Benjamin Gilman: “Mr. Speaker, it is with deep regret that I join our colleagues in paying tribute to an outstanding former Member of this…”

“Mr. Speaker, it is with deep regret that I join our colleagues in paying tribute to an outstanding former Member of this body, our former Speaker of the House, Carl Albert of Oklahoma. Speaker Albert began his second term as Speaker the same day that I first came to this body. Accordingly, in many ways, his style of leadership in the Speaker's chair left with me an indelible impression of the role of the Speaker in this Congress. Carl Albert worked his way up to the Speaker's chair the old fashioned way. After 8 years of serving the people of his congressional district in Oklahoma, he served first as majority whip from 1955 to 1962 and then as majority leader from 1962 to 1971 and finally as Speaker of the House from that date until his retirement in 1977. Carl Albert's life story is a typical example of the American dream. Born the son of a poor coal miner in one of the most rural and backward parts of the Nation, Carl never experienced living in a home with running water or electricity until he was 16 years of age.”