SR24.html

In tribute to Honorable Carl Vinson; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, Honorable Carl Vinson was born in Baldwin County, Georgia, on November 18, 1883, and was one of seven children born to Edward Storey Vinson and Annie Morris Vinson; and

WHEREAS, he attended Middle Georgia Military and Agricultural College in Milledgeville, began reading law in the law library of Judge Edward R. Hines as a teenager, and graduated from Mercer University Law School in 1902; and

WHEREAS, he was admitted to the practice of law in 1902, became a junior partner with Judge Hines, and was appointed solicitor of the County Court of Baldwin County in 1904 and again in 1906; and

WHEREAS, in 1909, at the age of 25, he was elected to a two-year term in the Georgia House of Representatives; and

WHEREAS, he was reelected in 1911 and served as Speaker Pro Tempore during his second term; and

WHEREAS, he served as judge of the County Court of Baldwin County from October 3, 1912, to November 2, 1914; and

WHEREAS, on November 3, 1914, 15 days before his thirty-first birthday, Honorable Carl Vinson was sworn in as the youngest member of Congress, having been elected to both the unexpired term of Honorable Thomas W. Hardwick and a full term in the 64th Congress; and

WHEREAS, his career in the United States Congress spanned 50 years and one month, ending on January 3, 1965, during which time he served as chairman of the House Naval Affairs Committee from 1931 to 1947 and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee in the Eighty-first, Eighty-second, and Eighty-fourth through Eighty-eighth Congresses; and

WHEREAS, he was committed to the defense of the nation but expressed the hope that "the casting of every gun and the building of every ship will be done with a prayer for the peace of America"; and

WHEREAS, on March 15, 1980, he became the first living American to have a U. S. Navy ship named after him, the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70); and

WHEREAS, until his death on June 1, 1981, Honorable Carl Vinson was a person who was committed to public service, the defense of the nation, and his beloved Georgia.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize the life of Honorable Carl Vinson, his exemplary record of public service, and his many contributions to the State of Georgia and the United States of America.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to Georgia Military College for placement in an appropriate place of honor.