William L. Clay: “Bill Emerson and I came to Congress together in 1980. We were in a great class of Congressmen. We were fast friends over…”

“Bill Emerson and I came to Congress together in 1980. We were in a great class of Congressmen. We were fast friends over a long period of time. I ran a number of leadership races. He supported me in every one of those, very committed through thick and thin, even those where I did not do so well. I can remember on projects the hours he would spend actually making those telephone calls personally or rounding up whatever votes either for leadership or for a bill on the floor where necessary. Whenever Bill Emerson made a commitment, he lived up to those commitments. I remember a few years ago he made a tough decision that he consulted with me on more than one occasion about whether he should run again for Congress. He thought about retiring. I encouraged him strongly to continue. I knew his love for this institution, and I knew what he gave to his country and what it meant to all of us. He made the right decision to stay.”