2001 Assembly Joint Resolution 93
ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION
Relating to: the life and public service of former Wisconsin Congressman Henry S. Reuss.
Whereas, Henry S. Reuss was born on February 22, 1912, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and died on January 12, 2002, in San Francisco, California; and
Whereas, Mr. Reuss was educated in the Milwaukee schools; and
Whereas, he earned a B.A. degree in history and government from Cornell University in 1933, and an LL.B. degree from Harvard University in 1936; and
Whereas, Mr. Reuss married Margaret Magrath in October 1942; and
Whereas, he worked as an assistant corporation counsel for Milwaukee County from 1939 to 1941; and
Whereas, Mr. Reuss became an assistant general counsel with the U.S. office of price administration from 1941 to 1943; and
Whereas, during World War II, he served in the U.S. army from 1943 to 1945, during which time he earned the rank of major, received the Bronze Star, and served on General Dwight D. Eisenhower's staff; and
Whereas, Mr. Reuss was deputy general counsel for implementing the original European Economic Recovery Act — the Marshall Plan — after World War II; and
Whereas, Mr. Reuss was first elected to public office as a board member on the Milwaukee school board in 1953; and
Whereas, he represented with great distinction Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1955 to 1983; and
Whereas, during his tenure in Congress, he helped establish the Peace Corps, wrote the legislation creating the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, and was a strong advocate of the Clean Water Act; and
Whereas, Mr. Reuss worked to establish the national Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday, and created the Martin Luther King memorial fund in 1972 to make grants for projects in Milwaukee; and
Whereas, both his opponents and supporters appreciated his keen sense of humor and his integrity; and
Whereas, Mr. Reuss in 1975, was elected chairman of the house banking, currency, and housing committee and became a national leader on financial and economic matters; and
Whereas, during his last term in Congress, Mr. Reuss gave up his house banking chairmanship to take over the joint economic committee that performed wide-ranging research on national economic policies; and
Whereas, he authored The Critical Decade; Revenue Sharing, Crutch or Catalyst; To Save Our Cities — What Needs to be Done; On the Trail of the Ice Age; and When Government Was Good; and
Whereas, upon leaving Congress, he briefly practiced law, but soon filled his days with lectures, travel, and service to a variety of causes; now, therefore be it
Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That the members of the Wisconsin legislature commend the devoted public service that Henry S. Reuss contributed to this state and nation, express their sorrow at his death, and extend their condolences to his family and friends; and, be it further
Resolved, That the assembly chief clerk shall provide copies of this joint resolution to Mr. Reuss's wife, Margaret of Belvedere, California; his 2 daughters, Anne of Chicago, Illinois, and Jacqueline of Paris, France; and to his son, Michael of Portland, Oregon.
