The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“REMEMBERING JOHN TUNNEY” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S1312 on March 1, 2018.
The Department is one of the oldest in the US, focused primarily on law enforcement and the federal prison system. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, detailed wasteful expenses such as $16 muffins at conferences and board meetings.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
REMEMBERING JOHN TUNNEY
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor a former Member of this Chamber, Senator John Tunney, whose seat I now hold.
Senator Tunney passed away on January 12 in Brentwood, CA, at the age of 83. His family and friends will gather on Monday to celebrate his life.
The son of a world heavyweight boxing champion, Senator Tunney was born in New York in 1934. After graduating from Yale in 1956, he went on to study law at the University of Virginia.
While attending law school, he was roommates with Senator Ted Kennedy, and the two became lifelong friends.
After graduating in 1959, he began his career in public service as a JAG lawyer in the Air Force. He was eventually stationed in California, where he settled after leaving the military.
He first ran for Congress in 1964, winning a House seat representing Riverside and Imperial Counties. After three terms in the House, when he was only 36 years old, John challenged Senator George Murphy in 1970.
It was highly contested election. Senator Murphy shared the ballot with his good friend, then-Governor Ronald Reagan, who was seeking reelection.
Despite the Governor's popularity, Senator Tunney was able to win and by a wider margin of victory than the Governor. That campaign would serve as the inspiration for Robert Redford's movie, ``The Candidate.''
Ever the statesmen, Senator Murphy went to Sacramento to meet with Governor Reagan immediately after the election. The two pledged to work together for the betterment of California.
That willingness to reach across the aisle allowed Senator Tunney to be an effective legislator during his career in the Senate.
A champion of civil rights and environmental causes, he passed several major bills, including the Noise Pollution Act in 1972 and an extension of the Voting Rights Act in 1975.
He also authored the landmark Antitrust Procedures and Penalties Act, commonly referred to as the Tunney Act. The antitrust bill gave the Justice Department oversight of corporate mergers and acquisitions.
Senator Tunney also played a key role in keeping the United States out the Angolan civil war, pushing to end the Pentagon's covert operations there.
As a freshman Senator, he authored more than 38 bills, a record few of us here today could claim in our first term.
That success can be attributed in part to the talented staff he hired, including future Congresswoman Jane Harman and Hadley Roff, who later served on my own staff.
Despite his successful record, Senator Tunney lost his reelection bid to S.I. Hayakawa during the anti-incumbent wave that followed Watergate.
Upon leaving office, he continued to practice law, becoming a partner at Manatt, Phelps, Rothenberg & Tunney in Los Angeles.
He also served on the boards of several nonprofits, including Living With Wolves and UCLA's Hammer Museum.
After retiring, Senator Tunney spent most of his time in Idaho, enjoying poetry, reading, fishing, skiing, and hiking with his family.
Senator Tunney is survived by his second wife, Kathinka Osborne Tunney, his six children and stepchildren, and two grandsons.
After his defeat in 1976, Senator Tunney famously said, ``When you get into public life, you've got to be prepared to take your knocks.''
On behalf of all Californians, I am grateful he was willing to take those knocks and thankful for his life of public service.
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