Pelosi Remarks at Portrait Unveiling Ceremony Honoring Former Speaker of the House John A. Boehner

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined Congressional Leadership and other Members of Congress for the Congressional portrait unveiling of former House Speaker John A. Boehner. Below are Speaker Pelosi's remarks:

Speaker Pelosi. Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon.

As Speaker of the House, it is my official and personal honor to welcome friends of Speaker John Boehner to the U.S. Capitol on this historic day.

The presence of Members from both sides of the aisle, from both sides of the Capitol is a testament to the respect that we all have for John, Mr. Speaker.

We are pleased to welcome two former Speakers. We anticipate Speaker Gingrich, who is with us, and Speaker Ryan. Both of them are here. I didn't recognize –

[Applause]

And we warmly welcome and extend our gratitude to Debbie, Lindsay and Tricia, and the entire Boehner family for sharing John with this Congress and with the entire country.

Now, it is my privilege to invite Father Conroy to deliver an invocation.

***

Good afternoon, again.

Speaker Boehner is a great patriot who has dedicated his life to our country. It is only fitting that we celebrate his legacy here in Statuary Hall: this pantheon of American patriots, where great Americans are immortalized in marble and bronze.

Now, John's portrait will be joining his predecessors in the Speaker's Lobby as an inspiring, enduring monument to his contributions to our country.

Now, I was just trying to think of occasions when I saw John crying. And then I was thinking of occasions when I didn't see John crying. But, I think he was crying when he gave me the gavel of the Speaker of the House.

[Laughter]

Being the first woman Speaker and all, it was emotional, wasn't it, John?

[Laughter]

In John's farewell speech on the House Floor, he said, ‘The People's House is the great embodiment of the American Dream.' All of the speakers have addressed that aspect of John's life, the Speaker's life.

How appropriate, then, that John served as the Speaker of that House, because John is the personification of the American Dream. In his story, we are reminded of the promise of America: that a hard-working son of an Ohio barman can rise to be Speaker of the House.

As Speaker, John was a formidable spokesman for his party and for his cause. He sought common ground when he could, and held his ground when he could not. He always understood the value of relationships and consensus-building. He always was about something that I advise other Members to be: He was always a person of his word, and friendship never left his voice in all of our negotiations.

We will never forget how he worked with Ted Kennedy and George Miller – two liberal lions – under leadership of President George W. Bush, to pass landmark education legislation.

We all had our differences, but I remember I respected his commitment to America and to this institution.

We all remember how John made the visit of Pope Francis such a meaningful and beautiful experience for all of us, don't we Alistair? And how wonderful today to see young Alistair here with Zakary, who was just – Alistair was just six weeks old when he was blessed by the Pope, his Holiness the Pope.

That day, with absolute clarity, beauty and moral urgency, Pope Francis called on us to be better stewards of God's Creation and to be instruments of God's peace. John had that clarity too, in everything that he did. Thanks to John's leadership, the Holy Father's message of hope, peace and dialogue will be a blessing and an inspiration for our Congress and country for many years to come.

In his farewell speech – well, not quite farewell, because we have another one now, but in that up-to-date farewell speech, John also spoke of the namesake of his home city: the great Roman general Cincinnatus, a farmer who answered the call of his nation to lead and then surrendered his power to return to the home he loved.

John, the Congress and Country have been strengthened by your decision to answer the call of our nation when you did. And, now we wish you all the very best, as you enjoy your retirement – I don't know if that's quite the word for it.

Now, I have the privilege of inviting to the podium, here, Speaker Boehner's family to join in the unveiling of his portrait. And Debbie, thank you so much and Alistair and Zakary are going to be joining us, as well. The future, the future. Here they come.

Let us welcome the family to the podium.

[Applause]