[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16294]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         TRIBUTE TO THOMAS S. FOLEY, 57TH SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 28, 2013

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to former House 
Speaker Thomas ``Tom'' S. Foley, the 57th Speaker of the House of 
Representatives and a man whose love for this chamber and whose 
commitment to public service was unsurpassed. Speaker Foley died 
Friday, October 18, at his home in Washington, D.C. He was 84 years 
old.
  Tom Foley was in every sense of the word a gentleman. He believed in 
bipartisanship. He treated everyone equally and with respect. Upon 
relinquishing the Speakership, he left these parting words of advice to 
this successor, incoming Speaker Newt Gingrich: ``Remember, you are the 
Speaker of the whole House and not just one party.''
  The environment of the House of Representatives under the leadership 
of Speaker Foley was marked by mutual respect and cooperation, which 
enabled the Congress to work with the President and pass legislation 
that made our country better.
  During Tom Foley's speakership, the Congress passed, and the 
President signed into law the Family and Medical Leave Act; the 
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991; the North America Free Trade 
Agreement (NAFTA); the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT); 
the 1994 Crime Bill which put 100,000 new police offers on the streets 
and banned assault weapons and reduced crime rates by more than a 
third; and the 1993 Clinton Economic Plan that led to the creation of 
22 million jobs, four balanced budgets, and the longest period of 
sustained economic prosperity in the post-war period.
  Thomas Stephen Foley was born March 6, 1929, in Spokane, Washington. 
He attended a Jesuit preparatory school, where he acquired the nickname 
``the senator'' for his intellect and the way he solved problems. He is 
reported to have overcome a lisp to excel in debate and to earn his 
baccalaureate degree from the University of Washington in 1951. Six 
years later, Tom Foley was admitted to the bar after graduating from 
the University of Washington School of Law. He practiced law in Spokane 
prior to becoming a prosecutor and later an assistant state attorney 
general.
  In 1960, he joined the staff of his mentor, the legendary Senator 
Henry ``Scoop'' Jackson (D-WA), and moved to Washington, D.C., where he 
met his future partner in life, his beloved Heather, whom he married in 
1968, and who remained by his side for the next 45 years and was with 
him when he died.
  Mr. Speaker, in 1964 Tom Foley defeated an 11-term incumbent and was 
elected by the people of the 5th Congressional District of Washington 
to represent them in the House of Representatives. He was reelected to 
the next succeeding 14 Congresses.
  Over those 30 years, Tom Foley compiled a truly impressive record. He 
sought and obtained a seat on the Agriculture Committee to advocate on 
behalf of his constituents in the wheat-growing region of eastern 
Washington.
  Tom Foley was an accomplished legislator. One of his major 
achievements as a member of the Agriculture Committee was the grand 
bargain he crafted which led to the enduring partnership between 
conservative farmers and progressive supporters of nutrition programs.
  Mr. Speaker, Tom Foley was an unwavering advocate for progressive 
policies and a formidable opponent of policies he believed were harmful 
to the interests of the poor, workers, or women. He supported President 
Johnson's Great Society Programs and voted for the Civil Rights Act of 
1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. 
He also supported a strong national defense and sensible foreign 
policy, which is why he opposed the escalation of the Vietnam War.
  After the watershed election of 1974, he was elected by his 
colleagues to chair the Agriculture Committee, a position he held until 
1981, when he was appointed Majority Whip by then Speaker Thomas P. 
``Tip'' O'Neill. When Speaker O'Neill was succeeded by Majority Leader 
Jim Wright (D-TX), Tom Foley was elevated to the post of Majority 
Leader and served in that post until June 6, 1989 when he was elected 
Speaker of the House upon the resignation of Speaker Wright.
  Tom Foley was Speaker of the House in 1991 when President George H.W. 
Bush launched Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the first 
Persian Gulf War. Thanks in large part to the spirit of bipartisanship 
that Tom Foley embodied, the nation remained unified throughout the 
Persian Gulf War.
  Following Speaker Foley's service in the House of Representatives he 
served with distinction as U.S. ambassador to Japan during the second 
Clinton Administration. In recognition of his exceptional service to 
our country, in 2001 the federal courthouse in Spokane, Washington was 
renamed the Thomas S. Foley United States Courthouse.
  Today, one of the things cited most as being what is wrong with 
Congress is the environment of hyper partisanship which is threatening 
the ability of the House to fulfill its function.
  It is my hope that we all remember and learn from the example of 
Speaker Foley that civility is a virtue, that compromise is not 
weakness, and that it is possible for persons of goodwill to disagree 
without being disagreeable.
  Thank you, Speaker Thomas S. Foley, for your service to our nation. 
You made the People's House a better place by promoting mutual respect 
and cooperation.

                          ____________________