House leadership and close colleagues of the late Alaska Rep. Don Young honored his memory as he lay in state in the Capitol on Tuesday morning.
Young was the longest-serving Republican in the House of Representatives, fittingly dedicating “49 years of his life to the 49th state,” as his colleague Sen. Lisa Murkowski put it. Nearly every speaker made reference to Young’s infamous knife, how he would scold colleagues for being late or long-winded, and the deep love he held for his family — qualities they came to know and respect during his near half-century of service.
The two other members of Alaska’s small congressional delegation lamented the absence of their “tenacious, indomitable, rugged” leader, as Sen. Dan Sullivan said.
‘A LION AND A MAN IN FULL’: MEMBERS OF CONGRESS MOURN DON YOUNG’S DEATH
“Don Young was so authentic in an age of over-coached politicians, he was a throwback — a throwback to a time and a place where people were respected not so much for how they talked or how they looked, but for what they could do,” Sullivan said. “And boy, did he do a lot in life and for Alaska.”
Young was known as a colorful fixture in the lower chamber, unabashedly gruff but deeply compassionate if you got to know him, the speakers remembered. Murkowski said he was “probably the only one who has ever stuck his hand into an animal trap in a hearing just to prove a point.”
“He was as colorful as they came,” Murkowski continued. “He was tough, but he was loyal. And loyalty nowadays seems to be a commodity that can be in short supply. But Don Young was loyal. He was gruff, but he had a soft spot. He could be so caring, so compassionate.”
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said it was an honor to be twice sworn in as speaker by Young, who was the dean of the House, a symbolic title bestowed on the chamber’s longest-serving current member. She said he wasn’t afraid to foster community across the aisle with his salmon dinners but also didn’t hesitate to butt heads with anyone, often earning their respect in the process.
Young was a mentor to many of his younger colleagues, qualities that Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said came from one of his many adventures before getting into politics.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“He told me that the job that prepared him most to be a member of Congress was teaching the 5th grade,” reminisced McCarthy, a California Republican. “I don’t know what kind of teacher Don was in Alaska — but I imagine he was good, because he was a great teacher here in Congress.”
Young was first elected in a March 1973 special election and reelected 25 more times as Alaska’s only representative. He died unexpectedly on March 18 at age 88. He is only the 43rd person to be honored by lying in state in the Capitol.
