John H. Chafee:
Remembering a Senator,
Environmentalist, Friend

   

The American Flag flew at half-mast at Concord Park and other government buildings as the New England District and the country marked the passing of Rhode Island Senator John H. Chafee on October 24.

Senator Chafee worked hand in hand with the District on many projects in Rhode Island. Among them were the Southeast Lighthouse Relocation; Fort Adams Restoration; Fox Point Hurricane Barrier; Allendale Dam repair project; the Rhode Island South Coast Feasibility Study; the Providence River Dredging Environmental Impact Study; and the Blue Beach Disposal Site adjacent to Quonset Point/Davisville to name just a very few.

" Rhode Island has lost a great champion and the Nation an important and great man," said Col. Brian E. Osterndorf, District Engineer. "We at the Corps of Engineers have lost a friend."

The Rhode Island Senator was a strong environmentalist and was the Chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee. He was actively involved in the Defense Environmental Restoration/Formerly Used Defense Sites Program and was a partner in the Coastal America Program. In 1992, Senator Chafee hosted a Coastal America signing ceremony to commit the federal and state Coastal America partners to restoring constricted coastal embayments along the Rhode Island coast. At this ceremony he said, "This project is going to bring the marsh back and provide numerous environmental benefits."

"Senator Chafee was extremely enthusiastic about the Corps' involvement in habitat restoration," said Bill Hubbard, Engineering/Planning, who had worked with Senator Chafee since 1992 on a variety of environmental projects. "He (Senator Chafee) felt we could take the Section 1135 WRDA authority and restore Galilee salt marsh, a former Corps dredged material disposal site. He was genuinely interested in the response of Phragmites (a common reed that has taken over many marshes) in the scenario where the restoration project reintroduces saline tidal flows. Senator Chafee was glad to hear that just restoring the tide would restore the marsh habitat."

The Senator was instrumental in the passage of the 1988 law against ocean dumping, the 1989 Oil Spill law and the 1990 Clean Air Act

"I had the great honor (and pleasure) of knowing Senator Chafee on both a professional and personal level," said Larry Rosenberg, Chief, Public Affairs. "He was a man committed to personal responsibility and to making the world a better place for everyone. Politically, he was able to cross the aisle and build coalitions that identified concerns and that found solutions. I will miss this man, his commitment to this country, his advice, and his common sense."

Senator John Chafee was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on October 22, 1922. He graduated from Yale University in 1947 and from Harvard Law School in 1950. During World War II, he left Yale to enlist in the Marine Corps, and served in the original invasion forces at Guadalcanal. He was recalled to active duty in 1951 to serve in Korea. In 1956, he was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives, where he served for six years, including two terms as Minority Leader. Elected Governor in 1962, Senator Chafee was re-elected in 1964 and 1966 B both times by the largest margin in the state's history. That made him the state's first Republican Governor to be re-elected since 1930, and the first three-term Republic Governor in almost 50 years. In January 1969, he was appointed Secretary of the Navy, and served in that post until May 1972. He then returned to private law practice in Providence. Running in what is considered one of the most Democratic states in the nation, Chafee received almost 58 percent of the vote in his successful 1976 campaign for the U.S. Senate. His victory marked the first time in 46 years that a Republican had been elected to the United States Senate from Rhode Island. "Senator John Chafee was a valued friend, a talented Navy Secretary, Governor and Senator, a valiant Marine, a New England gentleman, and one of the finest people I've ever known," said Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen. "His death is a great loss to the Senate and to this nation. He leaves an enduring legacy of moderation, decency, concern for the environment, and love for Rhode Island and America. Many years into the future, his life and career will be a standard against which those who aspire to public service will be measured." Senator Chafee was the father of five children. He and his wife, Virginia, made their home in Warwick, Rhode Island. His son, Lincoln Chafee, Mayor of Warwick, was recently appointed by Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Almond to temporarily succeed his father in the U.S. Senate.