Cole Mourns Loss of Dean of the House Don Young

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after the passing of his dear friend and colleague, Congressman Don Young of Alaska.

"It was with great sorrow and sadness that I learned of the passing of the ‘Dean of the House,' Representative Don Young of Alaska.

"Like every other Member of Congress in both chambers, I have spent my entire career in the House serving with Don Young. To me, Don Young was no casual acquaintance or passing colleague. He was a mentor, a friend and, in many ways, a role model.

"When I first arrived in Congress almost 20 years ago, Don had already been in the House almost 30 years. He was the powerful Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. We served together on the House Committee on Natural Resources, which he once chaired. We quickly found ourselves working together on a set of issues ranging from energy to indigenous peoples to infrastructure.

"Don Young loved the House. Even though he was a statewide elected official, he never aspired to serve in any other office. In 2004, I recall visiting his office to discuss a road project in my district. At the time, Oklahoma had an open Senate seat. Before we got down to business, Don said, ‘Tom you're not here to tell me you are running for the Senate, are you?' I said ‘no.' He immediately declared, ‘Good! We have sent a lot of good people from the House to the Senate in my time. Unfortunately, they all turned into Senators!'

"Don's first wife was a Native Alaskan. No one in the House did more to advance the cause of Indigenous peoples than Don. He was knowledgeable about their issues and sympathetic to their cause. He was a fierce defender of tribal sovereignty, treaty rights and the federal trust responsibility.

"As the representative of one of America's greatest energy states and its last frontier, Don mirrored the views of most Oklahomans on oil and gas and infrastructure. For that reason, we often found ourselves as natural allies on these critical issues.

"Don was a natural ‘insider' when it came to legislating. He knew how to horse trade and get things done for his state. Frankly, we often did business over a stiff drink and a good cigar. He was a frequent visitor to both my personal and Capitol office because he knew he was always free to smoke a good cigar. If you made a deal with Don Young, you could take it to the bank. And if you were in a legislative bar fight together, you knew he had your back and would stay with you until the last punch was thrown.

"Don was the current Dean of the House and the longest serving Republican in the history of Congress. He was a giant legislatively and an imposing physical presence in the halls of Congress. Everyone knew his favorite seat on the floor of the House and no one dared to sit in it other than an ignorant freshman — and that person only did it once.

"But beneath the bluster, the bravado and the swagger, Don Young was a kind and decent man, a wise and thoughtful counselor to all who would listen and a firm friend to anyone who made the effort to get to know him. He could be intimidating when he wanted to be. But his bark was always worse than his bite.

"I will miss Don Young in many ways — as a legislative ally, a congressional institutionalist, a source of wisdom and history and a master strategist. But mostly, I will miss him as a friend. We will not see his like again in the House.

"I extend my deepest sympathy to Don's beloved wife Ann, his family, friends, loved ones and the people of Alaska. We have all lost a man who will never be forgotten and cannot be replaced."

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