Gerald B. H. Solomon

Infobox_Congressman
name = Gerald B. H. Solomon


birth_date = August 14, 1930
birth_place = Okeechobee, Florida
death_date = death date and age|2001|10|26|1930|8|14
death_place = Glens Falls, New York
state = New York
district = 29th, 24th and 22nd
term = 1979 – 1999
preceded = Edward W. Pattison
succeeded = John E. Sweeney
party = Republican
religion =
spouse =

Gerald Brooks Hunt Solomon (August 14, 1930 – October 26, 2001) was a New York Republican politician.

Born in Okeechobee, Florida, Solomon attended the public schools in Delmar, New York as a child, later attending Siena College from 1949 to 1950 and St. Lawrence University from 1953 to 1954. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1951 to 1952. Solomon was a business executive in Queensbury, New York and was elected to the Warren County, New York legislature in 1968 and the New York State Assembly in 1972. Solomon was elected to the House of Representatives in 1978 as a Republican. In 1980, he was an early and avid supporter of Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign, and remained a Reagan stalwart, supporting his efforts to reduce taxes, revive the economy, halt Soviet expansionism and rebuild America's defenses. Solomon supported the line-item veto, a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning, a repeal of the Assault Weapons Ban, and amendments that strengthened the Selective Service System. He also sponsored the legislation that created the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, granting full cabinet status to the former Veterans Administration. He was such an opponent of gun control that he once challenged fellow Representative Patrick J. Kennedy of Rhode Island to "step outside" to settle a dispute over the issue. Solomon attempted to run for Speaker of the House in 1994 but withdrew in favor of Newt Gingrich. Solomon was the chairman of the House Rules Committee from 1995 to 1999, when he retired from Congress, choosing not to be elected to an eleventh term.

In his district, which ran from the Hudson Valley near Poughkeepsie into the Adirondacks, including Lake Placid, he was a popular and respected figure, consistently drawing the highest total vote of any Member of Congress in New York State in his later years. He was well known for his personal touch and strong constituent work, and for facilitating federal investment in his mostly rural district, including dozens of housing projects for low income elderly, and the Saratoga National Cemetery, where he is buried and which was renamed the Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery in his honor following his passing.

While a man of passionate beliefs and firm opinions, he also exemplified the ability to maintain friendships across political lines. Among those who delivered moving eulogies at his funeral was Representative Charles Rangel, a Democrat, of New York City.

Solomon was also the originator and sponsor of the Solomon Amendment, a controversial amendment to United States Code that precluded the receipt of federal government funds by colleges and universities unless they provided equal access to military recruiters as they did private employers. While superficially non-discriminatory, the policy was a direct response to the universal rule at American law schools to exclude employers who discriminated based on — among other categories — sexual orientation. The Amendment was subject to extensive litigation in 2003 by plaintiffs FAIR and SALT. See "FAIR v. Rumsfeld", 390 F.3d 219 (3rd Cir. 2004). On March 6 2006, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of the military and upheld the Solomon Amendment.

Solomon was a leader of former Marines in Congress who attempted to block the construction of the United States Air Force Memorial through litigation and legislation because they considered the approved site to be too close to the USMC War Memorial.

ee also

References

*CongBio|S000675 Retrieved on 2008-01-14
*findagrave|5971794 Retrieved on 2008-01-14