James Oberstar: “I rise in support of H.R. 2672, a bill to honor the former Senator from Oregon, Wayne L. Morse by designating the new…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 2672, a bill to honor the former Senator from Oregon, Wayne L. Morse by designating the new courthouse in Eugene Oregon in his honor. From 1931 until 1944, Senator Morse served as the dean and professor of law at the University of Oregon at Eugene. In 1944, he was elected to his first term in the United States Senate as a Republican Senator. He was reelected in 1950. In 1956, Senator Morse ran for election to the Senate as a Democrat. He won that election and was again reelected in 1962. Senator Morse lost his bid for a fifth term when he was defeated in 1968. However, by 1974 he had won the Democratic Senate nomination and was actively engaged in campaigning when he died in Portland, Oregon, in July of that year. Senator Morse was known as a gifted and principled lawmaker and a dedicated public servant. His tireless advocacy of the rights of organized labor and the collective bargaining process, and his unshakeable belief in the rule of law contributed to Senator Morse being called the ``conscience of the Senate''. He championed equal access to education and was an outspoken defender of the Constitution's system of checks and balances. Senator Morse's political philosophy was simply to promote the welfare of the American people. To use his own words: ``If you want to understand my political philosophy, here's the basic tenet--I think the job of a U.S.…”