The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“REMEMBERING RICHARD THORNBURGH” mentioning Robert P. Casey, Jr. was published in the Senate section on pages S569-S570 on Feb. 8.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
REMEMBERING RICHARD THORNBURGH
Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, today I want to pay tribute to the late Richard L. Thornburgh, a former Pennsylvania Governor and former U.S. Attorney General. Dick Thornburgh was also a hero to the disability community for his longstanding advocacy for the rights and self-
determination of people with disabilities.
Born in Pittsburgh on July 16, 1932, Dick received an undergraduate degree from Yale University and a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh Law School before going into private practice.
In 1969, President Richard Nixon appointed Dick as the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and in 1975, President Gerald Ford appointed him to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Criminal Division. Two years later, he returned to Pennsylvania.
In 1978, Dick was elected Governor of Pennsylvania and was reelected in 1982, becoming the first Republican to serve two successive terms as Governor of the Commonwealth.
During his time in office, Governor Thornburgh provided a steady hand and a calm demeanor. Most notably, he led Pennsylvania through the Three Mile Island crisis, America's worst nuclear meltdown. He took charge of the crisis and in so doing won praise from President Jimmy Carter and from Pennsylvanians for how he handled the potential disaster. At the time of the Three Mile Island Crisis, Governor Thornburgh said:
You have to reassure people. You have to go before the cameras and microphones and tell them what you know and what you don't. You have to stop the rumors and, of course, you have to make decisions. There isn't any Republican or Democratic way to deal with a nuclear crisis. Nobody has ever had to deal with this kind of accident before.
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan nominated Governor Thornburgh to be the U.S. Attorney General, a position in which he served until 1991. He resigned in 1991 to run for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania following the tragic death of Senator John Heinz in a plane crash. Governor Thornburgh lost the Senate election to Harris Wofford, who had been appointed to the vacancy 6 months before the 1991 election.
Following his Senate run, Governor Thornburgh served a 1-year appointment as Under-Secretary General at the United Nations at the request of President George H.W. Bush. In that role, he sought to bring reform, transparency, and accountability to the United Nations.
After his service at the United Nations, Governor Thornburgh returned to private practice but would continue to serve in advisory roles at the State and Federal level, imparting his wisdom and experience in a number of different arenas.
Of his many contributions to public life, Governor Thornburgh was especially respected in the disability rights community for his tireless advocacy for the rights and self-determination of people with disabilities.
Governor Thornburgh's son, Peter, was injured in a car accident in 1960, a tragic accident that also killed Thornburgh's wife, Ginny Hooton. The accident left Peter Thornburgh, then just 4 months of age, with a significant brain injury that caused physical and intellectual disabilities. Governor Thornburgh is quoted as saying that the accident
``made him think about what he could do with his life to contribute to the world.''
As Attorney General in Bush Administration, Dick Thornburgh helped to shepherd the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA, through Congress during a most critical period in 1989. On June 21, 1989, then Attorney General Thornburgh affirmed to the disability community and the Nation the Bush administration's intent to support the passage of the ADA and to sign the legislation when Congress passed the bill.
When the ADA passed Congress, Attorney General Thornburgh said that the day was ``one of emancipation, not just for the millions of Americans with disabilities who will directly benefit from this Act, but even more so for the rest of us now free to benefit from the contributions which those with a disability can make to our economy, our communities and our own well-being.''
Walter Cohen, who served as both Pennsylvania's secretary of public welfare and attorney general, stated that Governor Thornburgh was responsible for Pennsylvania creating home and community based services for people with disabilities and for ordering the closure of the Pennhurst State School and Hospital, which had been found to be housing hundreds of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities in squalor.
Mr. President, for many Governor Thornburgh is known for his decades of public service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and to the Federal Government. He is deserving of this recognition, and the people of Pennsylvania owe him their deepest gratitude for his service. But any discussion of Governor Thornburgh's service would be incomplete if we did not pause to note that because of his efforts, in part, the lives of people with disabilities have been dramatically improved. Our built environment and transportation system have been made available to all people. It is now understood that every child, no matter their disability, has the right to a quality, public education. People with disabilities, rather than living in institutions, are now free to grow up and flourish in the community and setting of their choice.
These opportunities may be taken for granted now, but they were hard fought gains achieved through the sweat and tears of the disability community and those who fought alongside them every step of the way. Dick Thornburgh was one of the greatest of these champions. His public service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is worthy of commendation. We extend condolences to Dick's wife, Ginny, his sons, John, David, Peter and William, and to his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
____________________
Alerts Sign-up