Carl Vinson (CVN 70) - Naval Cruise Book

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During 1941-42, he sponsored and passed 99 defense related bills through the House stressing accelerated con- struction of warships in anticipation of hostilities to come. Vinson encouraged the United States to adopt two basic policies: to retain armed physical strength to dis- courage aggression, and to develop spiritual strength to make peace a viable reality. In 1947 he became the first chairman of the newly formed House Armed Forces Committee, where he faced down a succession of Presi- dential and Congressional attempts to reduce defense spending. He remained a powerful force in maintaining U.S. military defenses until his retirement in 1964 after serving an unprecedented 25 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. CONGRESSMAN VINSON 1914

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CAEL ¥M, 1883-1981 UNCLE CARL CARL VINSON — THE MAN Carl Vinson was an unparalleled champion of military preparedness, whose philosophy was that lasting peace could only be achieved through a strong defense capabil- ity. Carl Vinson ' s Congressional career began in 1914 when he was first elected to the U.S. House of Represen- tatives; he went on to serve there continuously for more than fifty years. Considered for years to be the most powerful man in Congress, Carl Vinson ' s influence in Washington was legendary and he is generally credited with preparing the country to survive two major wars. In his book, Was There, Admiral William D. Leahy praised Vinson for his work in a critical decade (1935-1945); In my opinion, the Georgia Representative had, in the past decade, contributed more to the national defense than any other single person in the country except the Presi- dent himself.

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CAEL ¥1 ©M AT LAUNCHING 15 MARCH 1980 On March 15, 1980, Carl Vinson became the first living American to have a Navy ship named in his honor, when the aircraft carrier U.S.S. CARL VINSON was launched at Newport News, Virginia.