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“TRIBUTE TO SECRETARY OF COMMERCE RONALD H. BROWN” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1660 on Aug. 5, 1995.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO SECRETARY OF COMMERCE RONALD H. BROWN
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HON. JULIAN C. DIXON
of california
in the house of representatives
Friday, August 4, 1995
Mr. DIXON. Mr. Speaker, As we prepare to return to our districts where many of us will be meeting with community and business leaders concerned about economic development opportunities in our neighborhoods, I want to use this occasion to salute the outstanding accomplishments of a gentleman who has worked tirelessly to promote the cause of business and economic opportunity throughout the United States and abroad. The Honorable Ronald H. Brown, our distinguished commerce secretary, is to be applauded and commended for the outstanding job that he has done in serving as the administration's enormously adept
``Pied Piper'' of economic opportunity and empowerment.
Ron Brown is the 30th United States Secretary of Commerce. In nominating him to this auspicious post, President Bill Clinton noted that ``American business will know that the Department of Commerce has a strong and independent leader and a forceful advocate.'' Those of us who have been privileged to know Ron can attest to his outstanding leadership acumen and his tenacity and considerable powers of persuasion. His is a skillful negotiator and an indefatigable advocate on behalf of America's economic interests abroad as he seeks to expand and open markets for American made products around the globe.
Ron's career has been structured around public service and helping to make America a better place for all of her citizens. A native Washingtonian, he grew up in New York where his parents managed Harlem's famous St. Theresa's Hotel. He attended Middlebury College in Vermont and received his law degree from St. John's University. He is a member of the New York Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.
A veteran of the United States Army, Ron saw tours of duty in Germany and Korea.
Secretary Brown has had an eclectic career. He spent 12 years with the National Urban League, serving as Deputy Executive Director, and General Counsel and Vice President for the organization's Washington operations. He also served as Chief Counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee. He is a former partner in the Washington, DC law firm of Patton, Boggs, and Blow. And who among us does not remember the brilliant job that he did as the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and 1993 Inaugural Committee.
As Secretary of Commerce, Ron has travelled extensively, promoting the administration's trade policies and forging sound private/public sector partnerships. Following the Los Angeles, Northridge earthquake in January 1994, Ron was one of the first cabinet officials on the scene, working with local, state, and federal officials to identify and earmark funding sources for
businesses severely damaged and/or destroyed in the quake. He has since returned to the quake damaged areas on several occasions to survey the progress made by programs implemented under this aegis.
Ron maintains a schedule that would tire men half of his age. Yet he is always prepared to go wherever he is needed, and he always does it with aplomb and with a spirit of unyielding optimism that inspires all around him to achieve the same level of commitment.
In addition to his weighty responsibilities as Commerce Secretary, Ron serves on several presidential boards and councils. He is a member of the President's National Economic Council, the Domestic Policy Council, and the Task Force on National Health Care Reform. He serves a Co-Chair of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, the U.S.-Russia Business Development Committee, and the U.S.-Israel Science and Technology Commission.
Secretary Brown is also a member of the Board of Trustees for Middlebury College and is chair of the Senior Advisory Committee of the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud and honored to have this opportunity to commend my good friend Secretary Ronald H. Brown on the fine job that he is doing as our Secretary of Commerce. He has led an exemplary career, and I have no doubt that he will continue to lead and inspire. Please join me in applauding him on an outstanding career, and in extending to him, his wife Alma, and their two children, attorneys Michael and Tracy, continued success in the future.
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