IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 840 

Celebrating the remarkable life and accomplishments of Floyd Patterson. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 24, 2006 

Mr. HINCHEY (for himself, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. 

GRIJALVA, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, 

Ms. CARSON, Mr. SNYDER, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. JONES of North Carolina, 

Mr. MCGOVERN, and Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Government 

Reform 

RESOLUTION 

Celebrating the remarkable life and accomplishments of 

Floyd Patterson. 

Whereas Floyd Patterson was born on January 4, 1935, in 

a cabin in rural Waco, North Carolina, and was one of 

11 children; 

Whereas, when Floyd Patterson was a young child, his family 

moved to Brooklyn, New York, where his family struggled financially and he got into some trouble; 

Whereas, when Floyd Patterson was ten years old, he was 

sent upstate to the Wiltwyck School for Boys, where he 

began to turn his life around; 


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Whereas, at the age of 14, Floyd Patterson began boxing 

under the legendary trainer Constantine ‘‘Cus’’ D’Amato, 

and, at the age of 17, Floyd Patterson won a gold medal 

in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, boxing as a middleweight; 

Whereas, in 1956, Floyd Patterson became the youngest 

boxer to win the world heavyweight championship; 

Whereas, in 1960, Floyd Patterson became the first boxer 

ever to regain the world heavyweight championship; 

Whereas Floyd Patterson went on to fight a total of 64 

fights, winning 55 of those fights, 40 of which were by 

knockout; 

Whereas Floyd Patterson, known as ‘‘the Gentleman Boxer’’, 

helped his opponents to their feet after knocking them 

out; 

Whereas, in 1972, Floyd Patterson retired to his 17-acre 

farm in New Paltz, New York, and later, he served as 

the chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission 

and counseled troubled teens through the New York 

State Office of Children and Family Services; 

Whereas Floyd Patterson welcomed dozens of young men into 

his home, to the boxing ring he built in his barn, where 

he taught them how to box and to live with the same dignity and grace that he had personified; 

Whereas, in 1987, Floyd Patterson was elected into the U.S. 

Olympic Hall of Fame and, in 1991, was elected into the 

International Boxing Hall of Fame; 

Whereas Floyd Patterson, though small in stature for a 

heavyweight boxer, was large in spirit, and gave so generously of himself to the young men he trained and to the 

communities of the Hudson Valley, including his generous support of the athletic facilities at New Paltz High 


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School and the State University of New York at New 

Paltz; and 

Whereas Floyd Patterson was regarded as a hero, not only 

for his accomplishments in the boxing ring, but for his 

accomplishments in all aspects of his life: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives cele2 brates the remarkable life and accomplishments of a great 

3 American athlete, Floyd Patterson, who, after overcoming 

4 adversity in his own life, went on to inspire others to be 

5 the same kind of leader and role model that he was 

6 throughout his life. 

Æ 


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