Remembering Congressman John Dingell

Former U.S. Congressman John Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, passed away this week at the age of 94. Serving in the House of Representatives from 1955 to 2015, Dingell was the longest serving Congressman in United States history. A career that spanned 11 Presidents and witnessed events like the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Civil Rights Movement, and Watergate, Dingell was a staple in American politics in the latter half of the 20^th century and into the 21^st century. President Bill Clinton stated in the wake of Dingell’s passing, “there are few major legislative triumphs since 1955 that John didn’t have a key hand in passing.”

In Congress, Dingell helped to sponsor the Civil Rights Act of 1957, sponsored the Endangered Species Act, and was pivotal in the passing of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. President Obama said, “I could not have been prouder to have John by my side when I signed the Affordable Care Act into law.” Apart from the Affordable Care Act, Dingell was a vast supporter of single-payer healthcare, introducing a universal healthcare bill in every Congress he served in.  Obama awarded Dingell the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014 for his many years of service in Congress. Dingell was also passionate about helping the environment, having worked on the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. Lana Pollack, U.S. chairwoman of the International Joint Commission stated, “his hand was on the steering wheel of virtually every significant environmental law in the country for six decades.”

Dingell penned an Op-Ed for The Washington Post in his final moments to share some last thoughts with the American public. Dingell addressed the division in the American political atmosphere of today, writing, “my personal and political character was formed in a different era that was kinder, if not necessarily gentler. We observed modicums of respect even as we fought, often bitterly and savagely, over issues that were literally life and death to a degree that — fortunately – we see much less of today.”

Dingell, a veteran of World War II, is not only remembered by his colleagues and friends for his reputation powerhouse in Congress, but also for generosity and kindness. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmore said, “the Congressman’s grit, humility and humor taught us all that we can disagree without being disagreeable, while still finding common ground and working together to get things done.”

In an interview with Michigan Radio’s Stateside, Congressman John Dingell said of his legacy, “you know, there’s a tombstone out in Kansas, and it just says this: ‘He done his damnedest.’ And I hope my people will say I served them well, and frankly I did my damnedest, and I did a good job and I took care of the people I’m elected to serve.”