[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5141]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING EDWARD G. NELSON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM COOPER

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 26, 2016

  Mr. COOPER. Mr. Speaker, the city of Nashville and the state of 
Tennessee lost a civic giant earlier this month, banker and 
philanthropist Edward G. Nelson.
  Ed Nelson was not only a pillar of the community, he was our 
foundation. He financed much of the growth of Nashville and imagined 
the `It' city before we became one.
  Ed's expertise and skill in banking, finance and international 
relations shaped the economic development of Middle Tennessee, and his 
philanthropic efforts have touched countless lives. Serving on dozens 
of local, national and international boards, Ed had the vision and will 
to make things happen. His success and leadership were notably 
recognized when the Bank of China invited him for a formal visit 
shortly after diplomatic relations were established in the 1970s.
  Ed's service as a U.S. military intelligence officer in Japan led to 
his insatiable desire to foster U.S.-Japan relations. Because of his 
tireless work, Nashville is now home to a Japanese Consul General and 
many Japanese businesses. In 2008, the Japanese government awarded him 
one of its most prestigious awards--the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold 
Rays with Neck Ribbon.
  Mr. Speaker, the city of Nashville is forever grateful to Ed Nelson 
for his service. Ed was a kind and wonderful gentleman and the best of 
the South.

                          ____________________