Mr. President, this past weekend, our nation lost one of its finest public servants with the passing of former California Senator Alan Cranston.

Senator Cranston served California well, and our hearts and thoughts go to his son Kim and the rest of his family at this difficult time.

Senator Cranston holds the distinction of being the only Democrat in our State's history to win four terms to the United States Senate, serving 24 years.

Born in Palo Alto, California in 1914, Alan Cranston was a tireless champion for peace, justice, and human rights. He was also a steadfast advocate for the poor and oppressed.

Senator Cranston was educated at Stanford University where he excelled as both a student and athlete. After graduating, Senator Cranston worked as a
correspondent for the International News Service and then served his nation well in the U.S. Army in World War II.

In 1939, Alan Cranston edited the first unexpurgated English translation of Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf" published in the U.S. in an effort to alert Americans to the dangers of the Third Reich.

In fact, Senator Cranston had the very unique experience of being sued by Hitler for copyright violation for his work on this editing project -- and in true Alan Cranston form -- he wore this as a badge of honor and demonstrated that he would stand up to anyone in pursuit of Democratic principles and ideals.

He first service in elected office was when he won his race for California State Controller in 1962. He then ran successfully for the Senate in 1968 and was elected seven times as party whip.

He was called by my many as one of the best "nose counters" in the Senate.
My esteemed colleague and former Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd said of Senator Cranston, "He is absolutely superb when it comes to knowing how the votes will fall in place on a given issue."

Senator Cranston also was a strong leader in an effort to protect our environment. I am proud to say that he was the original author of the Desert Protection Act and he called me shortly after I won election to the Senate in 1992 to ask me if I would take over the effort to get the bill approved. In 1994, we amended the bill a number of times but were able to get it passed and make the legislation a reality.

This landmark measure created two new national parks -- Death Valley and Joshua Tree -- and one national preserve -- the Mojave. In total, the measure has permanently saved and protected over 7 million acres of pristine California desert wilderness for all time.

As Thomas Jefferson said in 1809 that "the care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government," it appears to me that Senator Cranston demonstrated this view with strong and forceful advocacy of arms control.

In the Senate, Alan Cranston played a leading role in moving the SALT and START arms control treaties through this body, and he drafted the first bill to eliminate funding for the Vietnam War.

In 1983, Alan Cranston said that ending the arms race would be the paramount goal of his run for the Presidency. That effort was not successful, but his effort to promote an honest dialogue on this issue grew and he continued to work toward a more peaceful planet right up until the time of his death.

In 1996, he became chairman of the Gorbachev Foundation USA based in San Francisco, founded by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and devoted to nuclear disarmament.

More recently, he served as President of the Global Security Institute, a think tank devoted to same end. The Institute recently persuaded more than 100 international civilian leaders, including 44 former presidents and prime ministers, to sign on to its nuclear weapon elimination initiative.

Signators included former President Jimmy Carter, former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, Nobel Laureates Kenneth Arrow and Elie Weisel, Coretta Scott King, astronaut Sally Ride and retired Supreme Allied Commander General Andrew Goodpaster.

Former Representative Lionel Van Deerlin describes Senator Cranston's devotion to nuclear disarmament well when he said, "He's got to be remembered for pioneering, when the Cold War was still on, limiting the worst weapons ever conceived."

In summing up the career of Senator Alan Cranston, I believe a recent editorial in the Los Angeles Times aptly sums up his life and his service to our nation:

Senator Cranston `toiled in the trenches during a long political career in behalf of California and world peace. The value of his efforts and dedication was not fully appreciated at the time and was overshadowed by his departure from the Senate. It's that body of work that should be remembered and celebrated now.'

Mr. President, our nation is no doubt a better place because of Senator Alan Cranston's service, and we will miss him deeply.