Patrick Leahy: “it is a time when Senators say goodbye to Senators who are leaving, and I was privileged, in 1974, to be elected with a…”

“it is a time when Senators say goodbye to Senators who are leaving, and I was privileged, in 1974, to be elected with a very special class of Senators, a very large class of Senators-- nearly a dozen--who came to this body. We developed personal friendships. Of that class, there are only four left: The distinguished senior Senator from Ohio, Mr. Glenn; the distinguished senior Senator from Kentucky, Mr. Ford; the distinguished senior Senator from Arkansas, Mr. Bumpers; and myself. Each of the other three have announced their plans to retire this year. In some ways I feel like the lonely person who is given the chore to turn out the lights after everybody else leaves, because I will be the last of the class of 1974. I am going to speak of each of them, but I wish to speak now and to give tribute to a great statesman, a person who is recognized as a true American hero and a very good friend of mine, John Hershel Glenn, Jr. As I said, we both arrived in the Senate at the same time in 1974. There was a big difference, however. I came here as a 34-year-old unknown county prosecutor from rural Vermont. John Glenn arrived here as a living American legend.”