H.R. No. 1989
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Senator John G. Tower, whose career of exceptional
public service spanned nearly five decades, is being honored by
family and friends with the dedication of a memorial marker at the
Texas State Cemetery on May 13, 2009; and
WHEREAS, Born in Houston in 1925, John Tower joined the navy
at the age of 17 and served for three years in the Western Pacific
during World War II; following his discharge from active duty in
1946, he served in the navy reserve until 1989, when he retired with
the rank of master chief boatswain's mate; and
WHEREAS, Drawn to politics and government from his youth,
Senator Tower earned a bachelor's degree in political science from
Southwestern University in 1948 and a master's degree from Southern
Methodist University in 1953; while a graduate student, he also
attended the London School of Economics; and
WHEREAS, From 1951 to 1960, John Tower served on the faculty
of Midwestern State University and became increasingly involved in
the state Republican Party; in 1961, at the age of 35, he scored a
surprise upset in the race to fill Vice President Lyndon
B. Johnson's newly vacated seat in the U.S. Senate; with his
victory, John Tower became the first Republican to be elected to the
senate from Texas since Reconstruction; he won reelection three
times before deciding not to run for a fifth term in 1984; and
WHEREAS, While in Congress, Senator Tower became
particularly knowledgeable and influential in matters relating to
the military and national defense; he served from 1965 until his
retirement on the Senate Armed Services Committee and chaired that
committee from 1981 to 1985; he also served for 14 years on the
Joint Committee on Defense Production and served throughout his
senate career on the Banking and Currency Committee, which became
the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; and
WHEREAS, Widely respected for his legislative skills,
Senator Tower worked to strengthen financial institutions, improve
transportation systems, expand opportunities for small businesses,
increase U.S. exports, and promote many sectors of the economy that
are of major importance to Texas, including the agricultural,
energy, fishing, and maritime industries; he was also a leading
proponent of efforts to modernize and expand the military; and
WHEREAS, Senator Tower continued to hold positions of public
trust after leaving the senate; from January 1985 to April 1986, he
served as the chief U.S. negotiator in the Strategic Arms Reduction
Talks with the Soviet Union in Geneva, and from 1986 to 1987 he
chaired a panel known as the Tower Commission, which investigated
the Iran-Contra affair; he was appointed to the President's Foreign
Intelligence Advisory Board in 1987 and three years later became
the chair of that group, a post he held until his untimely death in
1991; and
WHEREAS, The author of two books, Senator Tower published A
Program for Conservatives in 1962 and Consequences: A Personal and
Political Memoir just months before he died; and
WHEREAS, Southwestern University long benefited from Senator
Tower's active leadership as a member of its board of trustees and
is now the repository for his papers; in appreciation of his
enduring support for the school and his outstanding contributions
in the public realm, the university conferred on Senator Tower both
an honorary doctor of literature degree and a Distinguished Alumnus
award and named a chair of political science in his honor; and
WHEREAS, John Tower devoted his life to the service of his
country, and this nation and the State of Texas gained immeasurably
from his zest for his work, his consummate ability, and his profound
patriotism; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life and public service of
Senator John G. Tower and commemorate the installation of a
memorial marker in his honor at the Texas State Cemetery; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Senator
John G. Tower.
Branch
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1989 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 19, 2009.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House