[Deschler-Brown Precedents, Volume 17, Chapters 34 - 40]
[Ch. 38. Death]
[§ 5. Announcement of Death; Accounting for Vacancies]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
[Page 597-623]
CHAPTER 38
Death
Sec. 5. Announcement of Death; Accounting for Vacancies
The death of a Member (including the Speaker) and often of
[[Page 598]]
other House officers or officials, is generally, but not invariably,
announced by the Member with the longest continuous service, also known
as the dean, of the deceased's State delegation.(1) This may
be done in a one-minute speech, customarily before the business of the
day or in between recorded votes. A Member, again usually the dean of
the State delegation, may choose to inform the House of the death of a
Senator, in which case, it will be done in the same manner. However,
with modern communication devices providing almost immediate
notification of death and the varied circumstances of death, the formal
announcement of the death on the floor may be bypassed in favor of
consideration of a resolution of sympathy. When a Senator or a Member
of the House dies, a copy of the resolution of sympathy informing of
the death will be messaged to the other body.(2)
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1. See Sec. 5.7, infra.
See also Sec. 5.5, infra, where the death of former Speaker
Joseph W. Martin, Jr. (MA) was announced by the ranking
Republican of the Massachusetts delegation.
2. See Sec. 6, infra.
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Pursuant to a rule adopted in the 108th Congress, in the event of a
vacancy in the Office of Speaker, including one as the result of death,
a designated Member acts as Speaker pro tempore until the election of a
Speaker or Speaker pro tempore.(3) Presumably one of this
Speaker pro tempore's first acts would be to announce the death of the
Speaker. Before the 108th Congress, upon the death of a Speaker, the
Clerk would convene the House and announce the Speaker's death, and
would preside until a new Speaker was elected.(4) The
announcement which initiates further procedures as a mark of respect
will still be that of a Member, traditionally the senior member of the
State delegation of which the Speaker had been a Member.(5)
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3. Rule I clause 8(b)(3)(A), House Rules and Manual Sec. 632 (2007).
4. See Sec. 4.2, supra.
5. See 6 Cannon's Precedents Sec. 265, which reads as follows:
``Recently it has been the general, though not the universal
practice, to designate as Speaker pro tempore during eulogies
on a deceased Member, the dean of the State delegation
regardless of party affiliation.''
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Whenever possible, the death of a Member will be announced at the
next convening of the House after the death has occurred, or on the day
of the death itself if the House is in session.(6)
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6. 5 Hinds' Precedents Sec. Sec. 7123-7128.
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Upon the death of a President or former President, the House
[[Page 599]]
will normally be informed by Presidential message,(7)
although the House has been informed of the death of a former President
by proclamation.(8) The Acting Chief Justice of the United
States will inform the House by letter of the death of the Chief
Justice.(9) A Member from the home State of an Associate
Justice of the Supreme Court will likely be the person to announce such
a death to the House.(10)
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7. See Sec. 5.1, infra.
8. See Sec. 5.2, infra.
9. See Sec. 5.3, infra.
10. See Sec. 6.7, infra.
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The death of a Cabinet Member may be announced by a
Member.(11) However, notification of the death of a Cabinet
Member or Secretary of one of the branches of the Armed Forces has also
on occasion been conveyed by proclamation.(12) The deaths of
officers and officials of the House are often announced by Members
affiliated with their Home states.
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11. See, e.g., Sec. 5.13, infra.
12. See Sec. 5.15, infra.
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The circumstances of a death and the schedule of the Congress are
not always such that an orderly and timely announcement is possible.
The death by assassination of President John F. Kennedy presents an
interesting example.
President Kennedy's death in Dallas, Texas, was announced to the
Nation at 1:30 p.m., CST (2:31 EST) on Friday, Nov. 22, 1963. The House
had adjourned from Thursday, Nov. 21, 1963, to Monday, Nov. 25, 1963.
On Nov. 22, 1963, notice of the shooting having been informally
received in the Senate, that body recessed at 1:55 p.m. (EST) ``pending
developments'' and subject to the call of the Chair. At 2:10 p.m. (EST)
the Senate reconvened. On the appearance of a quorum, a prayer for the
President was offered and at 2:20 p.m. (EST),(13) the Senate
adjourned until Monday, Nov. 25, 1963. Thus, neither body was in
session when the death of the President was announced to the
Nation.(14)
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13. 109 Cong. Rec. 22693, 88th Cong. 1st Sess.
14. After President Kennedy's death, President Lyndon B. Johnson (TX)
addressed a joint session of Congress on Nov. 27, 1963, to
deliver his tribute to the late President and affirm his
intentions to continue the policies set by his predecessor. See
109 Cong. Rec. 22838, 22839, 88th Cong. 1st Sess.
When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died, Rep. Alben
W. Barkley (KY) unofficially announced the death to the Senate
on Friday, Apr. 13, 1945. The Senate proceeded to agree to a
resolution of sympathy, which was messaged to the House and
constituted the only official announcement of President
Roosevelt's death the House received, prior to President
Truman's message to the House and Senate in joint session on
Apr. 16, 1945. See 91 Cong. Rec. 3389, 3390, 79th Cong. 1st
Sess.
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[[Page 600]]
The flying of the United States flag at half-staff represents both
a symbolic announcement that a death has occurred and a symbolic
tribute. By order of the President, the flag shall be flown at half-
staff upon the death of principal figures of the United States
government and the Governor of a State, territory, or possession, as a
mark of respect to their memory.(15)
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15. 4 USC Sec. 7; see, e.g., death of James Strom Thurmond (SC), former
Senator, Proclamation No. 7688, June 30, 2003, 68 Fed. Reg.
127.
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By statute,(16) the flag is flown at half-staff 30 days
from the death of the President or of a former President; 10 days from
the day of death of the Vice President, the Chief Justice or a retired
Chief Justice of the United States, or the Speaker of the House of
Representatives; from the day of death until interment of an Associate
Justice of the Supreme Court, a member of the Cabinet, a former Vice
President, the President pro tempore of the Senate, the Majority Leader
of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Majority Leader
of the House of Representatives, or the Minority Leader of the House of
Representatives; and on the day of death and the following day for a
Member of Congress. By Presidential proclamation,(17) the
flag is flown at half-staff on all buildings, grounds, and naval
vessels of the Federal Government in the State, congressional district,
territory, or commonwealth of such Senator, Representative, Delegate,
or Commissioner, respectively, from the day of death until interment.
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16. 4 USC Sec. 7.
17. Proclamation No. 3044, Mar. 1, 1954, 19 Fed. Reg. 1235.
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In the 108th Congress, clause 5 of Rule XX was changed to codify
the long-standing practice that the whole number of the House of
Representatives was changed whenever a vacancy by death, resignation,
expulsion, disqualification, or removal arose.(18) The
change provided that the Speaker announce the adjustment to the House
and that such an announcement not be subject to appeal.(19)
The change also provided that in the case of a death, the Speaker may
lay before the House such documentation from Federal, State, or local
officials as he deems pertinent.(20)
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18. See H. Res. 5 Sec. 2(l) at 149 Cong. Rec. 13, 108th Cong. 1st
Sess., Jan. 7, 2003.
19. Id.
20. Id.
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The change in the rules was part of a number of recommendations
from a bipartisan Continuity
[[Page 601]]
of Congress Working Group that was formed after the terrorist attacks
of Sept. 11, 2001, to study ways to ensure that the legislative branch
continued to function in the event that a terrorist attack or other
catastrophe killed or incapacitated a large number of Members. The co-
chairmen of the Working Group submitted their recommendations for
changes to the rules in this area to the Committee on Rules in the
107th Congress for potential inclusion in the opening day rules package
for the 108th Congress.(21) The rule merely codifies the way
the House has tacitly dealt with changes in its whole number in the
event of a death of a Member with the addition of a formal announcement
by the Speaker. The rule also provides that such an announcement is not
subject to appeal and that the Speaker may lay before the House
pertinent documentation about the death of a Member. These additional
steps were added in hopes of streamlining the process for establishing
a quorum in the event that a large number of Members are
killed.(22)
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21. See 148 Cong. Rec. 22676, 22677, 107th Cong. 2d Sess., Nov. 14,
2002 (extension of remarks of Rep. Christopher Cox [CA]).
22. Ibid. -------------------
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Death of President or Former President
Sec. 5.1 The Speaker laid before the House a message from the
President, announcing the death of former President Ronald Wilson
Reagan.(1)
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1. For further details on House action in remembrance of former
President Reagan, see Sec. 8.3, infra.
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On June 8, 2004,(2) the following message from President
George W. Bush was laid before the House by the Speaker:(3)
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2. 150 Cong. Rec. 11752, 108th Cong. 2d Sess.
3. J. Dennis Hastert (IL).
To the Congress of the United States:
By this Message, I officially inform you of the death of Ronald
Reagan, the fortieth President of the United States.
Ronald Reagan was a great leader and a good man. He had the
confidence that comes with conviction, the strength that comes with
character, the grace that comes with humility, and the humor that
comes with wisdom.
Through his leadership, spirit, and abiding faith in the
American people, President Reagan gave our Nation a renewed
optimism. With his courage and moral clarity, he enhanced America's
security and advanced the spread of peace, liberty, and democracy
to millions of people who had lived in darkness and oppression. As
America's President, he helped change the world.
[[Page 602]]
The sun has now set on Ronald Reagan's extraordinary American
life. Just as he told us that our Nation's best days are yet to
come, we know that the same is true for him.
George W. Bush.
The White House, June 8, 2004.
Sec. 5.2 The Speaker laid before the House a message from the
President, announcing the death of former President Richard M.
Nixon.
On Apr. 25, 1994,(1) the following message from
President William J. Clinton was laid before the House by the Speaker
pro tempore:(2)
1. 140 Cong. Rec. 8451, 103d Cong. 2d Sess.
2. G. V. (Sonny) Montgomery (MS).
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To the Congress of the United States:
It is my sad duty to inform you officially of the death of
Richard Milhous Nixon, the thirty-seventh President of the United
States.
Born in 1913, he was first elected to the Congress in 1946, a
member of that historic freshman class of World War II veterans
that also included John F. Kennedy. He was elected to the Senate in
1950, and served two terms as Vice President of the United States
between 1953 and 1961. His career in the Congress coincided with
the great expansion of the American middle class, when men and
women from backgrounds as humble as his own secured the triumph of
freedom abroad and the promise of economic growth at home.
He remained a visible presence in American public life for over
half a century. Yet through all those years of service to his
country, in the military, in the Congress, in the Presidency, and
beyond, he cherished his life as a private man, a family man. He
was lovingly devoted to his wife, Pat, to their daughters Patricia
Cox and Julie Eisenhower, and to his four grandchildren.
His lifetime and public career were intertwined with America's
rise as a world power. His faith in America never wavered, from his
famous `kitchen debate' with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev
through all of the debates that followed. We Americans and our
neighbors abroad will always owe him a special debt for opening
diplomatic doors to Beijing and Moscow during his Presidency, and
his influence in world affairs will be felt for years to come.
Richard Milhous Nixon lived the ``American Dream.'' Now, he
rests in peace.
William J. Clinton.
The White House, April 22, 1994.(3)
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3. See 119 Cong. Rec. 1838, 1839, 93d Cong. 1st Sess., Jan. 23, 1973,
where the Speaker laid before the House a message from
President Richard M. Nixon announcing the death of former
President Lyndon B. Johnson; 115 Cong. Rec. 8099, 91st Cong.
1st Sess., Mar. 31, 1969, where the Speaker laid before the
House a message from President Nixon announcing the death of
former President Dwight D. Eisenhower; and 119 Cong. Rec. 28,
93d Cong. 1st Sess., Jan. 3, 1973, where the Speaker laid
before the House a communication from the Acting Secretary of
State, transmitting a Proclamation of the President announcing
the death of former President Harry S Truman during the sine
die adjournment of the preceding Congress.
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[[Page 603]]
Supreme Court Justice
Sec. 5.3 The Chair laid before the House a communication from an
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court informing the House of the
death of William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United
States.(1) A resolution of sympathy was adopted by the
House.
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1. See also 92 Cong. Rec. 4262, 79th Cong. 2d Sess., Apr. 30, 1946,
where Speaker Sam Rayburn (TX) laid before the House a
communication from the Honorable Hugo L. Black, Senior
Associate Justice and Acting Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme
Court regarding the death of Chief Justice Harlan Fiske Stone;
and 100 Cong. Rec. 10, 83d Cong. 2d Sess., regarding the death
of Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson. See also Ch. 36, supra.
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On Sept. 6, 2005,(2) the House adopted a resolution of
sympathy in recognition of the death of the Chief Justice of the United
States Supreme Court, William H. Rehnquist:
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2. 151 Cong. Rec. 19568, 19569, 109th Cong. 1st Sess. See also Ch. 36,
Sec. 11, supra.
There was no funeral committee appointed for Chief Justice
Rehnquist. His body lie in state in the Great Hall of the
Supreme Court from Sept. 6, 2005, until his funeral on Sept. 7,
2005, conducted at the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Matthew
the Apostle in Washington, D.C.
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Mr. [Tom] DeLAY [of Texas]. Madam Speaker, I offer a privileged
resolution (H. Res. 422) and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 422
Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of
the death of the Honorable William H. Rehnquist; Chief Justice
of the United States.
Resolved, That the House tenders its deep sympathy to the
members of the family of the late Chief Justice in their
bereavement.
Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to
the Senate and to the Supreme Court and transmit a copy of the
same to the family of the late Chief Justice.
Resolved, That when the House adjourns today, it adjourn as
a further mark of respect to the memory of the late Chief
Justice.
The resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
Speaker
Sec. 5.4 Pursuant to a rule adopted in the 108th Congress, in the event
of a vacancy in the Office of the Speaker, including one as a
result of death,(1)
[[Page 604]]
a designated Member acts as Speaker pro tempore until the election
of a Speaker or Speaker pro tempore.(2) The Speaker pro
tempore announces the death of the Speaker.
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1. Speakers of the House who have died while in Office: Michael C.
Kerr (IN), Speaker from Dec. 6, 1875 until his death on Aug.
19, 1876; Henry T. Rainey (IL), Speaker from Mar. 9, 1933 until
his death on Aug. 19, 1934; Joseph W. Byrns (TN), Speaker from
Jan. 3, 1935 until his death on June 4, 1936; William B.
Bankhead (AL), Speaker from Jan. 4, 1936 until his death on
Sept. 15, 1940; and Sam Rayburn (TX), from Sept. 16, 1940
through Jan. 3, 1947 and again elected on Jan. 5, 1955 until
his death on Nov. 16, 1961.
2. Rule I clause 8, House Rules and Manual Sec. 632 (2007).
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Sec. 5.5 Prior to the 108th Congress, when a Speaker died during his
term of office, a Member from the Speaker's home State sometimes
informed the House officially of the death, following the Clerk's
announcement of a vacancy in the Office of Speaker and the election
of a successor.
A Speaker's term ceases with the end of a Congress, while the
Clerk, by tradition, continues in office until the election of new
officers. Thus, the function of presiding over a new session of
Congress falls to the Clerk until a Speaker is elected.(1)
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1. See Deschler's Precedents Ch. 1 Sec. 5; 1 Hinds' Precedents
Sec. Sec. 187, 188, 235, 244.
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Only after the election of Speaker, swearing-in of Members, and
attendance to other initial procedures, was the death of Speaker Henry
T. Rainey, of Illinois, announced to the House. The Dean of the House,
Adolph J. Sabath, of Illinois, made the announcement and the following
resolution was offered and agreed to:(2)
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2. See 79 Cong. Rec. 38, 74th Cong. 1st Sess., Jan. 3, 1935.
Speaker Rainey died in St. Louis, Missouri, on Aug. 19,
1934, following the adjournment of the first session of the 73d
Congress on June 18, 1934.
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House Resolution 23
Resolved, That the House has learned with profound
sensibility and sorrow of the death of Henry T. Rainey, Speaker
of the House of Representatives of the Seventy-third Congress.
Resolved, That in the death of the Hon. Henry T. Rainey the
United States has sustained an irreparable loss.
Resolved, That this House, of which he was a distinguished
Member and leader, unite in honoring his sterling character,
and ability, probity, and patriotic motives which illustrated
his public career and the grace and dignity which marked his
intercourse with his fellow citizens.
Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to
the Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the
deceased.
[[Page 605]]
The resolution was agreed to.
Former Speaker
Sec. 5.6 The death of former Speaker John W. McCormack was announced to
the House by the ranking Democrat of the Massachusetts delegation.
On Dec. 1, 1980,(1) the ranking Democrat of the
Massachusetts delegation, Mr. Edward P. Boland, announced the death of
former Speaker McCormack:
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1. 126 Cong. Rec. 31202, 96th Cong. 2d Sess.
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Mr. BOLAND. Mr. Speaker, may I . . . call to the attention of
the House the passing of one of our most distinguished Americans,
the late Speaker of the House, John W. McCormack.(2)
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2. See also 114 Cong. Rec. 5728-42, 90th Cong. 2d Sess., Mar. 7, 1968,
where the death of former Speaker Joseph W. Martin, Jr. (MA)
was announced to the House by the ranking Republican of the
Massachusetts delegation, William H. Bates; and 113 Cong. Rec.
31393-95, 90th Cong. 1st Sess., Nov. 7, 1967, where the death
of former Speaker and former Vice President John Nance Garner
(TX), was announced to the House by O. Clark Fisher (TX) the
Representative of the district where he resided at the time of
his death.
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Member
Sec. 5.7 The announcement of the death of a sitting Member is normally
the prerogative of the senior member of the deceased's party in his
State delegation in the House.
On Oct. 1, 2002,(1) Rep. Neil Abercrombie, the only
other Member than the deceased from Hawaii, was recognized to announce
the death of Rep. Patsy T. Mink.
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1. 148 Cong. Rec. 18775, 107th Cong. 2d Sess.
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(Mr. ABERCROMBIE asked and was given permission to address the
House for 1 minute.)
Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, it is very difficult for me to
grasp that I would be standing here this evening to announce to the
House, with the most profound regret, that our dear friend and
colleague Patsy Mink has passed away.
I know there are many Members who wish to express their
respects to John Mink and Wendy Mink, Patsy's husband and daughter,
and to share with other Members and perhaps those who are observing
our proceedings the measure of their feelings for Patsy and about
her.
So at the proper time, Mr. Speaker, which I believe is after
the votes which will be called, I will call up a resolution
expressing the sorrow of the House of Representatives upon her
death and offer the opportunity for such Members as would like to
speak to indicate to the House their feelings on this most sad,
profoundly sad, occasion.
On Oct. 10, 2000,(2) Rep. James L. Oberstar, the senior
Democrat
[[Page 606]]
of Minnesota, announced the death of Rep. Bruce Vento, of Minnesota.
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2. 146 Cong. Rec. 21902, 21903, 106th Cong. 2d Sess.
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(Mr. OBERSTAR asked and was given permission to address the
House for 1 minute.)
Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, with great sadness, a sense of
personal loss and loss to this House, I take the well to announce
that at 11:20 this morning, our colleague, Congressman Bruce Vento,
succumbed to mesothelioma, asbestos-induced cancer of the lung and
peritoneal cavity.
Bruce, in his 12th term, served the people of his district
nobly, with dignity, with passion, with purpose. He championed the
needs of the homeless, the voiceless, the voteless, those who could
not do for themselves. He was an advocate for working people. He
voted consistently and worked vigorously and strenuously, to
champion the cause of organized labor in this body. He brought a
balance to all that he undertook, and with a science teacher-like
care for fact and detail, he pursued his causes with only the
greatest of dignity and of skill.
My prayers go out to his wife Sue, to his children, to his
constituents. I thank the Reverend Chaplain for the prayer for
Bruce and for his family. I ask all of our colleagues to join their
prayers with those of the Vento family.
On Apr. 12, 1994,(3) Rep. Romano L. Mazzoli, the senior
Democrat from Kentucky, was recognized to announce the death of Rep.
William H. Natcher, of Kentucky.
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3. 140 Cong. Rec. 7148, 7149, 103d Cong. 2d Sess.
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(Mr. MAZZOLI asked and was given permission to address the
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. MAZZOLI. Mr. Speaker, it is my sad duty to officially
report to the House the passing of our dear friend and esteemed
former colleague, Congressman William H. Natcher, the chairman of
our Committee on Appropriations.
Bill died during the recess period, on March 29, in his 84th
year. We who served with him, in my case for 24 years, in the
delegation, we knew him to be what everyone knew him to be, an
esteemed gentleman, a courtly man, a master of the legislative
process of the House, and a devoted American and devoted father/
husband/grandfather.
When we had the memorial service at the Eastwood Baptist Church
in Bowling Green on the 6th of April and when we who were in the
congregation--and I thank my colleagues who could attend with us--
when we heard the statements rendered by the pastor of the church,
Dr. Bridges, by our esteemed Speaker, Mr. Foley, by the President
of the United States and by a longtime family friend and boyhood
pal of Bill's, only then did even I, who had known him for a long
time, realize the full dimension of this human being, the full
breadth and the full depth of him as a human being.
It is because of that giant reach of this man that his death
and his passing leave a tremendous void here in this House and, of
course for us in the Kentucky delegation, a particular void.
So, in order to help fill that void, we will have a special
order, which will be promulgated and noticed to all the Members who
wish to take part in
[[Page 607]]
order that we, each of us, might be able to put in the Record our
feelings about this great individual. But suffice it today to say
that his like will not soon pass our way again.
Sec. 5.8 The death of a Member was announced to the House by a leader
of the Member's party.
On July 16, 1999,(1) Richard A. Gephardt, Democrat of
Missouri, the Minority Leader, announced the death of Rep. George E.
Brown Jr., Democrat of California.
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1. 145 Cong. Rec. 16483, 16484, 106th Cong. 1st Sess.
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(Mr. GEPHARDT asked and was given permission to address the
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, it is my sad duty to inform the
Members that we have lost this morning our dear friend from
California, George Brown, who died in Washington, D.C.
Our prayers and our thoughts are with his family and his
friends and neighbors and constituents. He has been a constant
friend to all of us on both sides of the aisle. He has been a
dedicated public servant and he gave a great, great deal of his
life to this body and to his constituents.
I would like to ask us now to rise and have a moment of silence
in his memory.
On Aug. 2, 1993,(2) Robert H. Michel, Republican of
Illinois, the Minority Leader, announced the death of Paul B. Henry,
Republican of Michigan.
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2. 139 Cong. Rec. 18159, 103d Cong. 1st Sess.
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(Mr. MICHEL asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. MICHEL. Mr. Speaker, I will shortly be offering a
resolution with respect to our departed friend, Paul Henry. May I
simply, in the Chaplain's presence, thank him for the subject of
his prayer as we began today's session.
On Sept. 6, 1989,(3) Richard A. Gephardt, the Majority
Leader, and Newt Gingrich, of Georgia, the Minority Whip, announced the
death of two Members, Rep. Mickey Leland, of Texas, and Rep. Larkin
Smith, of Mississippi, each having died during the August recess.
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3. 135 Cong. Rec. 19507, 101st Cong. 1st Sess.
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(Mr. GEPHARDT asked and was given permission to address the
House for 1 minute.)
Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield such time as
he may consume to the minority whip, the gentleman from Georgia
[Mr. Gingrich].
Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, let me thank my colleague for
yielding, and just say that I rise for our side of the aisle to say
that during the break we lost two colleagues, both in the pursuit
of their duty, both seeking to serve mankind, and that all Members
will remember the gentleman from Texas
[[Page 608]]
[Mr. Leland] and the gentleman from Mississippi [Mr. Smith] and
that we appreciate very much the leadership taking this moment to
begin the session by recognizing these two very fine colleagues and
Members whose memories will live on for a very long time in this
body.
Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I ask
that all Members, with heavy hearts and bowed heads, let Members
remember the service and contributions of the gentleman from Texas
[Mr. Leland] and the gentleman from Mississippi [Mr. Smith] with a
moment of silence, and ask on behalf of both parties and all
Americans, that we stand and have this moment of silence.
(A moment of silence was had.)
Sec. 5.9 The death of a Member was announced to the House by a Member
other than a Member of the State delegation.
On Dec. 8, 2000,(1) Rep. James E. Clyburn, of South
Carolina, was recognized to announce the death of Rep. Julian C. Dixon,
of California.
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1. 146 Cong. Rec. 26545, 106th Cong. 2d Sess.
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(Mr. CLYBURN asked and was given permission to address the
House for 1 minute.)
Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I wish at this time to make an
announcement that is very tough for me to make. We just received
word that our colleague Julian Dixon of California has passed. I
wish at this time for the House to stand at ease and for all of us
to stand in silence and in our own way pray for him and his family
and this body.
Parliamentarian's Note: Rep. Clyburn and Rep. Dixon were long-time
friends and members of the Congressional Black Caucus.(2)
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2. See also 142 Cong. Rec. 14955, 104th Cong. 2d Sess., June 24, 1966,
where the death of Rep. Bill Emerson (MO) was announced to the
House by Rep. G. V. (Sonny) Montgomery (MS), on a pro forma
day.
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Former Member
Sec. 5.10 The Speaker recognized a Member from Massachusetts for one
minute to announce the death of a former Member of the House from
that State.
On Nov. 6, 2001,(1) Rep. Richard Neal, of Massachusetts,
was recognized to announce the death of former Member Edward P. Boland,
of Massachusetts.
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1. 147 Cong. Rec. 21731, 107th Cong. 1st Sess.
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(Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts asked and was given permission to
address the House for 1 minute.)
Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I have the sad
responsibility this evening of reporting to this Chamber that a
very distinguished former Member of this institution, Edward P.
Boland, died on Sunday evening.
Ed Boland served in this House for 36 years with distinction as
a member
[[Page 609]]
of the Committee on Appropriations and as a chairman of the House
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He served in an
institution that he revered. He represented the people of western
and central Massachusetts with distinction. He was a patriot of the
highest order and an individual who loved the notion that politics
had meaning in American life.
On Oct. 6, 2000,(2) Rep. Janice D. Schakowsky, of
Illinois, announced the death of former Member Sidney R. Yates, of
Illinois.
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2. 145 Cong. Rec. 21313, 106th Cong. 2d Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ms. SCHAKOWSKY asked and was given permission to address the
House for 1 minute.)
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise with a very sad
announcement. Congressman Sidney Yates died last night.
Those who loved the arts, who cherish the environment, who
struggle for human freedom and dignity lost a hero. Many of us,
many of you lost a very dear friend, a true gentleman in this body
for 48 years.
There will be an opportunity at a later time for those who are
moved to pay tribute to Sid to speak on this floor, and details
about arrangements will be provided to all Members as soon as they
are available.
Senator
Sec. 5.11 The death of Senator John H. Chafee, of Rhode Island, was
announced to the House by the Majority Leader.
On Oct. 25, 1999,(1) Richard K. Armey, of Texas, the
Majority Leader, announced the death of Senator John H. Chafee.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 146 Cong. Rec. 26679, 106th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Mr. ARMEY asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute.)
Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, today is a sad day for a great many
people, not the least of whom are our colleagues in the other body
for their loss of their colleague, Senator John Chafee, and I would
like to take a moment and just express the sympathies of the House
of Representatives to our colleagues in the other body and to
Senator Chafee's family and his constituents for that loss.
Sec. 5.12 The death of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, of New York, was
announced to the House by the dean of the New York delegation in a
one-minute speech before the business of the day.
On June 6, 1968,(1) Mr. Emanuel Celler, of New York,
received unanimous consent to address the House for one minute. He
officially informed the House of Senator Kennedy's death. The Senator
died early that morning of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 114 Cong. Rec. 16226, 90th Cong. 2d Sess.
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Mr. CELLER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to address the
[[Page 610]]
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend my remarks.
The SPEAKER.(2) Is there objection to the request of
the gentleman from New York?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. John W. McCormack (MA).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
There was no objection.
Mr. CELLER. Mr. Speaker and ladies and gentleman of the House,
it is with a sense of profound shock that I rise to announce the
death of Robert Francis Kennedy from the State of New York. Senator
Kennedy died at 4:44 a.m. this morning.
Mr. Speaker, this young man, this concerned man, this man of
profound peace, this man of grace, of gift, and wisdom was foully
murdered.
Cabinet Officer
Sec. 5.13 The death of the Secretary of Labor was announced by a Member
of the House.
On June 10, 1948,(1) Mr. Henry M. Jackson, of
Washington, announced the death of the Secretary of Labor, the
Honorable Lewis B. Schwellenbach.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 94 Cong. Rec. 7723, 80th Cong. 2d Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. JACKSON of Washington. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy
heart that I announce the death of the Secretary of Labor, Hon.
Lewis B. Schwellenbach. He passed away this morning at 4:40 at
Walter Reed Hospital.
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Sec. 5.14 The Majority Leader announced to the House the death of the
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover.
On May 2, 1972,(1) Mr. Hale Boggs, of Louisiana,
requested and received permission to address the House for one minute
and to revise and extend his remarks.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 118 Cong. Rec. 15314, 92d Cong. 2d Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. BOGGS. Mr. Speaker, the Nation is saddened today upon
learning of the passing last evening of a great American, J. Edgar
Hoover, for over half a century the Director of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation. . . .
In behalf of all the Members I extend to all who were
associated with him, and to his family, the sympathy which we all
feel at this sad moment.
Military Officials
Sec. 5.15 The death of Admiral Jeremy M. Boorda, Chief of Naval
Operations, was announced by a Member of the House.
On May 16, 1996,(1) Rep. John P. Murtha, of
Pennsylvania, was recognized to speak out of order in
[[Page 611]]
the Committee of the Whole and announced the death of Admiral Jeremy M.
Boorda.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 142 Cong. Rec. 11536, 104th Cong. 2d Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(By unanimous consent, Mr. Murtha was allowed to speak out of
order.)
moment of silent prayer for chief of naval operations, adm.
jeremy m. boorda
Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Chairman, I would ask the House to rise and
join me in a moment of silent prayer for Admiral Boorda, who
apparently either shot himself accidentally or intentionally.
Admiral Boorda was one of the finest naval officers that I have
ever known; a person who came up through the ranks, and all of us
had so much admiration for, and who has done so much for this great
country over the years. The Navy and the country is a better place
because of his fine service, and I would ask that we would bow our
heads for a moment of prayer.
Amen.
The CHAIRMAN.(2) A final period of general debate is
now in order. The gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Hobson] and the
gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Sabo] each will control 20 minutes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Dave Camp (MI).
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Sec. 5.16 The death of the Secretary of the Navy was announced by
proclamation of the Secretary of State.
On July 10, 1939,(1) Mr. Alben W. Barkley, of Kentucky,
asked unanimous consent to have printed in the Congressional Record the
proclamation issued by the Secretary of State on July 7, 1939,
announcing the death of the Secretary of the Navy, Claude Swanson. The
proceedings were as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 84 Cong. Rec. 8768, 76th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
There being no objection, the proclamation was ordered to be
printed in the Record as follows:
To the people of the United States:
Claude Augustus Swanson, Secretary of the Navy, died at his
camp on the Rapidan River, in the Shenandoah National Forest, on
the morning of Friday, July 7, 1939, at 6 minutes after 8 o'clock.
Greatly loved by those who were privileged to know him, and
widely honored for his many years of faithful public service, this
distinguished member of the President's Cabinet will be mourned
throughout the Nation. . . .
As an expression of national mourning, the President directs
that the flag of the United States be displayed at half mast until
sunset of the day of interment on all public buildings and at all
military posts and naval stations and on all vessels of the United
States.
By direction of the President.
Cordell Hull,
Secretary of State.
Department of State.
Washington, July 7, 1939.
House Officers
Sec. 5.17 In the absence of the senior member of the delegation from
the State of the deceased, another Member of
[[Page 612]]
that State announced the death of the Sergeant at Arms.
On July 8, 1953,(1) Rep. Louis E. Graham, of
Pennsylvania, announced the death of the Sergeant at Arms, William F.
Russell.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 112 Cong. Rec. 3759, 89th Cong. 2d Sess.
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The SPEAKER.(2) The Chair recognizes the gentleman
from Pennsylvania.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Joseph W. Martin, Jr. (MA).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, in the absence of the dean of the
Pennsylvania delegation, Hon. Richard M. Simpson, it becomes my sad
duty to announce the death of our Sergeant-at-Arms, William F.
Russell. Mr. Russell entered on his duties here as a member of our
official force at the beginning of the 76th Congress. He came here
with the late James Wolfenden first as minority Sergeant at Arms
and then in the 80th Congress, he was appointed Sergeant at Arms.
At the beginning of this Congress, again he was appointed Sergeant
at Arms of the House. It so happens one of our colleagues, Hon.
Benjamin F. James served with him a number of years. I only want to
say this, no more kindly, courteous and efficient man ever served
in these Halls than William F. Russell. He was solicitous of the
Members -- of all the Members irrespective of party affiliation. I
sometimes wonder if we who are so busily engrossed in our duties
and responsibilities here realize and appreciate the fine courtesy
and unqualified service that men such as William Russell give to
us. He was always willing and anxious to be of service to Members
on both sides of the aisle.
In the passing of this good man, we extend our sympathy to his
family, his wife, and his children. May his soul rest in peace.
Sec. 5.18 The death of the Chaplain of the House was announced to the
House by the Member representing the district where the Chaplain
was born.
On Feb. 23, 1966,(1) Mr. Stanley L. Greigg, of Iowa, was
recognized by special order to announce the death of Reverend Bernard
Braskamp, Chaplain of the House.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 112 Cong. Rec. 3759, 3760, 89th Cong. 2d Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. GREIGG. Mr. Speaker and Members of the House, it was with a
great deal of sadness that I am called upon today to announce to
you the sudden death of our beloved Chaplain, the Reverend Bernard
Braskamp. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Braskamp was born in Alton, Iowa, a
small farm community in my district of northwest Iowa. . . .
I join with all of the Members of the House of Representatives
extending to the immediate family our deepest sympathies.
Former House Officers and Officials
Sec. 5.19 The death of a former Clerk of the House was announced to the
House by the Minority Leader.(1)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. See Ch. 3, Sec. 21.17, supra.
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[[Page 613]]
Sec. 5.20 The death of the former Chaplain of the House was announced
to the House by the Speaker.
On Sept. 5, 2001,(1) the Speaker,(2) in a
one-minute speech, announced the death of the former Chaplain, James
David Ford.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 147 Cong. Rec. 16381, 107th Cong. 1st Sess.
2. J. Dennis Hastert (IL).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Mr. HASTERT asked and was given permission to address the
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. HASTERT. . . .
It is . . . my very sad duty to announce to the House the death
of our Chaplain Emeritus, James David Ford on August 27, 2001. Jim
Ford had been the beloved Chaplain of the House for 21 years, from
1979 until his retirement in the year 2000. A memorial ceremony
honoring Chaplain Ford's life and his service to this House will be
held on Tuesday, September 11, at 1 p.m. in the Cannon Caucus Room.
I extend my personal condolences to Chaplain Ford's family and his
many friends during this time of bereavement.(3)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. The memorial service for Rev. Ford was postponed because of the
terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On July 29, 2002,(4) the remarks in tribute to Dr. Ford,
including a transcript of remarks at a memorial service in his honor,
were carried in the Congressional Record:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. 148 Cong. Rec. 15215-19, 107th Cong. 2d Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF DR. JAMES DAVID FORD
______
speech of
HON. STEPHEN HORN
of california
in the house of representatives
Thursday, July 25, 2002
Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, Chaplain Jim Ford had a positive influence on
every member of the House of Representatives, and I was privileged to
know him and grateful to have his friendship for nine years. As
Chaplain, Jim had the rare quality of being able to relate to everyone
regardless of religious affiliation or background. As a friend, he was
there for anyone needing help through life's inevitable ups or downs.
As a family man, his loving and accomplished wife and children are a
testament. As a human being, he had an exuberant zest for living and
caring, for adventure, for knowledge, and for jokes.
When I had surgery for prostate cancer, Jim visited me in the
hospital. He was a survivor himself, and his humor and his
irrepressible positive attitude filled the room. My wife and I were
fortunate to have traveled with Jim and Marcy in the Middle East and in
Europe, where we had the benefit of Jim's companionship and his vast
store of historical anecdotes. He had an impressive understanding of
the world's three great religions centered in Jerusalem. Although Jim
was modest about his eloquent daily prayers in the House of
Representatives, it is the wish of his many colleagues and friends that
they should be published. Chaplain Ford's prayers covering 21 years are
a powerful commentary on the spirit of the people's House through times
of tranquility and turmoil. They are prayers for all people in all
seasons and form a rich legacy for generations to come.
PRELUDE:
Mrs. Judy Snopek, Pianist.
INVOCATION:
The Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, Chaplain, United States House of
Representatives.
REVEREND COUGHLIN: Members and staff and friends, today we gather
to remember, memorialize and celebrate the life and service of Dr.
James David Ford as Chaplain to the House of Representatives for over
21 years. I wish also to acknowledge the Parliamentarian, Charlie
Johnson, and Reverend Ron Christian, both very close friends to Dr.
[[Page 614]]
Ford, for their efforts to assure this event would happen after the
cancellation of the memorial service first planned for September 11.
That tragic event affected all of us and only deepened the pain of our
loss of Jim Ford when terrorism robbed us even of the freedom to
assemble and grieve as well as thank God for this gifted pastor,
counselor and friend of so many here in the House which he loved so
much and which was honored by his years of faith-filled service. We are
indebted also to the Honorable Jeff Trandahl and the Clerk's office for
their detailed arrangements for today.
As the first Lutheran pastor to serve in the House as Chaplain, Dr.
Ford was rooted in the Word, and so I thought it only fitting to begin
with a short reading from Saint Paul:
If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his
own Son, but handed him over for us all, will he not also give us
everything else along with him? Who will bring a charge against God's
chosen ones? It is God who acquits us who will condemn. It is Christ
Jesus who died, rather was raised, who also is at the right hand of God
and indeed intercedes for us all. What will separate us from the love
of Christ? Languish or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness
or peril or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer
overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that
neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor present
things nor future things, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any
creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
So as we begin, let us call to memory first impressions, wisdom
sayings, poignant moments and compassion and joyful laughter which he
usually left with us.
Let us pray for Jim Ford.
Lord God, you chose our brother James to serve your people as a
minister and so share the joys and burdens of their lives. Look with
mercy on him and give him the just reward of his labors. Continue to
console his family and all those he loved. Grant him now the fullness
of life promised to those who preach your good news, your holy gospel.
We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen. We would like now to hear
from a good friend.
REMARKS:
The Honorable Charles W. Johnson III, Parliamentarian, United
States House of Representatives
CHARLIE JOHNSON: Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be here today as
Jim's friend representing the staff. As Jim used to say, ``Johnson, you
never were invited to be a public speaker because you couldn't if you
were.'' He said, ``All you can do is this.'' ``This'' means whisper and
``this'' means hit the mute button at the same time.
Last year around this time, my beloved predecessor, Bill Brown,
passed away. There was a Quaker gathering for Bill in Lincoln,
Virginia. It was a beautiful service. Jim used to commend Quaker prayer
hour to the House on occasion, not publicly, but there were long
periods of silence and then I felt so inspired to talk about Bill's
public service and I said, Bill never lobbied for anything, except for
one resolution, and that was on January 15, 1979, the opening of the
96th Congress, when the new Chaplain had just been elected and the new
Chaplain was going to be the first full-time Chaplain and he had five
children and the word came down, although Bill didn't know and had not
met the new Chaplain, that he needed a pay raise. So the
Parliamentarian took it upon himself to make sure the floor was clear
of all potential objectors and at the appropriate time H. Res. 7 came
up, called up by Jim Wright on January 15 and, boom, the Chaplain's
salary was tripled. I mentioned that at Bill's Quaker meeting. And some
further period of quiet intervened and Chaplain Ford, retired, was in
the congregation. He stood up and said, ``I was the recipient.'' It was
the spontaneity of it. It was not orchestrated. I don't think he can
orchestrate Quaker meetings, at least for that event, but there he was
Chaplain in 1979 and befriending people left and right.
He had his own separate chaplaincy right at the rostrum of the
House. I will allude to certain little anecdotes as I go along here.
But come 1985, 6 years into his chaplaincy, it was his 53rd birthday.
Tip O'Neill was proud to sponsor a resolution, we called it House Res.
53, and he handed it to him from the rostrum. The resolution would have
amended rule VII to read as follows. Rule VII is now somewhere else as
a result of recodification, but don't ask me where. The resolution
would have said, ``The Chaplain shall attend at the commencement of
each day's sitting of the House and shall open the same with prayer,
and shall personally attend, without benefit of guest Chaplain, at the
adjournment of each day's sitting of the House, including all special
orders, and close the same with a benediction.''
Here is a photograph of two people a lot younger. Jim Ford, this is
H. Res. 53, there is a preamble, a series of ``whereas'' clauses
explaining why it was necessary to require the first full-time Chaplain
to stick around full-time. His predecessors, Bernard Braskamp and Ed
Latch, were part-time, lovely, wonderful ministers to the House but
they weren't full-time. But here was Jim Ford full-time. Tip was
lobbying for this. And so this picture was taken. On it, it says,
``Charlie, would you buy a used prayer from this man?'' Addressed,
``Best Wishes, Jim Ford, July 25, 1985.''
Jim Ford never wanted his prayers printed as his predecessors'
prayers had been in a little document because he felt some of them were
used. He would grab a psalm or a hymn, he did hundreds of prayers and
so they
[[Page 615]]
weren't always original, but they were always meaningful. That was why
he never had his prayers printed.
But then that ministry at the rostrum as I talked about it, we
started to lobby for support of House Resolution 53 and that lobbying,
and I think some Members past and present, Mr. Speaker, got wind of
this, so would Members support this resolution, and it was almost
unanimous. Everyone felt that a full-time Chaplain should be there to
do a personal benediction. You can't rely on guest chaplains for that,
with one exception, and I will never forget when I asked Henry Gonzalez
whether he would support it, the champion of special orders, he said,
``No, that is my definition of cruel and unusual punishment.'' I won't
forget that.
That banter at the rostrum was not just for the fun of it but it
was a ministry in and of itself, and there are folks here today, and I
am here as a spokesperson for the people at the rostrum and other
employees in the Capitol whose lives were enriched every day by Jim's
presence. He was a larger-than-life person in a lot of ways. But the
great thing about it, he had this self-deprecating humor about this
adventurous part of him and he could laugh at himself. By doing that he
would make everyone else's life richer. The power to laugh at yourself
was embodied in Jim Ford.
For example, he had this proclivity to jump off ski lifts
backwards. There was a Parade, one of those Sunday Parade insertions in
the Washington Post that Tip O'Neill happened to notice. The next day
the Chaplain offered the prayer. No sooner was that prayer over but the
Chaplain was walking off, ``Hey, Monsignor, come over here.''
``Monsignor'' was Chaplain Ford. He said, ``I never knew you were such
a wacko.'' Direct quote from Tip O'Neill. The microphone was on. So
from that day on, he was Wacko to some of us.
And then his trans-Atlantic sail. You have all heard about his
adventures to sail the Atlantic. He said, ``Johnson, are you a
sailor?'' I said, ``No.'' He said, ``Well, let me take you out on the
Chesapeake and I'll show you how to sail.'' So he and Bill Brown and
myself went out. It was a windy day. He got on his boat. He put on this
engineer's cap. Peter, you remember, who he sailed the Atlantic with.
Suddenly this gust of wind comes up, boom, the hat is gone forever and
the sail is ripped. It was in our first half-hour. He spent the rest of
the day getting his sail sewn up. It could have been very humiliating
for him, but he saw the humor in it. It just was the way he could laugh
at himself during this adventurous part of his life.
Then in his later years, he flew ultralight airplanes, as some of
you know. He would always brag, ``I'm the only one in our group who
hasn't crashed yet.'' And one day 2 years ago, Bill Brown and I and our
wives would celebrate New Year's Eve at Bill's log cabin. I said,
``Jim, why don't you fly over, and I'll just kind of tell people that
you're going to do a flyover of Bill's farm on New Year's Day.'' He
said, ``All right.'' So we went out. I said, ``Let's go out for a
walk.'' It's New Year's morning, we are out there, I don't hear
anything. It's a beautiful 1st of January. Someone said, ``Charlie,
forget it. He's not coming. The dream is over.'' Just then this sound
of an ultralight. He had to come across Dulles airspace to get to
Bill's farm. He had said he didn't want to land because it would
disturb the neighbors. Bill had 300 acres. He didn't know how to land.
But he showed up. He showed up and he dipped his wings as a token of
friendship.
And then there were these civility retreats to which some of you
Members, Ray and others, have attended. He would come in on a
motorcycle or on horseback, and there was this one video that he showed
of himself emerging from the statuary in Statuary Hall, as if he were
one of the statues, intoning the history of the House of
Representatives. He showed me this video. He knew I was just going to
laugh and laugh at it, that he would subject himself to this kind of
thing. And I said, ``What would Will Rogers have said to you, Jim, in
Statuary Hall?'' He thought that was very funny.
In a more serious way, he was a listener. He used to say, ``Text
without context is pretext.'' He would come up and sit on the floor of
the House during 1-minutes and guest chaplains by the hundreds would
come and he would be with them. Then he would spend a lot of time with
them after they had preached. And then he would come back after
listening to some very provocative 1-minutes and he would come back and
sit on the rostrum with me day in and day out, and we would just kind
of try to pull together the thoughts that these guest chaplains might
have had, what their impressions were of the House, and then the theme
of the day and the personalities involved in the 1-minutes. He could
bring to me a context of the humanity of the House viewed from his own
eyes and from the eyes of visiting clergy. It was a tremendous sense of
inspiration when he did that for me.
But what I really want to honor today, and I think we all do, is
really the way Jim brought a modern chaplaincy to the House. As the
first full-time Chaplain, he was available. He may not have always been
here for a benediction, but he was here into the evenings, and he would
come onto the floor and he would be available to Members. He always
said, ``You know, Johnson, you'll never get that resolution through on
the benediction.'' I said, ``Why?'' ``Because I have 218 votes.'' I
said, ``Well, how do you know that?'' And he pulled out a red book and
that book had the names of his appointments, past, present and future.
There were a lot of Members' names
[[Page 616]]
in that book. He said, ``I've got names. I've got enough on these
various names in this book that they will never support this
resolution.''
Chaplain, you saw that red book. Every time he held it up, I got
the message. But his pastoral, his being a pastor to Members and staff
was the modern chaplaincy, full-time, in confidence, a priest-penitent
relationship, the full confidentiality of it where he could say things
to me that wouldn't reveal a confidence but would give me a better
perspective.
His notion of inclusiveness. He loved to have people from other
faiths or from no particular faith be part of a dialogue with himself.
Not many people know this. I see a couple. He did pretty well on the
honorarium circuit. Every one of those honorarium checks as far as I
know went to the Luther Place homeless shelter. Thousands of dollars.
Thousands of dollars. Very generous. He never mentioned it.
In a very personal way, obviously you can tell we were friends, but
he at my behest went to a place called Camp Dudley in Westport, New
York, 13 summers to preach. It is the oldest boys camp in the country.
He would go up and do a great sermon for young boys on the shores of
Lake Champlain in an outdoor chapel. His recurring theme, he would talk
about adventure and all this, was the attitude of gratitude. I remember
that little saying that he would use, and when he used it with young
people it was especially impressive, but the fact that he went 13
years, and one time he came in on a motorcycle cross-country with Peter
just to be there. He knew he had to be there. He started in Washington
State, came across country, but he was there, bearded and all. Just
wonderful.
And so let me just close by remembering his final days, days of
obvious distress for him, but there was a tree planting on the Capitol
grounds in August of last year.
Speaker Hastert arranged it. It was a hot day. It was about 98
degrees. His whole family was there. It was wonderful.
There was a little reception afterwards. Then I went away for a
couple of weeks, and while we were away, we learned that he passed
away. I got back, and on my desk was the most beautiful letter of
thanks from Jim.
And so on behalf of all the employees, rostrum, police force, the
folks whom he counseled during that terrible shooting, I am here as a
staffer to honor Jim and the way he brought a true chaplaincy which
lives to this day to the House of Representatives.
REMARKS:
The Honorable Martin Olav Sabo, United States House of
Representatives
MR. SABO. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Leader, family and friends of Chaplain
Ford, wasn't that beautiful?
The rest of us, I think, should really sit down, because that
really captured Jim Ford.
I came here as a freshman in 1979. I immediately read someplace
that there was a new Chaplain being appointed. He was from Minneapolis.
I didn't recognize the name. I wondered, who knows? It's great. I've
never heard of him, I don't know anything about him, but pretty soon I
got to meet this wonderful person.
He had some flaws. He was a Swede. I'm Norwegian. He went to
college with his Swedish background. I went to college with a Norwegian
background. But everything that Charlie said about him, that ski jump
really does exist. The park is still there. I discovered he grew up in
Northeast Minneapolis. His name, family name, originally was Anderson
and sometime along the way it changed to Ford. He always told me if his
ancestors would have kept Anderson, he would have been a Member of
Congress, not I. He came from Northeast. I always reminded him he came
from up on the hill, not down in the valley where the real Democrats
were.
But I got to know just this wonderful person. Charlie really
captured that zest of life that he had. It was unique. I think that is
what caught the attention of all of us. He was clergy but he most
certainly wasn't pompous or self-righteous. He related to all of us. I
suppose in some ways for me, despite the fact that he was a Swede, we
were both still Midwestern Lutherans, and it was rather easy and simple
to do. On the other hand, I watched in amazement his relationship with
the totality and the diversity of the House. He was there. From the
minute he walked in he was probably the most beloved member around the
House, and I think that is accurate. I think the membership just had
tremendous respect for him as an individual, but also as a clergy and
knowing that they could visit and talk to him about whatever might be
bothering them in life and they knew that with this exuberant, zesty
person, that whatever that relationship was, it was very professional.
He was a pro who really enjoyed life. I suppose for most of us when it
simply came down to it, he was most fundamentally a friend.
So today, to the family, to everyone, I would simply say we
remember Jim Ford as somebody who was the ultimate pro, somebody who
had a life of public service, who thoroughly enjoyed life but
ultimately, most important, was simply a friend to all of us.
REMARKS:
The Honorable Lois Capps, United States House of Representatives
Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Leader, Peter, Sarah, family and
friends, today as we celebrate the life of Chaplain Jim Ford, we are
thankful to God and to his family for sharing him with us, with our
beloved House, with a grateful Nation. There are many family
connections that have made Chaplain
[[Page 617]]
Jim Ford a very special person to the Capps family and these
connections go back to 1959.
Reverend Sodergren, Marcy Ford's father, was the pastor of a
Lutheran church in Portland, Oregon. One September morning over 40
years ago, Walter and I arrived at his doorstep. The good reverend was
exasperated because we were late even though the hour was very early.
We were tardy in picking up his son, Marcy's brother Jack. He and
Walter were to drive together across the country to Augustana Lutheran
Seminary in Rock Island, Illinois. Only when we explained that we had
just that very morning, only a few minutes earlier, become engaged did
Reverend Sodergren's countenance soften into a congratulatory smile.
And when my husband came to Washington with the 105th Congress and met
Marcy's husband, the two became fast friends.
Walter loved Jim, as I did and do, as one does a brother or a
lifelong friend. And when Sarah called me with the sad news of Jim's
death, I confessed that my first thought was that he and Walter are now
having a fine time telling Lars and Oley jokes. They are livening the
proceedings in heaven just as they did on the House floor. In fact, Jim
told several of those corny jokes when he spoke at Walter's memorial
service in 1997. And so it goes without saying that following the death
of my husband and then my daughter, Chaplain Ford ministered to me and
to my family, to Walter's and my staff with utmost compassion, strength
and sensitivity. I learned in a very personal way the importance of the
Chaplain to the House of Representatives, and thus I was honored to
serve on the Speaker's search committee with my colleagues who are here
to find a new Chaplain and was reminded time and time again during that
process of the incredible skills that Jim Ford brought to his job.
On November 10, 1999, it was my privilege to help manage H.Res. 373
to appoint Reverend James David Ford as Chaplain Emeritus of the House
of Representatives. I described him with these words: ``He has infused
this House with spiritual strength in times of triumph and in times of
tragedy. He has spent countless thousands of hours providing pastoral
care to Members and staff who desperately need his guidance. He has
taught us to respect and to nurture the diversity of our own religious
faiths and in doing so has reminded us that one of our Nation's
greatest strengths is our religious pluralism.''
Looking back, it is somewhat unsettling to realize that I intended
to use this quotation on September 11, the original date of that
service. Oh, well. I know how we all wished that we had Jim Ford to
shepherd us through that horrible day and its aftermath. He would have
calmed our fears, he would have made us strong so that we could
confront our Nation's challenges, and he would have ensured that our
justifiable rage did not turn into hatred and intolerance.
I will also never forget what Jim said at Walter's memorial
service. He quoted Martin Luther who said, ``Send your good men into
the ministry but send your best men into politics.'' Our Chaplain was
both. He was a good man. He was the best of men. He walked the delicate
and yet vital line between faith and public life, between religion and
politics. He did this with unparalleled skill and devotion.
I have wanted to reach out to Marcy as one widow to another to
share with her some of Jim's words of remembrance and prayer which he
shared at Walter's memorial service. He wrote them about Walter, and so
I am going to give them back with a heart full of sadness and respect
and love, and I will insert Jim's name where he put Walter's. I very
vividly remember the Chaplain saying these words on that day at the Old
Mission in Santa Barbara:
``Ceremonies such as we have today are for the living and the
lessons we can learn from our friends. God has already given to James
David all of the good gifts of everlasting life. He is in good hands.
There is a Bible verse from Psalm 90, verse 12: 'So teach us to number
our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.'Jim did so much with his
days, his time here on Earth and in this Congress. He was so at home
here in the House, so enthusiastic about doing the work of being a
Chaplain. No one knows how many days or years we will be given but we
can heed the words of scripture and make the best use of our time. `So
teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.' James
David Ford gained a heart of wisdom and we all benefited from his great
and wise and loving heart.''
And then Jim prayed this prayer, so I will now pray it for him:
``We commend our friend and colleague to you, O gracious God, and
we do so in thanksgiving. We are grateful for his presence in our lives
and for the light that he gave us as a father, a husband, a
grandfather, as a teacher, and as our beloved Chaplain. We saw the
light of his spirit and we were drawn to him in such a special way. How
blessed we have been and how grateful we are. Amen.''
Thank you.
MUSICAL INTERLUDE:
Mrs. Judy Snopek, Pianist
REMARKS:
The Honorable Richard A Gephardt, Democratic Leader United States
House of Representatives
Mr. GEPHARDT: On behalf of all the Members, we want to say to the
Ford family how sorry we are that Reverend Ford has died and passed
from our presence and that you have lost him. We also want to celebrate
his life, because we think that is what today is really about. I
enjoyed all of the speeches;
[[Page 618]]
they were wonderful. I expected good speeches from Members of Congress;
I didn't quite expect what we got from the Parliamentarian. When he did
it, I realized I had never heard him speak in public, other than ``say
this, do that.'' It has been a while since I have been able to get that
from him, but we are working on it. But I thought he caught the essence
of Reverend Ford as well as it can be done. I would note, Charlie, that
that speech is well over 5 minutes; but nobody stood up, and there was
no Parliamentarian to call you into order.
We are here today as the family of the House of Representatives. We
have not only the present Speaker of the House, but two illustrious
former Speakers of the House who are here, and lots of others who have
a myriad of connections with this place. I have been here a quarter of
a century now. Time flies when you are having fun. And I must tell you,
I am more in awe of the institution every day than the first day I got
here, and I know every Member here feels the same way. This is a place
where the hopes and dreams, expectations, grievances of 260 million-or-
so people get channeled on a daily basis, for us to sort all of that
out and make decisions on their behalf.
I am often saying that politics is a substitute for violence. I
used to get snickers at that and even some laughing; and in recent
days, as we see suicide bombers blowing themselves up, people being
assassinated around the world, we know better, that that really is what
it is. That is the magic ingredient of this place. It takes a lot of
human effort to allow this institution to do what it is supposed to do.
Jim Ford was an important part of that mix that allows the House to
do its work and to do it as successfully as it is done. First of all,
he obviously had this wonderful sense of humor. It was kind of what I
always recognized was the sparkle in his eyes when he would come up to
you on the floor and tell you some kind of silly joke that he had that
he thought was pretty funny. Sometimes it was, usually it wasn't, but
what the heck. It was the glistening in his eyes and the way he got
tickled himself about what he was saying that made it fun. And humor
can lubricate and get you over any tough place that you are in, and he
used it as well as I have ever seen it done.
He also understood that we all got elected by half a million or so
people, but that we are just people, the same kind of people you would
find anywhere in the United States; the same problems, the same
difficulties, the same failures, the same high moments that anybody
else has; and that we need spiritual help and guidance and counseling
and to have a friend as much as anybody else. He provided that
friendship, that advice, that council, that help, that human caring
that Members often desperately need. He may have had a book, Charlie,
and he may have even had names in it; but he did this for 21 years, and
I don't know of a time ever that any of the information that he was
entrusted with got out anywhere. He was totally in your confidence. He
was there to help you, not to do anything else.
Finally, he, in every day of his life, I think exuded what I have
come to believe day by day as the most important power in life, and
that is simple human love. He really cared about other people and, in
truth, loved people, all people. He exuded that and demonstrated that
every day.
Probably the most important thing any of us leave behind are our
children, and probably there is no greater reflection of who we are and
how we live our lives than the way our children live their lives. In
the last years, we in the House, a lot of us, got to know Peter Ford
because as part of the diplomatic security service, he wound up on some
of our trips to foreign countries providing security as we went into
sometimes some difficult places. He was there on a number of trips that
Speaker Gingrich and I got to take together, and we both got to know
him pretty well. And if our children are a guide to how we lived our
lives, Jim Ford lived his life as well as it can be done, because Peter
Ford, in my view, exemplifies all of the values that Jim Ford was
really about.
We were going to do this on September 11. I am glad we got to do
it. If we face grave difficulties since September 11, and we do, then
it is right for us to remember Jim Ford, because it is going to take
the kind of behavior and the kind of values that he represented for us
to meet the challenges for America that are represented by September
11. We are sorry. We celebrate his life with you, and we thank God that
we were given Jim Ford for such a long time.
REMARKS:
The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker, United States House of
Representatives
Mr. HASTERT: Well, you learn a lot of things sometimes at these
memorials. As a matter of fact, I didn't know that the Parliamentarian
and the Chaplain assessed people's 1-minutes every day. Mr. Leader, I
think it is probably--what were they saying about the leadership's
antics on both sides of the aisle? So I am sure that they had a great
deal of enjoyment with that.
You know, Reverend Ford opened the House every day with a prayer.
He was a man that you would find in the hallways telling a story,
commiserating with Members and staff, more staff than I thought. But
anyway, every day you would see him on the House floor at all hours of
the day and night when we were there, and you saw him every Thursday
morning in the prayer breakfast that the Congress has. He was a
participant. That is where I probably got to know him best, because he
would tell me stories about being in
[[Page 619]]
the Fox Valley and being in Illinois in my district, and he knew the
places and some of the people; and he even knew my old uncle who was a
Norwegian Lutheran minister in Illinois. But he was always telling
those stories too, stories about Norwegians and Swedes, and the
Norwegians never won. I am not sure why.
He would also love to talk about Minnesota; and he talked about
West Point, a place that he loved and the men and women that served
there and the people that he got to know, and the young chaplains that
came up underneath him and who he brought along the way and now have
churches and ministries of their own.
But I remember his prayers on the House floor. His prayers were
like poetry. They were lyrical. They touched the soul. And they made
all of us think about what our duties were and responsibilities as
citizens and as leaders.
When Jim told me that he was going to retire, I knew that the
opening of each session wouldn't be quite the same. Jim Ford was an
institution in an institution. He was part of the family, and he was an
important part of that family.
We all know about Jim Ford's sense of adventure, of sailing and
flying and motorcycling and all of these things that, as a matter of
fact, he entranced a lot of Members in his stories about these things;
and he actually did them. We know about his love of sailing and
motorcycle riding, and we also know that Jim was also a compassionate
soul who worked hard to minister to the Capitol Hill family. Really,
when it comes down to it, his friendship and his antics and the things
that he did and the stories he told endeared himself to Members of this
Congress, to people that he worked with every day. He broke down those
barriers that sometimes you find in these political places, sometimes
the things that stop us from really talking about how we really feel
about things and our real appreciation for people.
Through his many years of service, he touched many lives, providing
spiritual guidance to Members and staff of all religions and political
persuasions. I remember first as a Speaker and in leadership, one thing
that happens, you get to go to a lot of funerals; and Jim was always
there, and he always had a kind word and a special story. He knew every
Member of this Congress. He knew their strengths, and he knew their
weaknesses.
Jim Ford was a Lutheran minister, and he had an amazing gift of
delivering a positive message that resonated with people of all faiths.
He often told me the story over and over again of how Tip O'Neill used
to call him Monsignor just because he wore the collar, and he thought
that maybe Tip really didn't know. I think maybe Tip really did know.
We will always remember Jim Ford as a charming and an honest man
who dedicated himself to God, and he dedicated himself to this Congress
and its work with people. He served this body with the utmost
distinction. His loving spirit will live in the hearts of all of our
lives that he touched.
I think it is fitting and, Peter, I would like to ask you to come
up here for a second; and I would like to present to you a flag that
was flown over this Capitol in honor of your father and a letter to
your mother.
Words of Appreciation From the Family and Benediction
REVEREND CHRISTIAN: Mr. Speaker and Mr. Leader, first, on behalf of
the family, I too wish to thank you and certainly Charlie, as has been
mentioned, for providing this opportunity. I think it is the case that
all of you, all of us, needed a time where we could just be together,
think here, repeat here. I suspect that each one of you could tell a
story or two; and the biggest, hardest task of this whole event
probably for you, Charlie, as well as some of the rest of us who had
time for conversation, Jeff, to be sure as well, was how many speeches
of course to make.
You have heard the stories, and there are many more that could be
said. But I am here as a representative, which I surely cannot do and I
understand that, but I am here as a representative of the family just
to bring a few closing remarks on behalf of them to all of you.
Mr. Leader, you did speak very kindly and strongly about Peter as
the son of Jim Ford, and I only wanted to add to that that each one of
the members of the family is an equal to Peter. I have had the great
opportunity to be a friend of the family for 25 years and indeed have
had a chance to share frequently with Jim Ford, even on the House
floor, as I have participated with the opening prayers periodically.
So on behalf of the Ford family, let me say that I know they
appreciate and offer to all of you their deep and abiding thanks for
your love and for your concern which you have shown during these last
months in many different ways, each one appropriate and each one
received gratefully. But also, they want to thank you, and I know that
is certainly true from Mrs. Ford, Marcy, one and all, to thank you for
the joy and the happiness and the laughter and the fun that you all and
so many others provided Jim through the years, and through Jim and,
therefore, to the family.
Speaking of the family, isn't it wonderful to have Hannah here,
sitting on the floor who will, one day, undoubtedly in the great oral
tradition of our own family lives, bring forth the stories of the man
we gather here to remember and to honor and to give thanks.
[[Page 620]]
The family was all here on September 11, and you need to know that.
They came from all over the country and all over really from many parts
of the world; and of course many, almost all, of course, are not here
today for many obvious reasons. But two of the family, direct family
members, are Peter and Sarah; and I know you carry with you the
thoughts, the spirit in your hearts of your sisters, spouses,
grandchildren, and certainly your mother who is visiting one of those
children and grandchildren this very day in Brussels.
So they thank you; and on behalf of them, I wish to bring those
thanks to you. Peter is here and Peter did receive the honor of the
flag and the letter; but maybe, is there anything you would like to add
or just say to the group?
MR. PETER FORD: Yes. I do want to say thank you all for coming. You
loved my father, and he loved you all. My father was a giver. He loved
a couple of things about this place. He loved religion, of course. You
were his flock. He didn't have a church. He always talked to Pastor
Steinbrook, because he had a church. He said he was always down there
for churches. He felt like he was in a command post here. You were his
flock, and also the fact that he loved democracy. When he would go out
and speak, I would try to come along with him as often as possible,
because he was gone a lot at night. I loved to hear him when he talked
about religion, and then afterward he would talk about democracy and
talk about the rancor of this place and the debate, and he would talk
about loudness. And he thought this was a very honorable profession to
be up here.
If you are ever up at West Point, Rear Admiral Carrigan up at West
Point, and he is buried 30 feet, 30 yards--the many people he buried in
the 1960s during the Vietnam War. So it was sort of interesting to see
that. If you see the 2-hour special on West Point, they interviewed him
and he talks about MacArthur coming up; and at the beginning, they show
my father's face, and they go into the West Point cemetery, and he is
buried in plot 34. So if you are ever up there, that is interesting.
He loved you all. Thank you for being very nice to him. This is
closure, and we do appreciate it as a family. After September 11, we
didn't feel that it was appropriate, so we are glad this happened. I
did learn something myself today. My father always told me he didn't
want to print his prayers because he wanted to save taxpayer money. But
I wish he would have printed them, because right now they are going
through the whole house, and my mother saved every prayer. Every day he
would bring home the Congressional Record and she would tear it out,
and she would put them all in one place. I wish he would have printed
them.
I want to say thank you very much. You were his flock. If my father
came back right now, my family, we are a totally loving family, and we
wouldn't have one question for him. We would just be happy that he was
back, but we will see him some day. So thank you from him.
MRS. SARAH FORD STRIKE: I am Sarah Ford Strike, and I just got
married just 4 weeks ago, so I am still getting used to my last name.
But I am the youngest of the five kids, and again I want to say thank
you very much for putting this together. You have all been so honorable
to us and to our family, because after September 11, we thought since
there are so many other tragedies in this world, let us not do this, we
will honor our dad in our own special way; and you all are very nice to
continue this, and we appreciate that.
My mom is in Brussels visiting our sister Marie and her family, so
she is not here today. But I want to say that we are his family; but
you are also his family, because you made his past 21 years here so
happy. He didn't tell us about his counseling and his times of need
with people, but he did tell us about the friendships; and that is what
made us happy. He would come home, and it was just great.
Being five kids, almost all of us working in the District, we were
able to come and visit Dad from time to time, and we would just laugh
because you could not get five feet in the hallway without him stopping
and talking to somebody. It didn't matter who you were or what you did.
He knew everybody by name, and that is what I just hope that I have
that gift, because he would just say, just remember something about
that person; and it just was so special and such an intimate
conversation, and then we would walk five more feet and we would get
stopped again. So we cherish that.
We miss his bad jokes and we miss his humor, and we love him very
much; but we are very happy because who we are is because of our dad.
And we are happy that he is healthy and happy. I know he is up there. I
got married, and at our wedding his spirit was with us. If you ever saw
him at the White House balls or somewhere, he danced very badly, and he
would do this; and I know he was up there doing the same thing, and I
know he is doing it now; and I know he is happy as can be. So thank you
from our family.
REVEREND CHRISTENSEN: Just to bring this then to a close, Mr.
Speaker, you did talk about the fact that you remember Jim Ford's
prayers. I would like to ask us now to stand, and I am going to read
the last prayer that Jim Ford gave at the House of Representatives.
These are those words of his final prayer, and then I will conclude
with the benediction. Let us pray:
``We are grateful, O merciful God, that you are with us wherever we
are and whatever we do. We know that Your spirit gives us forgiveness
for the ways of our past, direction
[[Page 621]]
for the path ahead, and the comforting assurance that we are never
alone. We gain strength from the words of the Psalmist: be still and
know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations; I am exalted in the
earth, the Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.
May Your good word, O God, be with all Your people and give them the
peace and confidence that You alone can give. In Your name we pray.
Amen.''
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon
you and be gracious unto you. The Lord give up His countenance upon you
and give you peace.
Amen.
A WONDERFUL MAN
(By Stephen Horn)
Thursday, May 9, 2002
Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, this afternoon we honored a Celebration of
the Life of Dr. James D. Ford, the Chaplain Emeritus of the House of
Representatives.
When we traveled to meeting with the delegations of the European
Parliament, we found that Jim was a very fine companion. Jim Ford was a
great teacher. When we met diplomats and officers, Jim was able to
lighten up some of us who were stressed from negotiations and
differences among various factions.
Jim was a fine scholar of the Bible. When we were in Israel, Jim
was well versed in three of the great religions which are in Jerusalem.
Before Chaplain Ford came to the House, he had been for 18 years as the
Chaplain of the United States Military Academy at West Point. As a
result of his experiences at West Point, he knew about youth and how
they grow to be leaders for our country. When a delegation of the House
met with General Wesley Clark, the Supreme Commander of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]. When the General met the Chaplain
there was a warm hug. We saw a four star General, but, Dr. Ford
remembered him as the very bright senior who was President of the Bible
Society during Clark's senior year at West Point.
Dr. Ford was an effective counselor of members that work hard and
often needed to be working with people under stress.
One of Jim's great adventures was when he and three volunteer
cadets from West Point navigated a boat with sails, guided by the
stars. The waves tossed the small boat in the North Atlantic Ocean. It
was a great experience.
Jim was a people-person. When colleagues had medical operations at
the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Jim would come out to see us. He
brought us cheer. His humor was delightful.
He will not be forgotten. Our condolences to Marcie, his wife, and
Peter his eldest son, and the Ford family.
Sec. 5.21 The death of the former Parliamentarian of the House was
announced to the House by the Member who represented the district
of the deceased.
On June 5, 2001,(1) Rep. Frank R. Wolf, of Virginia,
announced the death of William H. Brown, former Parliamentarian, a
resident of his district.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 147 Cong. Rec. 9893, 107th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Mr. WOLF asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks and include
extraneous material.)
Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, I am saddened today to announce to our
colleagues the passing on May 27 of William Holmes Brown, who
served as parliamentarian of the House from 1974 to 1994. He was 71
years of age. Not only did I have the pleasure of working with Bill
Brown in the House, but I was also privileged to be his
Congressman. He lived at Oakland Green Farm in Lincoln in Loudoun
County, Virginia, property which had been in the family for more
than eight generations.
Bill began his service in the Parliamentarian's Office in 1958
when he was appointed Assistant Parliamentarian by Speaker Sam
Rayburn. In 1974, he was named to the position of Parliamentarian
by Speaker Carl Albert. He succeeded the legendary Lewis Deschler,
with whom he had collaborated in volumes of ``Precedents of
[[Page 622]]
the House of Representatives,'' referred to in the House as the
Deschler-Brown Precedents. During his years in the House, he served
under six Speakers. Besides Speaker Sam Rayburn and Carl Albert, he
served under John McCormack, Tip O'Neill, Jim Wright, and Tom
Foley. He retired from the House in 1994.
During his service in the House, he worked to develop
parliamentary projects in newly emerging democratic republics in
Eastern Europe, participating in seminars and training programs for
representatives of other national legislative bodies. After he
retired as Parliamentarian in 1994, he worked for the Agency of
International Development on a parliamentary development project in
the Ukraine.
Members today can thank Bill Brown and thank his staff, many
here today, for organizing the Office of the Parliamentarian,
moving it into the Computer Age and making the House precedents
available online for all to access.
Bill was the ultimate professional and dedicated public
servant. He was held in the highest regard by Members on both sides
of the aisle because his work reflected his dedication to the
proposition that the rules of the House should be applied and
enforced without political considerations.
Bill was born in Huntington, West Virginia. He was a 1951
graduate of Swarthmore College and received his law degree from the
University of Chicago. He served on active duty in the Navy from
1954 to 1957 and then served in the Naval Reserve from 1954 to
1974, retiring as a lieutenant commander.
He was director of the Conversations at Oatlands organization
and the Loudoun Museum and a member of the Catoctin Farmers Club
and Goose Creek Friends Meeting.
On behalf of the House, and on behalf of Members on both sides
of the aisle, and on behalf of Members who served here many, many
years ago, Madam Speaker, we send our deepest sympathies to Bill's
wife of 30 years, Jean Smith Brown, and their daughter, Sara Holmes
Brown.(2)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Rep. Wolf also inserted letters in the Congressional Record
regarding Mr. Brown's retirement from former Minority Leader
Robert H. Michel (IL) and Speaker Thomas S. Foley (WA). Id. at
pp. 9894, 9895.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Foreign Dignitaries
Sec. 5.22 The death of Mother Teresa was announced to the House by the
Majority Whip.
On Sept. 5, 1997,(1) Tom DeLay, of Texas, the Majority
Whip, was yielded the floor to announce the death of Mother Teresa,
humanitarian and Nobel Prize winner.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 143 Cong. Rec. 17919, 105th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. [Vic] FAZIO of California. Reclaiming my time, I yield to
the gentleman from Texas, the majority whip, [Mr. DeLay].
announcement of the passing of mother teresa
Mr. DeLAY. I was just informed that Mother Teresa passed away.
I would ask that we suspend for a moment of silence in the memory
of Mother Teresa, who has done so much for so many people around
the world.
[[Page 623]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore.(2) Members will rise. The
House will recognize the passing of Mother Teresa with a moment of
silence.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Edward A. Pease (IN).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 5.23 The Chairman of the Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee of
the Committee on Foreign Affairs addressed the Committee of the
Whole out of order to announce to the House the assassination of
Rajiv Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India.
On May 21, 1991,(1) Stephen J. Solarz, of New York,
chairman of the Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee of the Committee
on Foreign Affairs, by unanimous consent received permission to speak
out of order and announced the death of former Prime Minister Rajiv
Gandhi of India.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 137 Cong. Rec. 11632, 102d Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(By unanimous consent Mr. Solarz was allowed to speak out of
order.)
Mr. SOLARZ. Mr. Chairman, I regret to report to the House that
Rajiv Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India, was just
assassinated in a bomb explosion that went off as he was emerging
from his car at a campaign rally about 25 miles south of Madras.
We do not know at the present time how many other people were
killed or who was behind this dastardly deed.
But I did want to say, as someone who has gotten to know Mr.
Gandhi well over the years and who considered him a personal
friend, that this is a truly tragic development. . . .
Mr. [Newt] GINGRICH [of Georgia]. Mr. Chairman, I just want to
ask, if it is possible, if we might have a moment of silence on
behalf of all Members, for Rajiv Gandhi's family, and for the
principles of democracy, which have been so sadly shattered this
afternoon.
I ask for a moment of silence, if this is possible.
(Moment of silence observed.)