February 8, 1967
Page 2958
DEATHS OF HON. CHRISTIAN A. HERTER AND MR. AND MRS. STEPHEN R. CURRIER
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, our Nation lost three outstanding citizens in January; Statesman Christian A. Herter and philanthropists Stephen and Audrey Currier. The first passed away after a distinguished career spanning 50 years. Mr. and Mrs. Currier were taken from us prematurely, leaving a brilliant record which promised even greater rewards for our society.
All three were motivated by a commitment to public service, and they provided effective leadership in times of national stress and introspection. Their energies and wisdom helped guide our Nation to new understandings and new policies in international redevelopment and in human equality and urban life.
As a Representative from Massachusetts, Christian Herter rallied support from skeptical colleagues for the Marshall plan, the boldest and most successful program of international redevelopment in the history of the world.
For this alone, the people of our Nation and the nations of Western Europe will for generations revere his name. But he will be remembered for many other deeds, as a diplomat at the age of 21, a prisoner-of-war negotiator in 1918, as a member of the American commission to negotiate the peace at Versailles, an assistant to Herbert Hoover, both with the American Relief Administration and later in the Commerce Department, as a writer-editor and Harvard lecturer, as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and its speaker, as a five-term U.S. Congressman, as a two-term Governor of Massachusetts, as Under Secretary and later Secretary of State; and, at the time of his death, chief U.S. trade negotiator.
There was hardly an important development in the history of the last 50 years with which Mr. Herter was not personally involved. There are few parallels to the distinction of his career in American history.
Mr. Herter was a warm, genuine human being beloved by his friends, colleagues, and associates.
His wisdom, integrity, and personal courage in the face of physical pain were admired and respected by all.
The Curriers were philanthropists to human needs. Innovation, foresight, courage, and anonymity characterized their work. They were in the vanguard of public concern, seeking out the social weaknesses which others ignored, and working to ease the problems.
A missing plane between Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands ended the story of a remarkable couple who made a pact 12 years ago to apply their resources to improving the quality of life for all Americans.
The Curriers were not armchair philanthropists. Mr. Currier went into Harlem to learn firsthand about slum life. He often went to work at 6 am. and worked until late at night.
In 1958, they founded the Taconic Foundation to meet head on the sensitive problems of civil rights. This was at a time when few other foundations were willing or perceptive enough to get involved in the issue. The Taconic Foundation also channeled funds to child welfare and mental health projects.
One result of the Taconic Foundation's work was the voter education project, 4 years before the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Curriers recognized that Negro voter registration is a root problem in the South.
The Curriers did more than seek out and support deserving causes. They involved themselves personally in the causes. In 1963, for instance, when dogs were loosed on Birmingham Negroes Mr. Currier went out and solicited $1.5 million from the wealthy to help support seven civil rights organizations.
Overall, his work for human equality steadied the major civil rights groups at a time of despair and growing distress.
More recently, the Curriers turned their energies to the problems of big cities. A year ago, he formed Urban America, Inc., to study urban problems with the hope of improving housing, planning and other weaknesses. More recently, he had worked with Mrs. Johnson in her campaign to beautify Washington and the Nation.
Mr. C. McKim Norton, vice president of Urban America, Inc., and member of Washington's National Capital Planning Commission, said of Mr. Currier:
His contribution was to pour new life into renewal, planning and housing objectives and set them on their way again. What he did was not wasted.
Humanity can be proud to have counted Mr. Herter and Mr. and Mrs. Currier among its members. Our world is a better place because they passed through it and dedicated their lives to improving it.