H.R. No. 2439
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Former U.S. Congressman Charlie Stenholm of
Granbury, a major architect of the nation's agricultural policy,
passed away on May 17, 2023, at the age of 84, bringing a great loss
to his family and many friends across West Texas and beyond; and
WHEREAS, The son of Lambert and Irene Stenholm, Charles
Walter Stenholm was born in Stamford on October 26, 1938, and grew
up on the family farm in the Swedish Lutheran community of
Ericksdahl; he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in
agricultural education at Texas Tech University and began teaching
in Avoca while also helping his father grow cotton and wheat and
raise cattle; hired to advocate for Rolling Plains Cotton Growers,
he also served as president of the Texas Rural Electric Cooperative
Association; he was appointed to the Texas State Agricultural
Stabilization and Conservation Service, now the Farm Service
Agency, and in 1978, he was elected to represent the 17th
Congressional District; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Stenholm was an ardent champion of rural Texas
and played a key role in shaping and passing every farm bill during
his 26 years in the U.S. House of Representatives; in the 1980s, he
helped formulate legislation that rescued the Farm Credit System
from financial distress; he assisted in drafting legislation that
reorganized the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the Clinton
administration, and he was instrumental in reforming the federal
crop insurance system to better protect family farmers; and
WHEREAS, A conservative Democrat and founder of the Blue Dog
Coalition, Mr. Stenholm was known for his ability to work across
the aisle in Washington, staying genial, calm, and patient no
matter how heated the discussion; he helped garner Democratic
support for President Ronald Reagan's tax cuts and fervently
supported a balanced budget amendment; as ranking member on the
House Committee on Agriculture, he teamed with the chair, Lubbock
Republican Larry Combest, to win passage of a new farm bill that
doubled subsidies for Texas agribusiness; the pair often worked
together on such legislation as the Water Pollution Program
Improvement Act and the Carousel Retaliation Act; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Stenholm valued the opinions of others but stood
firmly by his principles even when inconvenient; although the
flag-burning amendment had local support, his belief in the
constitutional protection of free expression led him to vote
against it; those who might disagree with his position on an issue
nevertheless respected his honesty and integrity; he remained close
to his commonsense upbringing, and whenever he felt he might be
straying too far into the Washington mindset, he spent some time
riding a tractor on his 2,000-acre cotton and cattle farm;
colleagues described him as the kind of citizen-legislator the
nation's founders envisioned; and
WHEREAS, Redistricting cost Mr. Stenholm his seat in 2004,
but he continued to work on behalf of agricultural development and
safety and to promote fiscal conservatism and bipartisanship; he
became a senior policy advisor for the Washington firm Olsson Frank
Weeda Terman Matz PC and later joined the faculty of Tarleton State
University as an adjunct professor; in addition, he took a
leadership role with Farm Foundation, moderating many of its forums
at the National Press Club to increase understanding of farm and
food issues; much in demand as a public speaker, he also wrote
newspaper articles and served on the boards of such organizations
as the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and the Concord
Coalition; he was a man of faith and a member of both Emmanuel
Lutheran Church in Granbury and Bethel Lutheran Church of
Ericksdahl; among many accolades, he received a Distinguished
Alumni Award from Tarleton, and he was inducted into the
Cooperative Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, Charlie Stenholm devoted his career to the
advancement of farming and rural communities, and although he is
deeply missed by those he left behind, his exceptional
contributions will continue to resonate in the years to come; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of the Honorable Charles
Walter Stenholm and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his
family: to his wife of 58 years, Cynthia Stenholm; to his children,
Chris, Carey, and Courtney; and to all others who mourn his passing;
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 Charlie
Stenholm.
Bryant
Rogers
Lambert
Ashby
Slawson
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2439 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 28, 2023.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House