John Stennis (CVN 74) - Naval Cruise Book

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Time and again during : years of service, the Sen- ate turned to Senator Stennis for guidance wlien its members were under suspicion, and when an impartial and fair assess- ment seemed vital. From the McCarthy era to Watergate, Senator Stennis applied the ju- , dicial skills and temperament he I Hl I E 9 acquired during his ten years I N SSi Mfc the bench in Mississippi. ■ c:pn;.tnr Stennis ' unselfish achievements during his long years of hard work ' dlS noTcore thrt great adversity. In 1973 he was shot tw.ce dunng a holdup attempt in his front yard in northwest Washington. Although doctors at first did not give much hope of Senator Stennis living, then later of ever walking again, he surprised practically every- one and recovered almost completely. John C. Stennis retired from the Senate in 1988 and re- turned home to teach at Mississippi State University. In Washington, Senator Stennis had a sign on his desk that represented a part of his philosophy. It simply read: Look Ahead. His own words and deeds articulated this personal conviction as it ap- plied to the United States Navy: Our Navy has an unchanging mission. Many of our resources, our allies and our enemies as well, lie overseas. In most of our wars in the last 175 years, including the revolutionary war, this country would not have been victorious without superior Navy power being on its side. This mission to maintain decisive naval power for our global interests will remain as imperative for the future as the past. Our global interests and overseas dependence grows, not lessens, with each passing year. We must always remember that when the chips are down and shots are fired, it will be the modern-day naval patriots who will risk their lives, man the ships and fire juruary 1975, Senator Stennis re- Hrxie - ' ' om my vantage point, forgetting

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Jo C. Stennis John Cornelius Stennis was born 3 August 1901 in the Kipling community, about eight miles south of DeKalb, Mississippi. He came from a long line of country doctors, though his father was a farmer and merchant in DeKalb. His father taught him responsibility and hard work at an early age, talents he would later incorporate into his personal code and practice in every aspect of life. John C. Stennis put great stock in education. He attended Mississippi State University and graduated in 1923. After graduation he went on to the University of Virginia in 1924 and convinced the Dean of the law school to accept him without ever filing an application. His education there was interrupted, however, when his father died and he returned to his family farm. During this interruption of his studies at Virginia, Mr. Stennis ' friends and neighbors urged him to seek an open seat in the Mississippi House of Representatives. He was elected and took the oath of office in January 1928, beginning a career in public service that would span more than 60 years without a break. Political historians believe that to be a record for this country. State Representative Stennis went back to I i,UL ' ' IBl the University of Virginia in the fall of 1928 to finish law school. He continued to excel, actually memo- rizing the entire United States Constitution. On Christmas Eve of 1929, he married Coy Hines, a native of New Albany, Mississippi, who was serving at the time as the Kemper county home demonstration agent. They built and moved into a white frame house just south of DeKalb. In 1932, John C. Stennis was elected district prosecuting attorney. People throughout the dis- trict came to know him as a hard-working prosecu- tor who stood for what was right and unyielding in the face of adversity. In 1937, John C. Stennis was appointed to fill the seat of a circuit judge who had died. For the next ten years, Judge Stennis gained the respect of all and his reputation spread far beyond his district. When U. S. Senator Theodore G. Bilbo died in office in 1947, Judge Stennis entered the race for his seat. It was a grass roots campaign in which Stennis promised to plow a straight furrow right down to the end of my row. He was elected against formidable opposition and began to build on a national reputation as the junior Senator from Mississippi. His reputation for integrity spread quickly among his colleagues, who learned they could depend on what John C. Stennis said. USSJOHNC. STENNIS (CVN-74)

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ang the full facts and knowing the needs, know that a strong and powerful Navy - a Navy second to none - is vital and essential to the Nation ' s security. Such a Navy is needed to go into battle if war should be forced upon us. Of equal importance, such a Navy is needed in time of peace to provide the evident muscle and sinew to enforce our foreign policy and, if necessary, to call the bluff of a would-be aggressor. Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia, former Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said of Senator Stennis, ' ' His career in the Senate and particularly his leadership of the Armed Services Committee were an inspiration to me. As Chairman, he set a standard that all of his successors strive to meet ' Senator John C. Stennis was referred to by President Ronald Reagan as ' ' the father of America ' s modern Navy be- cause of his years of consistent and steadfast support. As Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee (1969-1980), Senator Stennis stood firm for U. S. military superiority. He fought and won many battles on the floor of the Senate on b ehalf of the American mili- tary men and women. A strong Navy, second to none in the world, was always at the top of John C. Stennis ' agenda. I On 19 December 1988, then Sec- I retary of the Navy, William L. Ball, III, designated CVN 74 to be named the USS JOHN C. STENNIS in honor of John Cornelius Stennis, United States Senator from Mississippi, an unwa- vering advocate of peace through strength. Senator Stennis died in April 1995. USS JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN-74)