Political Quotes

“I rise to express my strong support for S.1314, legislation I have introduced with Senator Dodd to name the Federal courthouse in Bridgeport, CT, after a distinguished former member of this body, Senator Brien McMahon. A native of nearby Norwalk, Senator McMahon was first elected to the Senate in 1944, and was reelected in 1950. His Senate career tragically was cut short by his untimely passing on July 28, 1952, at the age of 48. Despite serving in the Senate for only 8 years, Senator McMahon left his mark on our country. As a freshman senator, Brien McMahon was one of the first to grasp the importance of atomic energy. He introduced and passed to provide for the study of atomic energy and the governmental controls that would be necessary in the post-war era. His efforts lead to passage of the McMahon Act, which was also known as the Atomic Energy Act of 1946. In 1948 he became chairman of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, where he was extremely well regarded. He also worked behind the scenes to support the weapons program that would become the free world's security blanket for the next four decades. The use of the atom was not the only area in which Brien McMahon made great contributions. In the arena of foreign relations, for example, Senator McMahon was the first member of Congress to venture behind the Iron Curtain, where he negotiated an aid program with Marshal Tito, who had just broken with Stalin.”