Tucker will be a very valuable member of the City Council of the District of Columbia, if confirmed. In the absence of machinery for popular referendum, no one can say with certainty who most truly represents the citizens of Washington. But it is my deep belief and personal judgment that Mr. Tucker would win election easily if the vote of the people were taken at this time. I might also add that I have served with Mr. Tucker on the Board of the Council of Churches of Greater Washington, and that it is my opinion, based upon an intimate knowledge of church people, that Mr. Tucker enjoys their confidence and admiration. Mr. Tucker is a highly intelligent, moderate leader completely dedicated to a democratic open society. I trust that your committee will carefully consider his outstanding qualifications, and that he will be confirmed by the Senate. Sincerely yours, Mrs. KATHRYN H. STONE. The CHAIRMAN. I have several telegrams supporting Mr. Tucker which I will also insert in the record. (The telegrams referred to follow :) Senator TYDINGS, District Committee, WASHINGTON, D.C., February 17, 1969. New Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.: Baptist Ministers Conference, Washington, D.C., and Vicinity, consisting of 350 registered members express our gratitude to our President for appointing Mr. Sterling Tucker as Vice President and Council Member. We endorse his appointment and believe that the loyalty and devotion regarding the welfare of all people will continue to be demonstrated as he proves himself an asset to the Nation and the city in this position. BAPTIST MINISTERS CONFERENCE, WASHINGTON, D.C., AND VICINITY, Rev. JOHN D. BUSSEY, President, Rev. WILLIE B. ALLEN, Secretary. Senator JOSEPH D. TYDINGS, Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.: BALTIMORE, MD., February 17, 1969. Sincerely hope you will support approval of appointment of Sterling Tucker as Vice Chairman of District of Columbia City Council. FURMAN L. TEMPLETON. The CHAIRMAN. This will conclude, then, the hearing on the confirmation of the nomination of Sterling Tucker to be Vice Chairman of the District of Columbia City Council. GILBERT HAHN, JR., TO BE CHAIRMAN OF THE TERM EXPIRING FEBRUARY 1, 1972 The CHAIRMAN. Mr. John Hechinger. We are delighted to welcome you again before this committee and congratulate you on the service you performed in the District of Columbia these past many months as president of the Council. STATEMENT OF JOHN W. HECHINGER, CHAIRMAN, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CITY COUNCIL Mr. HECHINGER. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Chairman Tydings, members of the Senate District Committee, I am very pleased to be able to speak in behalf of my prospective successor as Chairman of the District of Columbia City Council. Mr. Gilbert Hahn, Jr., is a lifetime friend, although our association has sometimes been marked with differences of major proportion. The differences that I speak of did not start in grade school as we both attended the John Eaton School of the District of Columbia public school system. However, after that, things came apart when he attended Princeton and I attended Yale. Mr. Hahn was in the field artillery during World War II, and I left the field artillery for the Air Force. He also left the field artillery, however, and went to Yale Law School where he distinguished himself, and thereby proved himself a man not unwilling to correct his earlier error of college choice made in his more callow youth. Our major schism came after World War II as he became active in the Republican Party with a dedication that has led him to various important positions in both the District and the National Young Republican organizations and an enthusiastic try for an elective office when he lived for a brief time in Montgomery County. His steadfast stubbornness to serve the Republican Party, despite the continuous pleas of his various friends, showed an imperturbability and a constancy which has been admired over the years by his copoliticians. Gilbert Hahn has served as treasurer of the District of Columbia Republican Party until this very year when he ran for the chairmanship of this organization and, by winning, became one of the few popularly elected officials in this town. With this unique accomplishment and his long record of fine achievements in our voteless city,. Mr. Hahn has proven his worthiness and capability as President Nixon's nominee. (81) During the years Mr. Hahn has served Washington with dedication. He was one of the early proponents and movers for full integration in the public schools and in employment practices in the community at large, and particularly in the Hahn Shoe Co., of which he is the attorney. Mr. Hahn was one of the first advocates of the independent popularly elected school board and he has testified before Congress repeatedly on this issue and for many others which have brought to the citizens of Washington continued improvement in their drive for excellence in the city government. Mr. Hahn has continually favored home rule and has expressed pleasure at President Nixon's forceful statements on this issue that is so critical to all of us in our city. Gilbert Hahn is still serving as the president of the Washington Hospital Center-one of the 10 busiest hospitals in the United States. During his tenure, important growth has taken place, attesting to his administrative ability which will stand him in good stead as Chairman. With Mr. Hahn's reputation as one of Washington's most distinguished attorneys, his impeccable political orientation, his proven administrative ability, and his excellent contact with the national administration, he is eminently qualified for the position of Chairman of the City Council. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, Mr. Hechinger. Senator Eagleton? Senator EAGLETON. No questions. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Prouty? Senator PROUTY. Mr. Chairman, when Mr. Hechinger was confirmed as Chairman of the District of Columbia City Council, he said there, and I would like to quote him: I would conceive it to be my job to give the Council firm leadership in carrying out its responsibilities to the people, to the Congress, to the Mayor, and to the President. I would see as equally important the Council's responsibility to work as a team with the Mayor. I think Mr. Hechinger has given that leadership, and, in vaudeville parlance "he will be a hard act to follow." I think it is most significant and important that you, as the retiring Chairman, are here recommending one who is likely to be your successor. It shows that he will continue your policies, your interests in the problems of the District, and I am sure that he will have your full support as time goes on. I am very grateful to you, as a Member of Congress, for the work you have performed so ably on behalf of the District and I would be glad to have you observe that it is not strange to have a Republican President appointing a Republican to office. I feel not enough of it has been done in this administration, but that is neither here nor there. Mr. HECHINGER. Thank you very much. As you know, I will be returning to the lumber business with which you are so closely associated in Vermont. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Mathias? Senator MATHIAS. I think Mr. Hechinger already knows the high regard in which I hold him personally and his service to the public. We are always glad to see him here and we hope we will continue to see him even though he is stepping down as Chairman of the Council. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mr. Hechinger. Mrs. Howard W. Jenkins, Jr. STATEMENT OF CARL L. SHIPLEY, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEEMAN FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, PRESENTED BY MRS. HOWARD JENKINS, JR. Mrs. JENKINS. "I strongly urge that the Senate District of Columbia Committee advise and consent to the appointment of Gilbert Hahn, Jr., as chairman of the District of Columbia Council. I have known Mr. Hahn intimately for more than 20 years as a personal friend and during that time I have gained a thorough knowledge of his fine reputation in the District of Columbia and among all persons everywhere that he is known. "As you will note from the testimony of other witnesses and biographical material furnished to this committee, he is a lawyer and a businessman with an outstanding education and long and successful experience. He comes from a family which for several generations has been known for its outstanding contribution to the various civic undertakings in the District of Columbia. He has carried on in the same tradition, and has performed splendid services to the community in all kinds of civic enterprises. This record has also been laid before the committee by other witnesses. He is competent, fair, reasonable, and energetic. He has all those qualities one likes to find in a public official. "Mayor Walter E. Washington and District of Columbia City Councilman John Hechinger have done an excellent job over the past year in organizing the new structure of government and getting it into operation. I am sure that Mr. Hahn will carry on in the same spirit of selfless public service which has characterized Mr. Hechinger's tenure in office. "The legislative and policymaking responsibilities transferred to the District of Columbia City Council under the reorganizaton plan number more than 400, and during the next year the chairman of the District of Columbia City Council will have a heavy burden in further defining and exercising the authority Congress has transferred to the Council. "I am sure Mr. Hahn, with his broad experience and unusual talents, will perform an outstanding service to the District and to the Nation." STATEMENT OF MRS. HOWARD JENKINS, JR., VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE Mrs. JENKINS. Now, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, if I may give my own statement. My name is Elaine Jenkins, vice chairman of the District of Columbia Republican Committee. I have served as a member of the committee for 10 years, and as vice chairman for six, and thus I have known and worked with Mr. Hahn in many civic and political activities touching the lives of the citizens of the Nation's Capital. I am honored to appear before this distinguished committee to state that Mr. Hahn has shown through his participation in working with all people that he is a suitable choice to assume a position of considerable responsibility to the citizenry. Mr. Hahn was elected as chairman of the Republican committee in the first citywide, open election for chairman. This was a contested election with vigorous campaigning on all sides. The following were innovative and vigorously democratic techniques which Mr. Hahn implemented during the campaign: 1. He readily expressed his views on such vital matters of concern as housing, education, employment, crime, poverty, and city planning. 2. He spoke frequently in the far corners of the city, and engaged in dialog among varied economic and racial groups. 3. He literally walked in block after block, rang door bells, and chatted with people in the Mayor Lindsay fashion, and with similar success in getting people to express themselves, and to react to his approach and views. He was well received. All of these techniques were a result of Mr. Hahn's expressed belief that a candidate should be exposed to the needs of all, and the viewpoint of everyone. It is important to state here that voter registration by an increased number of District of Columbia citizens became a byproduct of Mr. Hahn's campaign because of his commitment to the democratic process. When the primary election ended successfully, Mr. Hahn immediately structured a process to include more black people at the precinct levels, in committee planning and in voicing their wishes. Our meetings took on the tone of a town setting. Our quarters overflowed with citizens from the inner city to the most affluent. Occasionally there was rapid-fire exchange when, for instance, our committee took up school board endorsements. We became in effect a "little city council" under Mr. Hahn's direction. So much for his participation and commitment to the democratic process of citizen involvement. I decided that bringing these talents for leadership to your attention was not enough. I called some of those who had been recruited in the spring. These people lived in the far northeast, in southeast, and in the model cities area. They do not have a fixed political identity. Here, in brief, are some of their comments: Gil? You want to know what I think of him? Well, I call him Gil, too. He is one somebody you can get to see and talk to without going through somebody. Again: He asked me what I think. Again: Gil knows where the action is. He can get things done. Again: He don't take just somebody's say. He checks with all of us. Again: When his people's store burned, they started building right back. They didn't fault nobody. Again: He thinks a man arrested ought to get a quick trial, so he's going to try to get more judges and people in the courts. May I submit to you that these statements express a belief in this man's potential for working with people. They also represent the widely held confidence in the talents and integrity of Gil Hahn, Jr. Mr. Chairman, we urge that your committee act favorably on the nomination of Mr. Hahn. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, Mrs. Jenkins. |