SR7JAN28

TheWeekInCongress.com

Week Ending January 28, 2005

Senate Resolution 7 relating to the death of Howard S. Leibengood, former Sergeant at Arms of the Senate.

BRIEF

From a tour in Vietnam through numerous legislative jobs on Capitol Hill including legal counsel during the Watergate hearings, Howard Leibengood served as the Chief of Staff of former Senator Howard Baker Jr. and then held the same position with former Senator Fred Thompson and most recently until his death this month as Chief of Staff to current Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

The Senate resolved with profound sorrow and deep regret Mr. Liebengood's death.

Senators recognized him as a man who “…lived with passion…with conviction…with generosity…with grace…”

Senator Frist explained, “He was just that kind of person--always extending himself, always making others comfortable around him, always making the personal connection, especially focusing on the young people in the office. He wanted to share with them the excitement and honor of working in Government. He always let them know, interns and staff alike, that their jobs mattered, that their jobs had a purpose, that they were serving their fellow citizens and advancing the cause of democracy.”

Senator Frist retold one of the Leibengood adventures with his sidekick Mike Madigan, "The story goes that one time in Manhattan, NY, of all places in the apartment of Fidel Castro's mistress, in the course of casual conversation, Mike Madigan said something that upset Ms. Marita, something she took as a challenge to her own personal integrity. She pulled a Derringer from her brassiere and threatened to shoot them both. It was a tense moment. Mike tried to dive under the couch over against the wall. Fortunately, Mike and Howard got out of there unharmed and with a great story to tell."

Sponsor: Senator Bill Frist

Vote: Agreed to by Unanimous Consent (Jan. 24, 2005)

Cost to the taxpayers: No discernible cost