106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 445

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez served his Nation and the people

of the 20th District of Texas in San Antonio with honor

and distinction for 37 years as a Member of the United

States House of Representatives;

Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez became an internationally recognized leader in the fields of banking and housing, having

held more than 500 hearings as Chairman of the Com-
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mittee on Banking and Urban Affairs, and having shepherded more than 70 bills from introduction to enactment

into law, including landmark legislation to revamp and

rescue the United States savings and loan industry;

Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez focused the attention of the

House of Representatives on solving numerous and challenging public policy problems, especially the needs of the

poor and the powerless, including making affordable

housing available to the poor, making credit more readily

available to underprivileged communities and small businesses, making the Board of Governors of the Federal

Reserve System more transparent and accountable to the

United States public, and strengthening civil rights for

all Americans;

Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez represents the quintessential

American success story by virtue of having become the

first American of Mexican descent in Texas history to

represent Texas in the United States House of Representatives, and one of the first Mexican-Americans to

rise to the position of Chairman of a major congressional

committee of the House of Representatives;

Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez served his country in World War

II in military intelligence, and taught math to veterans

and citizenship classes to resident immigrants seeking

American citizenship;

Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez leaves a proud legacy to his

hometown of San Antonio (in whose public schools he

was educated), encouraging the development of public

housing, 2 major medical centers, numerous development

projects, and the public laws he authored that brought

the HemisFair ’68 World’s Fair to San Antonio, thereby
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making the city a recognized center for international conventions and tourism;

Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez, a champion for the downtrodden and the poor (exemplified, among other things,

by his 22-hour long filibuster of segregationist bills in the

Texas Senate in the 1950’s), consistently brought his

skill and passion to bear on behalf of the underprivileged,

thereby making our Nation a much better place;

Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez, a modest man of great popularity and of a fervently independent character, was

awarded the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award

for his display of political courage as a leader who acted

on principle throughout his multifaceted career, without

fear or favor;

Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez will always remain an enduring

symbol of integrity, independence, solid principles, and

strength of character, and will always remind us of what

it means to give honorable public service, as he did to his

San Antonio constituents, the State of Texas, and to all

Americans: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring),

3 That the Congress—

4 (1) has learned with profound sorrow of the

5 death of the Honorable Henry Barbosa Gonzalez on

6 November 28, 2000, and extends condolences to the

7 Gonzalez family, and especially to his wife Bertha

8 and their 8 children;
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1 (2) expresses its profound gratitude to the Hon2 orable Henry Barbosa Gonzalez and his family for

3 the service that he rendered to his country; and

4 (3) recognizes with appreciation and respect the

5 Honorable Henry Barbosa Gonzalez’s commitment

6 to and example of leadership and commitment to

7 public service and to his constituents, and his serv8 ing as a role model for generations to come.

9 SEC. 2. TRANSMISSION OF ENROLLED RESOLUTION

10 The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall

11 transmit an enrolled copy of this Concurrent Resolution

12 to the family of the Honorable Henry Barbosa Gonzalez.

Passed the House of Representatives December 15,

2000.

Attest:

Clerk.
106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 445

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

In honor of Henry B. Gonzalez.