[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16062]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE LIFE OF BERNARD LANSKY

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                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 30, 2012

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Bernard 
Joseph Lansky, a famed Memphis clothier. He was born in Memphis, 
Tennessee to Samuel Lansky on March 10, 1927. Bernard Lansky, and his 
brother, Guy, shared a passion for clothing. As business partners, 
their expressive clothing can be seen in some of Elvis' most famous 
suits, including the suit he wore during his first appearance on the Ed 
Sullivan Show and his sparkling gold-lame jacket. Mr. Lansky also 
suited Elvis for his high school prom and for his funeral, saying that 
``I put him in his first suit, and I put him in his last suit.'' This 
gained him the reputation in Memphis as the ``Clothier to the King.''
  Bernard Lansky was one of nine children, who were all raised by their 
father alone. Mr. Lansky served the U.S. Army at Fort Knox during the 
Second World War. In 1946, Bernard Lansky's father gave him and his 
brother $125 to buy a consignment shop on Beale Street. The shop went 
through a few changes, first being a dry goods store and an army 
surplus store.
  Realizing that he was a natural salesman with a talent for retail, 
Lansky and his brother opened a shop on Beale Street called Lansky 
Bros., which has since moved into the Memphis Peabody Hotel and 
expanded into four similarly named shops. In addition to dressing 
Elvis, Bernard clothed music royalty such as B.B. King, Johnny Cash and 
Jerry Lee Lewis. After admiring a new suit on a customer, Mr. Lansky 
often smiled at them saying, ``Clean as Ajax. That's as clean as 
Ajax.''
  Bernard's passion and love for clothing extends to each generation of 
the Lansky family, as his son, Hal, and granddaughter, Julie, continue 
the unique designs so true to the original store. On November 15, 2012, 
Mr. Lansky passed away at 85 years of age. He was preceded in death by 
his brother and business partner, Guy, who died in 2005. Bernard is 
survived by his wife of 64 years, Joyce; two sisters, Mildred Krasner 
and Bernice Banes; two brothers, Frank and Alvin; a son, Hal; a 
daughter, Anise; and four granddaughters along with two great-
grandsons. Mr. Lansky will be remembered as a life-long Memphian and 
pioneer in the clothing industry.

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