[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 11495-11496]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        REMEMBERING REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS LUDLOW ``LUD'' ASHLEY

  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, as we search for solutions to our 
twin challenges in the housing and energy sectors, we should pause to 
celebrate, remember, and learn from the life of a legislator who 
brokered solutions to these very same problems more than 30 years ago 
``Lud'' Ashley, the distinguished gentlemen who represented the 9th 
Congressional District of Ohio.
  Thomas Ludlow Ashley represented the Toledo area from 1955 until 
1981. He was a pragmatic progressive who knew how to broker a deal to 
move the Nation forward.
  He was tapped by the late Speaker Tip O'Neill to lead the effort to 
develop a bipartisan set of proposals to address the Nation's energy 
crisis. His work laid the foundation for the passage of a series of 
bills that aimed to reduce our dependence on oil and spur the research 
and development of new, clean energy sources.

[[Page 11496]]

  We could use his advice and counsel today.
  Congressman Ashley made a profound difference in the well-being of 
everyday Americans. He was known as ``Mr. Housing'' for his leadership 
of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Community Development. In this 
role, he authored landmark pieces of legislation in the Housing and 
Community Development Acts of 1974 and 1977.
  ``Americans sleep in better homes today because of Lud Ashley,'' 
Senator Ted Kennedy once said of Congressman Ashley.
  As a legislator, Congressman Ashley continued the family legacy of 
fighting for equality. His great-grandfather, who represented Toledo in 
Congress during the Civil War era, co-authored the 13th amendment 
abolishing slavery. A century later, Lud Ashley worked tirelessly to 
secure the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
  An Army veteran, who served in the Pacific during World War II, Lud 
Ashley returned home to pursue his education. He earned degrees from 
Yale University and the Ohio State University College of Law.
  Hearing the call to public service, Lud Ashley ran and won the 
privilege of representing the 9th Congressional District of Ohio in 
1954. His service was defined by a passionate but collegial devotion to 
liberal causes, one that earned him the respect and friendship of his 
peers on both sides of the aisle.
  I hope that my colleagues will take a moment to honor the life and 
legacy of Congressman Lud Ashley a great Ohioan and a great American.

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