Pelosi Floor Remarks in Honor of the Late Congresswoman Louise Slaughter

Leader Pelosi.  I think this may have happened to me at the funeral as well.  That I followed [Congressman] John Lewis at the podium.  What a task.  Thank you for being such an inspiration.  Thank you for loving Louise so much.  As we know she loved you as well, brother John.

And aren't we proud of [Congressman] Paul Tonko and his relationship with Louise, a friendship that goes back to the state legislature many years ago in New York.  Louise came 31 years ago to the Congress.  You [Congressman Tonko] came more recently, but your friendship goes back longer.  So dear you were you to her.

So here we have Louise, and I don't have a magic minute, so this is not an eight-hour proposition in high heels.  Although I'd love to do that for Louise any time, but let me just make some wishes.

I wish you could have all been in Rochester for Louise's memorial service.  To hear her grandchildren talk about her.  As a grandmother, myself, any time I go to a service now, I think, what do the grandchildren think?  What do they know about their grandmother?  How much – do they know how much their grandmother loved them?  Louise's grandchildren do and did.  Hopefully we'll be hearing more from them.  They spoke magnificently about her personally. Not so great about her cooking.  Wouldn't you say?  Not that day anyway.

[Laughter]

But anyway.  They just loved her so much.  And she was about the future.  But she had a tremendous respect for the past as well.

And so when many of us, brother John, visited her in Rochester, we'd go to Susan B. Anthony's home to see where so much of women's rights began, she'd take us across the borderline of the district to see where it all began, Seneca Falls.

She took such ownership of our suffragists and her responsibility to carry forth their courage, their possibilities for the future.

She was a Southern belle with Southern charm, and Northern timetable.  So you never wanted to waste too much time not giving in to Louise.  Because eventually she would have her way.  Save yourself some time.  Whatever you say, Louise.

She was a beautiful person to serve with.  Many of our colleagues want to speak about her.  I'll have another opportunity tomorrow but I did want to add my voice once again, to our colleagues, as we speak about her with great respect, admiration – which we do for our colleagues – but respect, admiration, and affection.  That's about Louise Slaughter.

I yield back to my colleague.