Political Quotes

“I rise to pay tribute to a native Pennsylvanian. Today we honor what would have been the 100th birthday of one of Pennsylvania's most famous sons, Jimmy Stewart. The fact that we call him Jimmy tells a lot about who he was, what he meant to our State, what he meant to America. Jimmy Stewart is most famous for his unforgettable roles in movies such as ``Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,'' ``It's a Wonderful Life,'' and on and on, so many great movies to remember him by. But Jimmy Stewart never forgot his Pennsylvania roots. He was born in Indiana, PA, on May 20, 1908. His family owned the hometown hardware store where the Stewart family could trace their roots in Indiana County back to 1772. Stewart attended Princeton University, where he studied architecture and graduated in 1932. Because of the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression that followed, Jimmy Stewart questioned whether he would find employment as an architect, and he accepted a position in an acting troop. Shortly after joining, Stewart began working on Broadway, which eventually led to screen tests with major motion picture production companies. His work in ``Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,'' in which he played a freshman Senator, earned him his first nomination for an Academy Award. He was also nominated for Oscars for best actor for ``It's a Wonderful Life,'' released in 1946; ``Harvey,'' released in 1950; and ``Anatomy of a Murder,'' released in 1959.”