On the recordMarch 27, 2012
I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding. Mr. Speaker, every person elected to the House believes that we're here to do important work on behalf of our district. Of course, the House is bigger than any one issue or any one person. Yet, there are a relatively small number of persons who are central to the functioning of this House. Too often, I'm afraid, Members get so wrapped up in what we're trying to do that maybe we take for granted the institution of the House. But it is the institution that is established in the Constitution. It's the institution that provides the continuity of government as political majorities come and go, and it's the institution that provides the legitimacy and the respect for what we do here. I say all that to make the point that I think, in many ways, the Parliamentarian is the central figure for the institution of the House. Since 1927, there have only been four of them, and in my time here, we have been incredibly privileged to have had two outstanding public servants, Charles Johnson and John Sullivan, serve in that position. It is with some regret, but even more with respect and gratitude, that we honor the service, but I'd say just as much the character and the intellectual integrity, of John Sullivan as he leaves the House to begin a new chapter in his life. As one of those who has benefited from John's steady guidance while I was in the chair, I can testify to his even temper.…
