The publication is reproduced in full below:
IN HONOR OF ROBERT E. JULIANO
______
HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON
of mississippi
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, Robert E. Juliano passed from this earth on October 18, 2021, at age 80. His passing is a great loss to our country and to the Union members he represented so loyally for so many years. It is a particular loss to the United States Congress, because he believed so passionately in our institution. It is no less a loss to so many of us in Congress who treasured Bob Juliano both professionally and personally.
Bob was born May 20, 1941, to Emil and Mary Salvaria Juliano in his beloved hometown of Chicago. Bob was a true product of Taylor Street and the West Side of Chicago, and he never lost his roots there.
As a young man Bob Juliano became a personnel manager at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in downtown Chicago. There he met the late Edward T. Hanley, then the leader in Chicago of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE), the Union now known as UNITE HERE, which represents the workers at the iconic Palmer House.
One of President Hanley's first acts when he became International President of HERE in 1973 was to hire Bob Juliano as the Union's first full-time Legislative Representative. It was unorthodox to hire a management person to represent the Union's members, and equally unorthodox to send to Washington someone with no lobbying experience at all.
President Hanley's unorthodox appointment was a response to Bob Juliana's passionate belief, founded in his Catholic faith and Jesuit education, in bringing people together. Over the years, he put that belief into practice by bringing together management and labor as well as people of all colors and faiths.
In Congress, Bob brought together Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, Members from smaller states and big cities. His faith in all of us is so sorely missed today. He had no interest in labels like conservative, moderate, or progressive. His interest was always in finding the best in each of us and giving each of us the opportunity to do something good for everyday Americans.
Bob had literally countless friends in Congress. They included, among many others, Senators as diverse as Senator Robert J. Dole, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Senator Orrin Hatch, Senator Samuel Brownback, and Senators of both parties from his home state of Illinois, such as Everett Dirksen and Richard J. Durbin. He lived long enough to relish the ascension of his friend Joe Biden to the Presidency of the United States.
In the House of Representatives, he likewise had strong relationships with Members across the spectrum, such as former Representatives Chris Cannon and Frank LoBiondo and his long-time close friend, House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro, among many others. He regarded the late Speaker Tip O'Neill as an important mentor.
Bob was particularly close to leaders of the Black Caucus, including the late Rep. John Lewis. He regarded the struggle for equality as the single most important issue of his lifetime. His belief in equality led him to work actively for civil rights and immigration reform, issues so important to the hospitality industry and to our nation.
One key to Bob's success on Capitol Hill was his many relationships with the staff who serve us as Members. Bob knew most of our Chiefs of Staff. He cared about everyone, whether the shoe-shine person, the Capitol Police Officer, the receptionist in our offices, the staff in the Doorkeepers' offices, the custodian, the food service worker--he knew and genuinely cared about them all. They responded to Bob because they sensed that his interest in them was genuine, and not simply a means to an end. Because of that sincere interest in everyone, Bob had a network anyone else would envy.
Bob Juliano was a product of the hospitality industry, and never was there a person more hospitable. He knew wine and food better than almost anyone, and he relished hosting so many people from so many walks of life.
Bob never left behind his roots in Chicago and his roots in the hospitality industry. Rank and file hotel and restaurant workers in Chicago and nationwide knew him. Representing their best interests was his lodestone.
He was a vigorous representative of UNITE HERE and its members. At the same time, he represented important employers such as American Express and NASCAR. Bob never saw that as a conflict, because he was so adept at finding common ground. The successive Presidents of the Union that he served never saw it as a conflict either, because he was so good at bringing people together. One important example was his long service on the US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, where he advocated for workers and for the industry as a whole.
The late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago called Bob Juliano his lobbyist. Bob was very proud to have served as a pall bearer for Cardinal Bernardin and for Speaker O'Neill. Among his many honors, he was especially proud to have been an Honoree of the Sons of Italy Foundation.
Robert E. Juliano is survived by his son, Robert E. Juliano, Jr., of Chicago. He was predeceased by his parents and his beloved sisters, Rosemary, Maryann, and Jeanette.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 189
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
House Representatives' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
Alerts Sign-up