How refreshing to know there was a politician - very successful at that - who did not accept PAC money. Learning of his life is an inspiration. I think politicians should review the "Ethics in Government Act of 1978".
Thank You once again Laura for an enlightening article.
Wonderful, enlightening article on Jim Leach. To my knowledge, aside from likely “ nonpartisan “ more local candidates who probably slipped through, Leach was the only known Republican I’ve ever voted for. I learned even more about his temperament and qualities from this article. Thank you.
One mark against Leach is his co-sponsorship of the legislation which pulled down the second Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 which had erected a wall to separate commercial from investment banking.
Thank you, Laura, for putting together such a moving compilation of loving recollections and reflections on Jim Leach. They were so very touching, and all of them rang so true!
I can confirm Linda Week's statements about the important role Jim played in the return of Holocaust assets to Jews and their surviving families, particularly those assets held by the Swiss Banks where they were deposited by German Jews seeking to protect their wealth from Nazi confiscation. I first heard about it directly from Jim. We ran into each other in an airport, and he shared with me about what he had been doing along these lines. It was another of the wonderful conversations that we held. As someone who teaches about the Holocaust at St. Ambrose University, I was particularly moved by what he said. At that time, one of the very sensitive issues in the Jewish world was how these Swiss banks were stonewalling these Holocaust survivors and their heir, hoarding for themselves the vast amount of Jewish wealth that was originally put in their care for the protection of the victims and their families. What Jim did was a great humanitarian service! It was so like him to stand up against injustice, in whatever form it took.
Regarding his love of art, when he left office, he reached out to me, saying that he had a gift he wanted to give to Temple Emanuel. It as a triptyk (a set of 3 panels on a related theme) by the artist Jacques Lipschultz, which he had displayed in his office.
By the way, if you ever wish to expand your set of tributes to Jim, you might want to reach out to Dick Gottlieb, a former CEO of Lee Enterprises, who was a schoolmate and lifelong friend of Jim's.
Jim Leach was a good human. None of those Republicans who issued those nice sounding statements live up to any of his values or principles.
Excellent story, Laura and a nice round up of the many well deserved tributes Jim Leach is receiving. We need more like him. Thank you for this.
How refreshing to know there was a politician - very successful at that - who did not accept PAC money. Learning of his life is an inspiration. I think politicians should review the "Ethics in Government Act of 1978".
Thank You once again Laura for an enlightening article.
Beautiful tribute, Laura. What a difference in his service, integrity and legacy from the Republicans we have “representing” us.
Wonderful, enlightening article on Jim Leach. To my knowledge, aside from likely “ nonpartisan “ more local candidates who probably slipped through, Leach was the only known Republican I’ve ever voted for. I learned even more about his temperament and qualities from this article. Thank you.
He was the only Republican a lot of people voted for.
One mark against Leach is his co-sponsorship of the legislation which pulled down the second Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 which had erected a wall to separate commercial from investment banking.
Thank you, Laura, for putting together such a moving compilation of loving recollections and reflections on Jim Leach. They were so very touching, and all of them rang so true!
I can confirm Linda Week's statements about the important role Jim played in the return of Holocaust assets to Jews and their surviving families, particularly those assets held by the Swiss Banks where they were deposited by German Jews seeking to protect their wealth from Nazi confiscation. I first heard about it directly from Jim. We ran into each other in an airport, and he shared with me about what he had been doing along these lines. It was another of the wonderful conversations that we held. As someone who teaches about the Holocaust at St. Ambrose University, I was particularly moved by what he said. At that time, one of the very sensitive issues in the Jewish world was how these Swiss banks were stonewalling these Holocaust survivors and their heir, hoarding for themselves the vast amount of Jewish wealth that was originally put in their care for the protection of the victims and their families. What Jim did was a great humanitarian service! It was so like him to stand up against injustice, in whatever form it took.
Regarding his love of art, when he left office, he reached out to me, saying that he had a gift he wanted to give to Temple Emanuel. It as a triptyk (a set of 3 panels on a related theme) by the artist Jacques Lipschultz, which he had displayed in his office.
By the way, if you ever wish to expand your set of tributes to Jim, you might want to reach out to Dick Gottlieb, a former CEO of Lee Enterprises, who was a schoolmate and lifelong friend of Jim's.
Has the what’s his name 4th district Iowa congressman expressed any comments online?
Probably not, he doesn’t believe in reaching across the table and working together for the people.
I did not see any public comments from Randy Feenstra (looked at his official and political feeds last night).
This is really lovely, Laura. Jim was an outstanding human. May his example inspire others on both sides of the aisle.