Roscoe Bartlett: “I rise today to honor the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane), a dear personal friend and a great servant to our country…”

“I rise today to honor the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane), a dear personal friend and a great servant to our country and the United States Congress. The gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane) is a giant. In 40 years of participating in the political life of our country, his ideas, energy and leadership contributed structure, muscle and heart to the ascendancy of conservative philosophy and a Republican majority in the United States Congress. This giant on the American political stage was a mentor and became a friend to me very quickly after I was sworn in as a Member of Congress in January of 1993 as a 66-year-old freshman. That is when I came to know him. This is where I can offer my personal tribute to him.”