John C. Stennis - Senator and Statesman from Mississippi
Below is the letter I helped draft in 2001 nominating John C. Stennis to the Mississippi Hall of Fame.
We are writing to nominate John C. Stennis to the Mississippi Hall of Fame. The quality and quantity of his contributions to our state and nation make him deserving of this honor. One of the most respected and admired individuals to have ever served in the United States Senate, his career there began in 1947 with the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe and officially ended in 1989, the year the Berlin Wall came crumbling down. He was a trusted advisor to eight presidents – from Harry Truman to Ronald Reagan. His nearly 42 years of service in the United States Senate make him the longest-serving Senator from Mississippi, and the third-longest-serving Senator in American history.
Born August 3, 1901 on a small farm in Kemper County, John C. Stennis became the greatest statesman from Mississippi in the 20th century and a legend in American politics. Beginning with his election to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1928, Stennis was continuously under the oath of public office for over 60 years. Political historians believe that to be a record for continuous service in elective office in this country.
Known to many as “Judge Stennis” throughout his life in reference to his ten years of distinguished service as a circuit court judge, Senator Stennis had a heralded reputation for integrity and fairness. In 1954 he was the first member of his party to challenge the actions of Senator Joseph McCarthy on the Senate floor. His Senate colleagues called upon him to write the first code of ethics for the Senate and in 1965 chose him as the first chair of the Senate Committee on Standards and Conduct.
John Stennis was often described as “a Senator’s Senator.” When he became president pro tempore of the Senate for the 100th Congress, The New York Times wrote, “He is the undisputed patriarch of the Senate, a teacher to younger members, and the conscience for the entire institution. He seldom makes national headlines but he wields considerable influence in the Senate itself and that influence comes from the quality of his personal judgment.”
Stennis was respected and admired by colleagues on both sides of the political aisle. Bob Dole, a Republican from Kansas, called him “a true gentleman, a true patriot, a true statesman, and most of all, a Senator’s Senator.” Edward Kennedy, a Democrat from Massachusetts, said, “John Stennis is at his best whenever the Senate faces a difficult, demanding, or controversial task.” Ernest Hollings, a Democrat of South Carolina said, “I know of no other Senator who is as respected and revered for the qualities of character than John Stennis.”
Another title often used to describe Senator Stennis is “father of America’s modern Navy.” As chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee (1969-1980), he was an unwavering advocate for U.S. military superiority. President Ronald Reagan said, “Senator Stennis led some of the most crucial legislative battles in history on behalf of our national defense.”
America honored Senator Stennis’ commitment to the military by naming a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier for him. The USS JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN-74) is the nation’s seventh NIMITZ-class nuclear powered aircraft carrier – most of which are named for former Presidents of the United States.
Senator Stennis also served as chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. He insisted on fairness and foresight in determining the nation’s spending priorities. He pushed for strict accountability in government spending. In 1988, his last year in office, he led Congress to complete action on all 13 appropriations bills before the start of a new fiscal year for the first time since 1972.
The impact of Senator Stennis’ work on Mississippi’s economy is so large that it is difficult to measure. He spearheaded the fight to build the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. He championed the causes of the Rural Electrification Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority, and Appalachian Regional Commission. He helped position Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula as a leading naval contractor.
Senator Stennis provided vital support to military installations such as Columbus Air Force Base, Meridian Naval Air Station, Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, the Naval Construction Battalion Center (Seabees) in Gulfport and Camp Shelby, a National Guard training facility near Hattiesburg. These installations collectively employed 27,801 people when Stennis retired in 1988.
One of his proudest legacies is the Stennis Space Center, which is responsible for NASA’s rocket propulsion testing and for partnering with industry to develop and implement remote sensing technology. Senator Stennis was a leading supporter of the space program from the time the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was officially established in 1958. When NASA announced in 1961 that it would build a test facility in Hancock County, Stennis was called on to explain the reasons for the massive undertaking to the more than 2,000 families who would be asked to give up their homes for the project. In a historic 1961 speech at Logtown, Miss., he expressed the overriding national need. “There is always the thorn before the rose...you have got to make some sacrifices, but you will be taking part in greatness,” he said.
The Stennis Space Center played a crucial role in testing engines for the Apollo missions and the Space Shuttle. Today, 40 years after breaking ground, the Stennis Space Center has more than 4,500 employees representing more than 30 federal, state and university agencies working side-by-side in some of the world’s most sophisticated laboratories. It contributes more than $800 million annually as it relates to the personal income of the people in surrounding communities, translating to more than 24,000 jobs.
Finally, Senator Stennis promoted rural development and agriculture in Mississippi, particularly forestry. He was directly involved in the establishment of four federally financed permanent forestry research laboratories in Mississippi – at Gulfport, Stoneville, Mississippi State and Oxford. The landmark McIntire-Stennis Act was passed in 1962 to promote forestry research at state colleges and universities. He introduced the Forestry Incentive Act, passed in 1973, to encourage timber production and environmental stewardship. Today, forestry is one of Mississippi’s leading industries, employing more than 60,000 people and pumping over $11 billion dollars a year into the state’s economy.
The examples above, while not comprehensive by any means, convey the fact that the ripple effects of Senator Stennis’ work on economic development are still generating benefits for Mississippians today.
Senator Stennis’ energy, leadership, and optimism are better appreciated when it is realized that he overcame great personal tragedy to achieve success. In 1973 he survived an attack in which he was shot twice during a robbery in front of his home in Washington D.C. In 1984 he lost one of his legs to cancer, but was back at work on Capitol Hill soon, using a wheelchair.
During Stennis’ first campaign for the Senate in 1947, he promised to “plow a straight furrow right to the end of my row.” Mississippians of that era understood that he was pledging to set high moral and work standards for himself. He accomplished much with this motto. Today his name adorns an aircraft carrier, the Stennis Space Center, the Stennis Center for Public Service and the Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University, his alma mater. His official papers are the centerpiece of the Congressional and Political Research Center at Mississippi State University.
John Stennis stood for integrity, faith, hard work, and devotion to country. He impressed his contemporaries, influenced his age, and left a name for posterity. It would be especially fitting for his name also to be added to the Mississippi Hall of Fame.
We are writing to nominate John C. Stennis to the Mississippi Hall of Fame. The quality and quantity of his contributions to our state and nation make him deserving of this honor. One of the most respected and admired individuals to have ever served in the United States Senate, his career there began in 1947 with the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe and officially ended in 1989, the year the Berlin Wall came crumbling down. He was a trusted advisor to eight presidents – from Harry Truman to Ronald Reagan. His nearly 42 years of service in the United States Senate make him the longest-serving Senator from Mississippi, and the third-longest-serving Senator in American history.
Born August 3, 1901 on a small farm in Kemper County, John C. Stennis became the greatest statesman from Mississippi in the 20th century and a legend in American politics. Beginning with his election to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1928, Stennis was continuously under the oath of public office for over 60 years. Political historians believe that to be a record for continuous service in elective office in this country.
Known to many as “Judge Stennis” throughout his life in reference to his ten years of distinguished service as a circuit court judge, Senator Stennis had a heralded reputation for integrity and fairness. In 1954 he was the first member of his party to challenge the actions of Senator Joseph McCarthy on the Senate floor. His Senate colleagues called upon him to write the first code of ethics for the Senate and in 1965 chose him as the first chair of the Senate Committee on Standards and Conduct.
John Stennis was often described as “a Senator’s Senator.” When he became president pro tempore of the Senate for the 100th Congress, The New York Times wrote, “He is the undisputed patriarch of the Senate, a teacher to younger members, and the conscience for the entire institution. He seldom makes national headlines but he wields considerable influence in the Senate itself and that influence comes from the quality of his personal judgment.”
Stennis was respected and admired by colleagues on both sides of the political aisle. Bob Dole, a Republican from Kansas, called him “a true gentleman, a true patriot, a true statesman, and most of all, a Senator’s Senator.” Edward Kennedy, a Democrat from Massachusetts, said, “John Stennis is at his best whenever the Senate faces a difficult, demanding, or controversial task.” Ernest Hollings, a Democrat of South Carolina said, “I know of no other Senator who is as respected and revered for the qualities of character than John Stennis.”
Another title often used to describe Senator Stennis is “father of America’s modern Navy.” As chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee (1969-1980), he was an unwavering advocate for U.S. military superiority. President Ronald Reagan said, “Senator Stennis led some of the most crucial legislative battles in history on behalf of our national defense.”
America honored Senator Stennis’ commitment to the military by naming a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier for him. The USS JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN-74) is the nation’s seventh NIMITZ-class nuclear powered aircraft carrier – most of which are named for former Presidents of the United States.
Senator Stennis also served as chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. He insisted on fairness and foresight in determining the nation’s spending priorities. He pushed for strict accountability in government spending. In 1988, his last year in office, he led Congress to complete action on all 13 appropriations bills before the start of a new fiscal year for the first time since 1972.
The impact of Senator Stennis’ work on Mississippi’s economy is so large that it is difficult to measure. He spearheaded the fight to build the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. He championed the causes of the Rural Electrification Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority, and Appalachian Regional Commission. He helped position Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula as a leading naval contractor.
Senator Stennis provided vital support to military installations such as Columbus Air Force Base, Meridian Naval Air Station, Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, the Naval Construction Battalion Center (Seabees) in Gulfport and Camp Shelby, a National Guard training facility near Hattiesburg. These installations collectively employed 27,801 people when Stennis retired in 1988.
One of his proudest legacies is the Stennis Space Center, which is responsible for NASA’s rocket propulsion testing and for partnering with industry to develop and implement remote sensing technology. Senator Stennis was a leading supporter of the space program from the time the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was officially established in 1958. When NASA announced in 1961 that it would build a test facility in Hancock County, Stennis was called on to explain the reasons for the massive undertaking to the more than 2,000 families who would be asked to give up their homes for the project. In a historic 1961 speech at Logtown, Miss., he expressed the overriding national need. “There is always the thorn before the rose...you have got to make some sacrifices, but you will be taking part in greatness,” he said.
The Stennis Space Center played a crucial role in testing engines for the Apollo missions and the Space Shuttle. Today, 40 years after breaking ground, the Stennis Space Center has more than 4,500 employees representing more than 30 federal, state and university agencies working side-by-side in some of the world’s most sophisticated laboratories. It contributes more than $800 million annually as it relates to the personal income of the people in surrounding communities, translating to more than 24,000 jobs.
Finally, Senator Stennis promoted rural development and agriculture in Mississippi, particularly forestry. He was directly involved in the establishment of four federally financed permanent forestry research laboratories in Mississippi – at Gulfport, Stoneville, Mississippi State and Oxford. The landmark McIntire-Stennis Act was passed in 1962 to promote forestry research at state colleges and universities. He introduced the Forestry Incentive Act, passed in 1973, to encourage timber production and environmental stewardship. Today, forestry is one of Mississippi’s leading industries, employing more than 60,000 people and pumping over $11 billion dollars a year into the state’s economy.
The examples above, while not comprehensive by any means, convey the fact that the ripple effects of Senator Stennis’ work on economic development are still generating benefits for Mississippians today.
Senator Stennis’ energy, leadership, and optimism are better appreciated when it is realized that he overcame great personal tragedy to achieve success. In 1973 he survived an attack in which he was shot twice during a robbery in front of his home in Washington D.C. In 1984 he lost one of his legs to cancer, but was back at work on Capitol Hill soon, using a wheelchair.
During Stennis’ first campaign for the Senate in 1947, he promised to “plow a straight furrow right to the end of my row.” Mississippians of that era understood that he was pledging to set high moral and work standards for himself. He accomplished much with this motto. Today his name adorns an aircraft carrier, the Stennis Space Center, the Stennis Center for Public Service and the Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University, his alma mater. His official papers are the centerpiece of the Congressional and Political Research Center at Mississippi State University.
John Stennis stood for integrity, faith, hard work, and devotion to country. He impressed his contemporaries, influenced his age, and left a name for posterity. It would be especially fitting for his name also to be added to the Mississippi Hall of Fame.