Death of former Representatives Pat Williams (D-Mont) and John Burton (D-CA)

[Jimmy]

Two significant deaths for the NPS, especially Pat Williams.  See below.

see attached. 

When the Alaska Lands Act, HR 39, came to the US House, Udall had lost in both his own committee and in the Merchant Marine subcommittee. It is extremely humiliating to lose in your own committee, but the Merchant Marine, had both a pro-oil democrat John Breaux (D-LA) that had just taken over the subcommittee, really dominated by the pro-Refuge, anti-park, NRA board member and pro-oil Michigan Democrat John Dingle, furiously opposed to NPS and furiously opposed to the subsistence provisions because it federalized game management (hunting groups strongly in favor of hunting rules in control of state boards of fish and game, despite court decisions affirming federal authority for the management of resident fish and wildlife inside federal lands).

Udall cobbled together a bipartisan group of advocates, to give the appearance of a "committee." He had the support of the powerful Speaker, but had been (typically, according to what Phil Burton told me; Burton believed Udall was incompetent when it came to procedure and mechanics.  One of the sponsors, Lloyd Meads (D-WA) of the bill we and Udall opposed, was the only Member on the Rules Committee also allowed to serve on other standing committees, and he had within Rules set up a procedure completely in favor of his bill.  Which meant that we needed to REVERSE 5 committee votes previously committed to their colleague Meads.  Which, we did. (quite a bunch of stories, there).  Anyway, we got to the Floor with a favorable Rule, much favorable Media attention, but a Ferocious John Dingle supported by AK Republican Congressman Don Young absolutely committed to destroying our bill, which after all lost in both committees.

But, it looked like we had the votes.  But then, the National Rifle Association, which just then was switching from a hunting conservation group to a fire arms industry and radical Right group, with its huge membership mobilized, wrote a powerful letter to each Member of the House of Representatives the morning of the debate.  Danny Smith was the frontline lobbyist for the NRA.

It was a stirring and diabolical letter.    It explained that defeating the Udall bill was a fundamental priority for the NRA.  Any Member of Congress that voted for it would be punished.  The Congress had no right to pass a bill that wholesale takes traditional rights and powers away from states.

We could feel our support drain away, as if through a sieve. 

Then, the Congressman from the State of Montana took the Floor.   With an undeniable aura of a westerner about him, and from one of the handful of states with particularly strong NRA branches.

With his hand shaking in rage, read passages from the NRA letter, then shaking it above his head: 'who are these people to threaten the Congress of the United States, who are these people to threaten the integrity of every Member of the United States House of Representatives?!!'

I was sitting in the House Gallery for the Floor debate.  You could feel the backbone of the Members stiffen, that yes, no one could push them around. You could feel 50 votes swing from one side to the other.

That was the high water mark of the Alaska Lands Bill.  It included Wilderness in the Coastal Plain for the Arctic Wildlife Refuge.  There was no Ambler Industrial Mining Road to destroy the wildlife in the Brooks Range of NW Alaska. It had something like 11 million acres of Wilderness in SE Alaska in the Tongas National Forest.  The Senate never did what the House and Pat Williams did.  But Pat Williams showed that a courageous Member, even from a solidly conservative Western state, could stand up and defend the environment, and win.  And it did not destroy the career of Mr Williams, he won again and again.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pat Williams D Mont left fields questions with Col Murray Sanders on Japanese WW II germ warfare experiments on American  POWs Dec 6 1985.jpg

Death of John Burton of San Francisco, link to OBIT

Death of Pat Williams (D-MONT) OBIT, hero for parks

[JAMES PEPPER]

correct spelling:  Congressman John Dingell

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From: parklan...@googlegroups.com <parklan...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Jimmy <James_...@msn.com>
Sent: Monday, September 8, 2025 1:58 AM
To: parklandwatch <parklan...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [PLW Update] Death of former Representatives Pat Williams (D-Mont) and John Burton (D-CA)

 

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