2013 -- S 0791

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LC02181

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2013

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S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N

HONORING THE LATE CONGRESSMAN JOHN EDWARD FOGARTY ON THE

CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF HIS BIRTH

     Introduced By: Senators P Fogarty, Goodwin, Algiere, Ruggerio, and Felag

     Date Introduced: March 27, 2013

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

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     WHEREAS, Many of the leaders of this nation and our great state were men of humble

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beginnings who possessed the vision, compassion, and drive to advance our collective humanity. 

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John E. Fogarty was just such a man, who in his all-too-short time on this earth, changed our

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perceptions and saved or enriched the quality of countless lives in our state, across our nation, and

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around the world; and    

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     WHEREAS, Born in the City of Providence on March 23rd of 1913, The Honorable John

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E. Fogarty was the son of Cora Wheland and John Peter Fogarty. He attended La Salle Academy,

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but was soon thereafter compelled to help the family’s finances as our country sunk into the Great

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Depression; and

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     WHEREAS, Following in the footsteps of his father and older brother, John Fogarty

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became an apprentice bricklayer.  A natural leader, John’s skills in his trade as well as his

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leadership ability allowed him to rise quickly, and by the end of the 1930s, he became President

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of the Bricklayer Union No. 1. A year or so later, at the age of 27, he successfully ran for and was

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elected to the United States House of Representatives in November of 1940; and

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     WHEREAS, The Honorable John E. Fogarty served his Rhode Island constituency for

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fourteen consecutive terms until January 10th of 1967, when at the start of the 89th Congressional

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session, he passed away, working at his desk.  He was 53 years old; and

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     WHEREAS, With his trademark green bowtie and self-effacing humility, the quiet young

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Representative from Rhode Island, who has been called the “Greatest Rhode Island Politician of

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the 20th Century,”  rose from an unassuming freshman legislator to become a great statesman, a

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consensus builder, and immeasurable asset for medical research and our state; and

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     WHEREAS, Always a staunch supporter of the working man, Congressman Fogarty was

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named to the House Appropriations Committee, and began a new mission, one that would

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eventually earn him the title of “Patron Saint of Public Health.” He was made Chairman of the

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Appropriation’s Subcommittee for Labor, Health, Education, and Welfare, a position he held for

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an unprecedented sixteen years.  In that capacity, his knowledge and support for myriad health

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issues wrought sweeping changes in public policy and funding for activities and advancements in

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medical research and the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities; and

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     WHEREAS, In 1964, Congressman Fogarty funded and founded The John E. Fogarty

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Foundation For Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. In addition, he fought

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for and achieved fourteen increased budget appropriations for the National Institutes of Health. 

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He also helped enact legislation creating the Administration of Aging within the Department of

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Health, Education, and Welfare, pushed for passage of the Water Pollution Control Act, helped

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initiate the creation of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, sponsored legislation for the

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National Foundation on Arts and Humanities, and closer to home, fought for the funding and

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construction of the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier; and

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     WHEREAS, Congressman Fogarty possessed an innate diplomacy and wealth of

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knowledge that encompassed a diverse political spectrum. He often secured the support of both

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political parties on issues, as demonstrated by his appointment as a Congressional Delegate to the

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World Health Organization by Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson; and  

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     WHEREAS, A year after his passing, the John E. Fogarty International Center for

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Advance Study in the Health Sciences at the National Institutes of Health was established and

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funded.  As an ardent believer in preventative medicine and research, the Congressman saw this

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Center as the fulfillment of one of his greatest aspirations; and

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     WHEREAS, Sir Winston Churchill was quoted as saying, “we make a living by what we

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get; we make a life by what we give.” By virtue of his many accomplishments, The Honorable

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John E. Fogarty bequeathed a lofty legacy in the field of health and wholly distinguished himself

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as person worthy of our state’s utmost admiration and gratitude; now, therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

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hereby joins members of The John E. Fogarty Foundation for Persons with Intellectual and

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Developmental Disabilities, as well as family and friends from across our state, in posthumously

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recognizing and applauding the accomplishments of The Honorable John E. Fogarty on the 100th

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Anniversary of his birth; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Chairman of The John E. Fogarty

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Foundation for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

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LC02181

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