Honoring the life and legacy of Luis A. Ferre.

Madam Speaker, I thank both Members for bringing this resolution to the floor.

When I introduced this resolution, I did it with the full understanding that we would be honoring the legacy of Luis A. Ferre, a true Puerto Rican visionary who wanted so much to continue to be part of this great Nation of ours. As many of my colleagues know, Luis lived 99-plus years and, during that time, he dedicated most of his life to public service. We usually do not like to talk about people's personal financial situations, but it is no secret that he was an extremely wealthy man who could have very easily just sat back and enjoyed spending money and living the life of someone who was very well off. Instead, he chose both to move forward what he felt was his vision of what the Puerto Rican society should look like and be like and act like and, at the same time, his deep belief to make Puerto Rico the 51st State of the Union. In fact, when he started this movement, it probably would have been the 48th or the 49th or the 50th State of the Union. He did that with the full understanding that the Puerto Rican community had a lot to offer to the United States and that the United States had a lot to offer through statehood to Puerto Rico.

At the same time that Luis pushed for statehood and advocated for what he believed was the proper route for Puerto Rico to take, he went about building the island's economy and building the island's cultural institutions. Museums, concert halls, television work and radio work all were part of his vision, and he pushed this to the very, very end of his life.

Every time he would visit Congress or come to Washington, he would visit my office. I was always taken by the fact that this man was such a gentleman, such a soft-spoken yet strong believer in everything that he stood for.

One of the things that he stood for was his belief that the poor had to have a better way in Puerto Rico. In fact, he gets credit for building the statehood movement amongst the poor by making sure that he expressed to them that statehood was not for the wealthy, but that statehood was for the poor. Before he came along, it was always seen as simply a Republican, wealthy kind of a situation.

He took it and brought it to everybody. I think it is important to note that in Puerto Rico the political structure is based on Commonwealth, statehood, or independence. But in those parties there are people who associate nationally with either the Republican or the Democratic Party. Within the statehood party there are people who are Democrats, there are people who are Republicans. It will please my colleagues to know that he was a staunch Republican who was very close to the Bush family and very close to Republican leaders throughout the country. It is for that reason that he received so many accolades from our government. In fact, in 1991, former President George H.W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

I remember once I was talking, and I will be very brief, but I was talking to a member of the Independence Party, the people who are totally opposed to statehood. And I think the greatest compliment that you hear for someone like Luis Ferre came from this member of the Independence Party. We were talking about him and he said, ``This man is a true patriot.'' I said, ``Wait a minute. You are calling a person who pushes statehood a patriot and yet you are for independence?'' He said, ``Yes. He is a patriot because everything Luis Ferre has ever done is in Puerto Rico's best interest and mine. And that is what signifies who is a patriot and who is not.'' And I will always remember that there is no greater tribute from someone who is totally opposed to your philosophy to say that you are for the good of the people.

He never saw his dream come true of Puerto Rico becoming the 51st State. But he did see Puerto Rico grow from a poor economy to a vibrant economy, from an island considered by many to be somewhere in the Caribbean to an island that became very much a part of the American family, and an island that became very much a part of the Caribbean family.

He is truly one of the greatest Puerto Ricans and certainly one of the greatest Americans to have ever lived. And he will be missed. I will miss him as a friend, I will miss him for the gentleman that he was, I will miss him as a leader. And today we honor that legacy through this resolution.

I want to thank all of our colleagues for honoring the life and legacy of Luis A. Ferre.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, the term ``renaissance man'' is tossed around far too casually because people do not truly understand what it means. The artist and scholars in the Italian Renaissance venerated people who were accomplished in many different fields. Present diversification rather than specialization, was the ideal of the time. As a term of admiration, ``renaissance man'' has few peers. It is a term that was often used to refer to Luis A. Ferre, the former Governor of Puerto Rico, who passed away in October of 2003.

Mr. Ferre, in addition to being the Governor, was a successful businessman and a philanthropist and engineer, a classically trained musician, a political pioneer, and a patron of the arts: a renaissance man indeed.

Luis A. Ferre was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico on February 17, 1904, the son of an engineer of French descent. After spending his early childhood in Ponce, he attended high school in Morristown, New Jersey, before enrolling at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received degrees in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. In addition, he studied at the New England Conservatory of Music where he became an accomplished classical pianist.

Mr. Ferre is perhaps best remembered as an advocate for Puerto Rico statehood. After running for Governor twice on the ticket of the Republican Statehood Party, he formed his own party, the New Progressive Party, on whose ticket he was elected Governor of Puerto Rico in 1968. He served for one term, from 1969 to 1973, during which time he established his legacy of positive progress for Puerto Rico. He granted property titles to those living on public lands, built housing for low-income families, and made a positive step forward for gender equality in Puerto Rico by appointing the Commonwealth's first female Cabinet Secretary.

After leaving office, Mr. Ferre continued his advocacy of Puerto Rican statehood. He was passionately dedicated to the principle that not only should Puerto Rico be made more fully a part of the United States, but the United States should be aware of how important Puerto Rico was to it. During one of his many appearances before Congress, Mr. Ferre reminded the Members of how much Puerto Rico is engrained in the American experience. ``Not only are Puerto Ricans citizens by birth,'' Mr. Ferre said, ``but one would be hard-pressed to find a Puerto Rican without a sister in New York, a son in Chicago, a cousin in Orlando, or a daughter in Honolulu or Oklahoma City.'' A statement such as this from a man born just 6 years after Puerto Rico was taken from Spain as a prize of war shows just how far Puerto Rico came in his lifetime.

Mr. Ferre's dedication to the arts defined him almost as much as his political accomplishments. Realizing that culture was as important to the future of Puerto Rico as prosperity, he founded and endowed the Ponce Museum of Art and the city library in Ponce. He saved the local newspaper from folding, and El Nuevo Dia, now based in San Juan, is the island's biggest newspaper.

Luis A. Ferre, one of the finest and most prominent Puerto Ricans of the past century, liked to describe himself as a revolutionary in his ideas, liberal in his objectives, and conservative in his methods. He was a friend to Presidents and a titan to Puerto Rican politics. He was an honorable protector of Puerto Rico's past and its future. And, with the condolences of the House, he

is deserving and worthy of this resolution in his honor.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano).

(Mr. SERRANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in my capacity as the ranking Democrat of the Resources Committee to join in honoring Luis A. Ferre.

In 1967, a young man named Luis Ferre set out an agenda for his home island which has transformed the political landscape of Puerto Rico. The modern day pro-Puerto Rico statehood movement began with Luis Ferre and his efforts in forming the New Progressive Party.

Today we take the opportunity to honor the life on Don Luis Ferre, a veneration bestowed by the people of Puerto Rico.

Don Luis died at the age of 99. Having been an engineer, businessman, politician, pianist, and philanthropist, it is no wonder that he has been described as a renaissance man.

Born shortly after the United States gained possession of Puerto Rico from Spain, he was raised both in Puerto Rico and the United States mainland. After receiving his high school degree in Morristown, NJ, he pursued undergraduate studies in engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Before leaving MIT, Don Luis would earn a master's degree in electrical engineering. He returned to Puerto Rico thereafter to help build up the family business.

In 1937, Don Luis founded the Ponce Public Library. His love for education and the arts continued to mark major accomplishments in

his life when in 1950 he established a foundation in his own name. The Luis A. Ferre Foundation would result in the creation of the Ponce Museum of Art, regarded as a world-class repository for the classics and for Puerto Rican culture.

In 1967, following a political status plebiscite where the choice of ``statehood'' received 39 percent of votes cast, Don Luis, an ardent and impassioned believer in Puerto Rico becoming the fifty-first State of the Union, established the New Progressive Party.

The following year, running on a platform promoting statehood, Don Luis was elected Governor of Puerto Rico.

After serving one-term, Don Luis worked to strengthen his party and Puerto Rico. He continued to advocate statehood and promoted American democracy in the region. His words and actions inspired many Puerto Rican leaders of today. Former Governor Pedro Rosello and our former colleague Carlos Romero-Barcelo are but two of the notables who benefited from the path which Don Luis blazed.

In 1991, his life's work, as a visionary and public servant, was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Don Luis Ferre was a stateman in the highest regard. His ideas and leadership were respected by all political parties and their leaders. His passing brought about mourning throughout Puerto Rico and for the tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans living in the United States mainland.

Don Luis Ferre was a lover of American democracy. He was a believer in making lives better, especially those in those in his home of Puerto Rico. In my view, Congress has an obligation to provide an opportunity for the 3.9 million people of Puerto Rico to achieve Don Luis's dream of membership in our Union if they so desire it.

It is an honor for me to honor him.

I encourage all my colleagues to support H. Res. 433, and I thank my colleague Mr. Serrano for his effort to have this considered on the floor.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 433) honoring the life and legacy of Luis A. Ferre.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, House Resolution 433 honors Luis A. Ferre, perhaps the greatest political figure in Puerto Rico during the last half century. Luis Ferre passed away in San Juan at the age of 99 on October 21, 2003, and this resolution recognizes his lifelong devotion to the United States, and to social justice in his native Puerto Rico.

Luis Ferre spent his life as a successful businessman and a human rights advocate for people on the small Caribbean island. He was elected to terms as Governor and to Representative in Puerto Rico.

Madam Speaker, Luis Ferre loved the United States and his greatest hope was to see his native Puerto Rico become an American State. In 1917, at the age of 13 years old, Ferre and the Puerto Rican population were granted United States citizenship. In the year of 2000, Ferre once recounted that he could not distinctly remember the event but, he said, ``Ever since I have been very proud of that day. I feel it is a great privilege and a great honor to be a citizen of the greatest republic that we have had in the history of the world.''

In 1951, Ferre was elected delegate to the Puerto Rican Constitutional Convention and he was able to directly contribute to the island becoming an official United States Commonwealth in 1952.

In 1968, Ferre was elected Governor and he continued to work towards Puerto Rican Statehood. He remained active in politics up to his death, most notably as the chairman of the Republican Party in Puerto Rico.

To recognize Luis Ferre's life of public service, former President George H.W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest government award a civilian can receive, in 1991. Ferre is one of four Puerto Ricans to ever receive this Presidential honor.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for his efforts to bring House Resolution 433 to the floor today, and I urge its adoption.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no other speakers at this time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge Members to support the adoption of House Resolution 433, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 433, honoring the life and legacy of Luis A. Ferre. Luis A. Ferre was a crucial figure in the history of Puerto Rico who led a life of service to his people. He was an accomplished businessman, skilled politician, and compassionate philanthropist.

Born on February 17, 1904, in Ponce, PR, he went on to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he earned a degree in engineering. Upon his return to Puerto Rico, he worked in his father's business, Puerto Rico Iron Works, and later became involved in politics as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, a member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives, and, in 1968, was elected Governor.

Ferre was a believer in Puerto Rican statehood, and his convictions led him to create the New Progressive Party, which to this day remains one of the leading political parties in Puerto Rico.

He dedicated his life to serving the people of Puerto Rico and working to improve their lives and futures. During his term as Governor, he created multiple government agencies and public projects to enhance the quality of life of Puerto Ricans, and launched several housing and labor initiatives of great importance.

In addition to his political achievements, Luis A. Ferre is also remembered in Puerto Rico as a great philanthropist and advocate of Puerto Rican culture. Among his biggest contributions to Puerto Rico's cultural life were the Ponce Museum of Arts, which began with a donation from his personal collection, scholarship programs for art and music students, and the largest-circulation newspaper in Puerto Rico.

Ferre's contributions to the development of Puerto Rico and the improvement of its society will be forever remembered and appreciated. Regrdless of one's position on the issue of Puerto Rico's status, Ferre was an able statesman who dedicated his life to his beloved island.

This is why today I encourage you to support this resolution to honor the life of this respected and revered Puerto Rican. I thank my colleague from New York, Mr. Serrano, for introducing this measure. I also have introduced a bill to immortalize Ferre, H.R. 3742, which would designate the United States Courthouse and Post Office Building located at 93 Antocha Street in Ferre's hometown of Ponce as the Luis A. Ferre United States Courthouse and Post Office Building. It is my hope that we can further remember the legacy of Ferre by bringing this bill up at a later date.