[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 207 (Wednesday, December 1, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H6721-H6722]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING ROBERT HAMILTON HURT
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Carter) for 5 minutes.
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I
rise today to honor a man who has dedicated his life to a better
Georgia and a better United States: Robert Hamilton Hurt.
Bob Hurt is retiring this year, but his legacy will last generations.
You would be hard-pressed to find a better adviser, more loyal friend,
or hardworking foot soldier for every cause to which he has dedicated
himself than Bob Hurt. This includes his commitment to his lovely wife,
Virginia, and daughters Emma and Louisa, who are daily witnesses to
Bob's unwavering support.
Bob is a proud graduate of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, where
he studied history. During this time reporting for and serving as
editor for the campus newspaper, The Cluster, Bob both covered and
advocated for the school's desegregation.
After graduating, Bob cashed in on a couple of summers interning for
the Atlanta Constitution to score a full-time job reporting for the
paper.
That career was put on hold as Bob was commissioned as an officer for
the United States Army through Mercer's ROTC program and was then
called to defend our Nation in Vietnam.
While in Vietnam, he served as an Army infantryman and military
intelligence officer with the 173rd Airborne Brigade and with the 5th
Special Forces, more commonly called the Green Berets.
Bob returned to Atlanta following the war, where he continued his
career as a journalist covering many beats before moving to Washington,
D.C., to report on the happenings inside this building for the people
of Atlanta.
While in Washington, Bob continued to pursue his goals while studying
legislative affairs at George Washington University, where he went on
to receive a master's degree.
Bob left the Atlanta Constitution and began an illustrious career in
the United States Congress working for both the House of
Representatives and the United States Senate.
Accumulating an incredible 24 years of combined experience, Bob has
truly seen it all, but he never lost his commitment to the people of
his beloved Peach State. He served as chief of staff to two of my
predecessors, Representative Bo Ginn and Lindsay Thomas, as well as
staff director for Senator Sam Nunn.
Though his dear friend Frank Norton may have convinced Bob to leave
the government service, Bob never stopped working for our State. He has
been a trusted adviser to Members on both sides of the aisle to further
the interests of Georgians at the Federal level.
For more than 40 years, Bob Hurt has had a hand in nearly every
project to create jobs and improve lives in the First District of
Georgia. He has also been a fierce advocate for our military
installations and for ensuring America's troops are the best equipped,
highest trained, and most well cared for in the world.
While he is the first to roll up his sleeves and commit to doing the
hard things, Bob is the last person who will ever take credit for
getting the job done.
Mr. Speaker, I am here today to shine a light on this faithful public
servant who I am honored to call my friend.
Joining me in honoring Bob today are former Senator Sam Nunn and my
predecessors Lindsay Thomas and Jack Kingston.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record their remarks.
November 29, 2021.
Dear Bob: It is a pleasure to join with your family and
many friends to congratulate you on your well-deserved
retirement. (I don't really believe it.)
From your work at The Atlanta Constitution and your service
in the U.S. Army--to your time as my Administrative Assistant
in the Senate and your hard work at Hurt & Norton, you have
had an outstanding, impactful, and I am sure, very fulfilling
career. In every role, you have served with distinction,
integrity, and a great sense of humor, and you have been a
force for good for Georgia and our nation. You've given all
of us who have been blessed by your company a joyful example
of how to live a wonderful life.
Considering your news media background, I am reluctant to
admit that you are a superb writer, so let's put it this way:
I am looking for a speechwriter for my own retirement years.
Are you available? I am honored that we've had the
opportunity to work closely together over these many years,
and I treasure our relationship.
Thank you for your friendship, your leadership, your wise
counsel and your good jokes, which you have occasionally
shared. Colleen and I send our best wishes to you and
Virginia for a relaxing and enjoyable retirement. She is the
one who really deserves it, and we hope to see more of both
of you on the Georgia coast!
Sincerely,
Sam Nunn.
____
Though a newcomer to the political arena, I was well aware
of the reputation and capabilities of Bob Hurt long before he
agreed to serve as my Chief of Staff.
I cannot recall a serious disagreement that came between us
throughout those ten years. There were surely times when my
naivete and lack of experience frustrated him greatly but
never did it shake his steady, even-handed manner of
directing the affairs of our office.
Bob selected our staff, directed the budget, and inter-
office proceedings and, with his established knowledge of the
First District, precluded any serious opposition during my
ten years in office. His careful stewardship of the complex
management challenges that face any congressional office
enabled me to concentrate on focusing on the district and its
people. In doing so, he afforded me the ability to spend the
kind of time I found necessary to keep our pulse on the
sentiments of the people we represented and the agenda of the
First District.
I came to recognize how much respect Bob had on Capitol
Hill. Other chiefs of staff and even other Members were aware
of his knowledge, experience, and wisdom, seeking his counsel
often. On many occasions I was perfectly aware of how Bob
felt about various issues before us based on their questions
of me.
In serving former Congressman Bo Ginn before me and then
Senator Sam Nunn after, I have often thought of what a
contrast it must have been to take on the responsibility of
such a novice as myself. He did so in a manner that helped me
come to a resolution on controversial matters, on the gamut
of ordinary issues that affected the nation and the First
District, and on the mundane responsibility of assuring the
people who elected me that our office was there to serve them
in every way possible.
Bob Hurt is a person of sterling character, very deep
intellect, and passion for our nation. He has exemplified
that passion not only through his years as Chief of Staff for
three Members of the United States Congress, a Vietnam
veteran, a father and family man, and a consultant to some of
the most important enterprises in the country, but also as a
friend and trusted counsel to people who shape the nation's
agenda.
He is a perfect example of a life well lived, and a person
whose service has made our country a better place.
I am truly honored to be his friend and I can say without
reservation our longtime friendship and association has made
me a better man.
Lindsay Thomas,
Member of Congress (1983-1993),
First District of Georgia.
____
Most of us don't know if Bob Hurt ever officially moved his
residency to the state of
[[Page H6722]]
Virginia but either way we in Georgia claim him as one of our
most outstanding citizens.
As a young man Bob played an integral volunteer role in the
election of the late Congressman Bo Ginn. After Ginn was
elected Bob stayed on as a staff member. Knowing the hours he
worked and the reality of congressional salaries, I'm sure
the compensation was only slightly better than what he made
as a volunteer!
He worked grueling hours traveling the state of Georgia,
meeting its people and dealing with the issues that most
affected them. Along with Congressman Ginn, his successor
Lindsay Thomas, and Sen. Sam Nunn, Bob was on the forefront
of nearly every major public project for the last five
decades. He helped push for the development and expansion of
our ports, universities, military installations, countless
roads, bridges, airports, and industries. As Georgia grew and
prospered Bob never forgot the quality of life in which we
all believe. He balanced environmental, rural, and urban
dynamics so that generations to come will still be able to
know and love the same Georgia in which Bob was reared.
In all of these achievements Bob never cut the ribbon or
took the applause. He worked quietly behind the scenes and in
most cases crafted the message and wrote the very speeches
the elected officials gave as they accepted the accolades.
After his retirement from Congressional life Bob continued
his public service as a lobbyist. I always describe Bob is a
guy who charged you a dollar when he should've charged you
two dollars and always gave you three dollars worth of work.
He has been an example for many other public advocates. To
Bob the mission is always primary, not the dollars or the
political impact.
Bob's wife Virginia and daughters Emma and Louisa have been
part of Bob's contribution to a better Georgia. Bob puts his
family first yet there been many sacrifices that all of them
have made to make Bob a success. I hope Bob stays in the game
but whatever the future holds he will be known as the premier
and most successful public servant and lobbyist on Capitol
Hill.
Jack Kingston,
Member of Congress (1993-2015),
First District of Georgia.
{time} 1100
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, Bob Hurt is a great Georgian. He
is a great American. Most importantly for me, he is a great friend who
has helped me tremendously, as he has helped so many people.
I wish him well in his retirement. I know that he will be living in
my district. I look forward to representing him. We need more people in
this world like Bob Hurt. We need more people in the United States and
in Congress like Bob Hurt.
I thank Bob for his tutelage and for all he has done for our great
State and for our great Nation.
____________________