Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, Governor O'Bannon was in my congressional district when he passed away. Certainly I would want to extend on behalf of all of the people in Chicago and the people of Illinois our sympathies to his family and to the people of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, Frank O'Bannon, the 47th Governor of Indiana, died last week at the age of 73 from a stroke. After serving 18 years as Lieutenant Governor to Evan Bayh, Frank O'Bannon was elected Governor of Indiana November 5, 1996, and was reelected on November 7, 2000. Frank O'Bannon's two inaugurations as Governor made history. After he was elected in 1996 he invited Indiana's fourth grade history students to witness his inauguration, something no Governor had ever done. Despite sub-zero temperatures that day, hundreds of Hoosier schoolchildren for the first time ever watched as their Governor was sworn in. After his 2000 reelection, Governor O'Bannon repeated his invitation to the fourth grade history students. This time, however, the festivities were moved inside the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. More than 25,000 students and visitors from across Indiana watched as the Governor was sworn in, making it the largest gubernatorial inauguration crowd in Indiana history. Although Governor Frank O'Bannon was sometimes criticized by other lawmakers for not being more assertive, he followed his own instincts for achieving consensus quietly.”