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Rep. Sanford D. Bishop

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Congressman John Lewis and his staff for reserving time this morning for Members of the House to come to the floor to pay tribute to my friend, one of Georgia's former and notable legislators, the late Congressman Edgar Lanier Jenkins. Ed died January 1 of this year.

The poet Longfellow wrote: ``Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions slept, they were toiling on upward in the night.'' It was no sudden flight for Ed Jenkins, born in Young Harris, Georgia, to rise to prominence in Washington, DC under the dome of this great Capitol. No, it was the result of hard work and humble sacrifice.

Although I didn't have the pleasure of serving in this body with Ed, as he retired from Congress in 1993 as I was beginning my first term, I and countless others from across the country looked to Ed as a role model. Ed came to me shortly after I was elected. He embraced me. He was always available to me for advice and counsel. Not only that, he and his friend of many years and his business partner, John Winburn, made it a point to offer continuous support for Democratic Members from the Georgia delegation, year in and year out; and Ed never asked for anything in return.

He was a humble and able country lawyer. He practiced in Jasper, Georgia. He was born in Young Harris. He attended Young Harris College. He was in the Coast Guard. For many years he served as an aide to former Congressman Phil Landrum of Georgia. He was elected to this body, and he served from 1977 to 1993.

As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, he played an instrumental role in passage of key tax initiatives that benefited millions of working American families. He was a key figure in the investigation and uncovering the crimes committed during the Iran-Contra affair.

Ed, through his illustrious legislative career, always remained a passionate and loyal advocate of the South's manufacturing and textile industry. In 1985, he wrote and passed the Textile and Apparel Trade Enforcement Act, which was ultimately vetoed by President Reagan, but would have rolled back the textile imports from foreign countries by 40 percent. As a conservative Democrat from the South, Ed Jenkins often received praise from his constituents for putting their interests ahead of political ideology or party affiliation.

In his political life, he always embodied the adage of the turtle on the fence post, which was quoted so often by his childhood friend, former Georgia Governor and U.S. Senator Zell Miller. It goes like this: whenever you see a turtle perched on a fence post, you know one thing--he didn't get there by himself. Somebody put him there. Ed Jenkins always remembered who sent him to Washington.

Ed is survived by his beloved wife of 51 years, Jo Jenkins; two daughters, Janice Anderson and Amy Dotson; two brothers, Charles and Kenneth; three sisters, Marilyn Thomasson, Ella Battle, and Patti Chambers; and two grandsons. My wife, Vivian, and I would like to extend our sincere condolences to Ed's family, friends, and former constituents as they mourn the loss of our dearly departed friend.

There must have been something about the water at Young Harris College. It produced people who must have ingested something about public service: Zell Miller, Governor, Senator; Jack Brinkley, United States Congressman; Edgar Lanier Jenkins, United States Congressman par excellence.

Isn't it strange how princes and kings and clowns that caper in sawdust rings and common folks like you and me are builders for eternity. Each is given a bag of tools, a shapeless mass and a set of rules, and each must make your life as flown a stumbling block or a stepping stone.

Mr. Speaker, I'm so glad, and the people of Georgia and this Nation are glad, that Ed Jenkins was a stepping stone and not a stumbling block for a higher, better life for so many people across this country. We mourn his loss, but we are grateful that we knew him and that he passed this way.