  Charlton Heston brought Moses to life in a way that no one else 
could. As Moses, Heston lifted his staff in the 10 Commandments to 
rally the Israelites. But in his personal life he lifted his musket to 
rally millions of Americans. The second amendment was his tablet of 
stone, proclaiming the right to bear arms.
  Heston was quite the intense actor, and wonderful patriot. Heston 
once said, ``It's been quite a ride. I loved every minute of it.'' And 
his life was certainly extraordinary.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I thank ``Moses Heston'' for bringing life to 
history and for being a great American during his life.
  Mr. CLAY. I continue to reserve, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I 
rise today in support of this resolution honoring the life of one of 
the great American personalities in the century, the late Charlton 
Heston.
  Truly, a man of legends, whether from his epic contributions as an 
actor, to his passionate and momentous involvement in our politics and 
society, Mr. Heston touched us all.
  Born in 1923 in Evanston, Illinois, John Charles Carter spent his 
childhood in Michigan. Following his parents' divorce in the 1930s, his 
mother remarried to Chester Heston, and the family moved to the Chicago 
suburb of Winnetka. It was here that his acting career took flight.
  After enrolling in the theater program at his new high school, he 
earned a drama scholarship to attend Northwestern University. It was 
here that he met another aspiring thespian, future wife, and ``the 
queen of his heart,'' Lydia Clarke.
  Enlisting in the Army Air Forces in 1942, he spent 2 years serving as 
a radio gunner in the Aleutian Islands during World War II.
  After experiencing limited success on Broadway after the war, Heston 
emerged on the big screen in 1950. He captivated audiences with his 
statuesque appearance and his historic epic roles. He scaled Mt. Sinai 
as Moses in the 10 Commandments, rebelled against the Romans in his 
Oscar winning performance in Ben Hur, remained loyal to his king at all 
costs in El Cid, and masterfully decorated the Sistine Chapel as 
Michelangelo.
  Who can forget his gritty performance in such noir classics as Touch 
of Evil, and groundbreaking science fiction classics like Planet of the 
Apes?
  Though he spent more than 60 years on camera and appeared in over 100 
movies, he is also known by many for his passion for politics and 
commitment to a life outside of Hollywood.
  A staunch supporter of civil rights in the early 1960s, Heston called 
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the ``20th century Moses for his people.''
  A vocal participant in a number of marches and protests, he 
demonstrated his support long before Hollywood found it fashionable.
  Like his friend, Ronald Reagan, Heston's political views gradually 
began to align more with the Republican Party, and by the late 1980s, 
he had become a prominent orator on behalf of conservative politicians 
and against the debasement of American culture.
  In 1998, the passionate Heston, well in his 70s, was elected 
president and spokesman of the NRA, a position he held until his 
resignation in 2003.
  After a bout with prostate cancer, Heston announced in August 2002 he 
had been diagnosed with symptoms consistent with Alzheimer's. On April 
5, 2008, at the age of 84, Charlton Heston passed away.
  He once joked, ``I have played three presidents, three saints, and 
two geniuses. If that does not create an ego problem, nothing does.'' 
But arrogance does not describe this humble man, who pursued life as he 
did each of his roles, a constant pursuit of unattainable perfection.
  Despite numerous accolades, including an Oscar, a Kennedy Center 
Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the 
loving husband, devoted father of two and grandfather of three, 
believed that his family was his proudest achievement.
  In his August 2002 announcement regarding his declining health, he 
emotionally stated that, ``For an actor there is no greater loss than 
his audience. I can part the Red Sea, but I can't part with you.''
  Though he may have left us in body, his spirit and legacy live on, a 
lifetime of passionate commitment to freedom in the truest sense.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution honoring a man who 
was as much a hero on the big screen as he was a hero in life.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back my time.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I want to first thank my friend, the gentleman 
from Alaska (Mr. Young), for bringing this resolution, and urge my 
colleagues to honor this great American by voting in favor of the 
resolution.
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
supporting H. Con. Res. 1091 and honoring the life and contributions of 
the late Charlton Heston.
  A larger than life figure, Charlton Heston was a World War II 
veteran, president of the Screen Actors Guild, and chairman of the 
American Film Institute. He was celebrated--as an Academy Award-winning 
actor and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
  Throughout his life, when he saw injustice, Charlton Heston did not 
hesitate to take action. It did not matter to him whether his position 
was popular. He protested segregation, marching alongside the Rev. Dr. 
Martin Luther King during his campaign for civil rights, and described 
Dr. King as a ``20th century Moses for his people.''
  Never shy to take a stand, Charlton Heston picketed a segregated 
movie theater premiering one of his own movies. All of us

[[Page 7707]]

should commend his principled commitment to civil rights.
  His support for our Nation's Bill of Rights extended to the second 
amendment. Indeed, for many of us, Charlton Heston's most memorable 
contribution may have been his fierce advocacy for our right to keep 
and bear arms. As president of the National Rifle Association, NRA, Mr. 
Heston famously rallied millions of Americans by holding a rifle over 
his head and declaring that the Government would take it only ``from my 
cold, dead hands.''
  When our rights were threatened by the Federal Government, Charlton 
Heston--the face of the NRA--inspired millions of us. This legacy is 
lasting. And it never mattered to him that his stance wasn't 
fashionable with Hollywood elites.
  Not until the onset of Alzheimer's disease did Charlton Heston begin 
to withdraw from public life.
  Mr. Speaker, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Heston family, 
especially Lydia, his wife of 64 years. They must be proud of Charlton 
Heston's life, legacy, and contributions. We all are here.
  Mr. CLAY. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1091, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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