Room Named for Him : O’Neill Has the Floor--and Walls, Ceiling
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WASHINGTON — The House honored Speaker Thomas P. (Tip) O’Neill Jr. today, approving a resolution naming a third-floor room of the Capitol after the Massachusetts Democrat who retires this year after 34 years in Congress.
O’Neill, who was given a standing ovation by his colleagues, said the tribute violated one of his longtime beliefs--that a politician should not have anything named for him until he is out of office for 10 years.
The Speaker joked that he now enjoys the same status as a former House restaurant maitre d’ who had a room dedicated in his honor.
The House Republican leader, Robert H. Michel of Illinois, wondered whether the O’Neill Room--used by Democratic leaders for strategy sessions--was large enough, a lighthearted reference to O’Neill’s height and weight.
“It is spacious and gracious, ample in its proportion and warmth,” replied Jim Wright (D-Tex.), the majority leader and the man expected to succeed O’Neill as Speaker.
One of the Speaker’s predecessors, Sam Rayburn of Texas, fared a little better than O’Neill. The House named an entire office building after.
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