Francisco Canseco: “I thank my friend and colleague and fellow Texan, Chairman Smith, for yielding. Today, I honor a great man, a great…”

“I thank my friend and colleague and fellow Texan, Chairman Smith, for yielding. Today, I honor a great man, a great Texan, a great American, Ralph Hall. As he makes history today for being the most experienced Member-- in lifelong years--of this Chamber to cast a vote, I am proud, as a member of the Texas delegation, to call him a friend and a colleague. Ralph Hall embodies so many of the virtues we celebrate as Americans. He is a man who is forever devoted to his family. He is a patriot who served his country during World War II. He is a public servant who has dedicated his life to serving the people of Texas and the United States. He is an example to all Americans not just for his service to family and country but in the graceful manner in which he goes about his tasks and the joy that he inspires in all of us. This Chamber will always be grateful for the service that Ralph Hall has given to the House of Representatives and to the Nation. We all enjoy his good humor, his dedication, and his love of country that he brings to his job each and every day. Tonight, as we pay tribute to Ralph Hall and wish him many more years of service to the people of Texas and the United States, I thank him for the privilege of serving by his side as a friend and a colleague in the House of Representatives of the United States Congress.”