David Obey: “Julian Dixon was one of those people who almost reveled in functioning anonymously in this House. He took jobs that were…”

“Julian Dixon was one of those people who almost reveled in functioning anonymously in this House. He took jobs that were behind the scenes. Chairing the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence was not a publicity-seeking job; serving as chairman of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct was a job that required discretion and, for the most part, silence while judgments were being made. There are so many Members of this place who would almost kill to get to a microphone ahead of some other Member. Julian was never one of that type. I served with him for every day that he served in this institution and had the privilege to serve with him on the Committee on Appropriations. Above all else, what was driven home to me on a daily basis was how much he loved and how much he knew this city. I venture to say he knows as much about this city as the mayor. He would, for years, undertake the thankless job of representing those American citizens who have virtually no recourse in the face of grievances. Because while they are taxed, they are not represented to the point where they have an actual vote on this floor, and so he saw that as his special responsibility and special duty to tend to the needs of this city. In our Committee on Appropriations we have a head table at the front, and then we have four or five tables that go down from the head table, and there is a gap between the committee rostrum and the seats where most Members sit.…”