By Gallego                                           H.C.R. No. 232
       74R2889 BNL-D
                              HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-1        WHEREAS, The Texas Legislature joins the members of the
    1-2  O'Neill family and the nation in mourning the passing of former
    1-3  House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr., on January 5, 1994, at
    1-4  the age of 81; and
    1-5        WHEREAS, A lifelong member of the Democratic Party, this
    1-6  distinguished public servant was born on December 9, 1912, in a
    1-7  working-class neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts; he began
    1-8  his political career at the tender age of 15 as a campaign worker
    1-9  for Democratic presidential candidate Al Smith in 1928, and by the
   1-10  time he was graduated from Boston College in 1936, he had already
   1-11  won his first election to public office; and
   1-12        WHEREAS, From his humble beginnings as a ward committee
   1-13  member, he quickly became a rising star in the party ranks, serving
   1-14  in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1937 to 1953 and
   1-15  as a member of the Democratic State Committee; in 1949, he became
   1-16  the youngest speaker ever chosen to preside over the Massachusetts
   1-17  house, as well as the first Democratic speaker elected since the
   1-18  Civil War; and
   1-19        WHEREAS, When Congressman John F. Kennedy was elected to the
   1-20  U.S. Senate in 1952, Massachusetts voters elected Mr. O'Neill to
   1-21  fill the newly vacated seat in the U.S. House of Representatives;
   1-22  both men eventually rose to the forefront of American politics,
   1-23  with Senator John F. Kennedy assuming the presidency in 1960 and
   1-24  Representative O'Neill serving an unprecedented five terms as
    2-1  speaker of the U.S. house beginning in 1977; and
    2-2        WHEREAS, This esteemed legislator transformed the role of
    2-3  speaker of the house from that of a parliamentary officer to that
    2-4  of an active and vocal member of the political process; he also
    2-5  instituted house rule changes that challenged the formerly
    2-6  unquestioned authority of committee chairmen while granting more
    2-7  autonomy to rank-and-file members; and
    2-8        WHEREAS, Famed for his astute observation that "All politics
    2-9  is local," this outstanding congressman won the respect and
   2-10  admiration of his constituents because he always remembered the
   2-11  people who put him in office; he was never too busy to remember
   2-12  birthdays, send flowers as a memorial to a deceased constituent, or
   2-13  do  countless small favors for the people back home, and voters
   2-14  rewarded him for his dedication and tireless work on their behalf
   2-15  by returning him to congress 16 times; and
   2-16        WHEREAS, One of the last of the old-style politicians,
   2-17  Speaker O'Neill's unpretentious style and direct manner made him
   2-18  one of the most immediately recognizable and most well-liked
   2-19  political figures of the past two decades; his popularity often
   2-20  eclipsed that of the presidents with whom he concurrently served,
   2-21  and his unique appeal earned him a guest appearance on the popular
   2-22  television show "Cheers," as well as several endorsement contracts
   2-23  when he retired from public office in 1987; and
   2-24        WHEREAS, Throughout a public service career that spanned more
   2-25  than half a century, this eminent statesman served his fellow
   2-26  Americans with dignity, integrity, and perhaps most importantly, a
   2-27  genuine and abiding concern for all people; a man of unfailing good
    3-1  humor and dedication to duty, Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr., will be
    3-2  remembered as a public servant who put the good of the people above
    3-3  all else, and in this way he will live on in the hearts of the many
    3-4  people who knew and admired him; now, therefore, be it
    3-5        RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas,
    3-6  Regular Session, 1995, hereby pay tribute to the life of the
    3-7  Honorable Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr., and extend sincere
    3-8  condolences to the family and many friends of this beloved man;
    3-9  and, be it further
   3-10        RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
   3-11  prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas
   3-12  House of Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in
   3-13  memory of Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr.