JOHN LINDER: “Mr. Speaker, Jerry Solomon was my friend. He was my leader when I came here. He was the ranking Republican on the…”

“Mr. Speaker, Jerry Solomon was my friend. He was my leader when I came here. He was the ranking Republican on the Committee on Rules. He was a tough partisan, but he was fair. Jerry served 20 years in this body before retiring and then dying shortly thereafter. He was born in 1930 in Florida and grew up in the northern regions of upstate New York. He attended St. Lawrence University and was a Marine through and through. He spent 8 rac{1}{2} years in active and reserve duty, and was one of the proud recipients of the Iron Mike Award given by Marines to Marines. He was married to Freda, a high school sweetheart and a sweetheart on her own. They have five children and six grandchildren. They had a marvelous relationship, where Jerry got all the credit and Freda did much of the work, much like, I am afraid to say, in my family. She was a marvelous partner for him and the two of them had a great relationship for many years. In 1995, Jerry became the chairman of the Committee on Rules, and I was given the opportunity to serve with him on the Committee on Rules. He was a strong leader for our cause and a fair one. He was tough and fair, and you cannot say much more about a politician than that. You appreciate their toughness, but you expect their fairness. He was outspoken on veterans issues.”