H.R. No. 2820
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The nation lost a passionate champion of economic
opportunity and inclusive democracy with the death of Jack Kemp on
May 2, 2009, at the age of 73; and
WHEREAS, Born in Los Angeles in 1935, John French Kemp, Jr.,
graduated from Occidental College, where he started as quarterback;
he went on to a successful 13-year career in professional football
and led the Buffalo Bills to two American Football League
championships; as a founder and president of the AFL Players
Association, he helped African American athletes fight
discrimination, and when they were barred from nightclubs and cabs
in New Orleans, he supported the boycott of an all-star game in the
city; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Kemp made a graceful transition from sports into
politics, winning the first of nine terms in the United States House
of Representatives in 1970, representing western New York; his low
tax platform and advocacy of supply-side economics laid the
groundwork for Ronald Reagan's economic program and presidential
victory, and Mr. Kemp was elected chair of the House Republican
Conference, the third-ranking leadership post; in the next
administration, he was appointed secretary of housing and urban
development by George H. W. Bush and strove with tireless resolve
to revitalize the nation's inner cities, closing down failed
housing projects and championing the establishment of enterprise
zones to encourage development and job creation; and
WHEREAS, In 1996, Bob Dole chose him as his presidential
running mate; after their campaign ended, Mr. Kemp focused on his
work as a codirector of Empower America, a public policy and
advocacy organization that he founded with former secretary of
education William Bennett and former U.N. ambassador Jeane
Kirkpatrick, and as head of Kemp Partners, a Washington, D.C.,
strategic consulting firm; in recent years, he co-chaired the
Russia Task Force of the Council on Foreign Relations and served on
the Saving America's Cities Working Group; he helped form a new
nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank, the Foundation for the Defense
of Democracies; moreover, he served on numerous corporate boards,
wrote a popular syndicated column, and was much in demand as a
speaker; and
WHEREAS, For decades, this respected statesman and
self-described "bleeding-heart conservative" advocated for civil
rights and sought to improve the lives of all Americans; a devoted
family man, he was supported in his endeavors by his wife, Joanne
Kemp, their children, Jeffrey, Jennifer, Judith, and Jimmy, and
their 17 grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Jack Kemp set an inspirational example of public
service, and through his commitment to freedom, progress, and
equality, he played an important and enduring role in moving our
nation forward; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Jack Kemp and extend
sincere condolences to his family and many friends.
Gattis
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2820 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on June 1, 2009.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House