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Congressional Daily Record
This section is a tribute, commemoration, or district-facing statement. It mentions members such as John B. Larson. Extensions of Remarks are statements submitted for the official record, even if they were not spoken live on the floor.
Issued
September 16, 2026
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Extensions of Remarks
Material lawmakers submit for the official record even when it was not spoken live on the floor.
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Download official Extensions PDFReturn to issue contextHON. JOHN B. LARSON
of connecticut
in the house of representatives
Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Leslie A. Larson. I want to inform my fellow citizens of East Hartford, family, friends, and professional acquaintances of my enduring gratitude for their kind words, their letters, text and social media messages they have sent me since the August 11, 2026 Primary for which I gratefully thank them.
people who have been so helpful to me over my many years of public service. There is especially one person who rarely receives thanks or appreciation for her help, and has sacrificed more than any individual or organization, and that is my wife Leslie. Frankly, she never seeks the spotlight and prefers the shadows, yet no one comes close to what she has persevered through over my lifelong career in public service. Incredibly, she has not only stood by me over the years, but also has raised and nurtured our three children, often times alone. The children have never known their father when he was not in public office and have had to endure not just an absentee father, but the unfair expectations placed on them and the falsehood that they got treated special, not because of who they were individually, or what they had accomplished on their own, but who their father was. A totally unfair attribute that only a caring mother with patience and perseverance was able to explain to get them through the rough spots.
family, including her father Norm and my mother, who along with our extended family have always been both willing and helpful. The reality of public life for Leslie is most often unseen. At the end of the day when the children are in bed, there is no one there to talk to or confide in about the daily occurrences with the family or simply empathize with about the day she and the kids have had. She deals with the daily set of circumstances that only a select few can. The realization that, when I get home, we will have the opportunity to sit down and have the time to talk it all through, never seems to happen. No matter how well intentioned, when I finally do get home, the unresolved issues remain because yet another crisis in the Congressional District arises and puts her everyday concerns along with nurturing and caring for a family on hold again. The crisis of the moment always seems to come up and needs to be dealt with, while the concerns of the family end up taking a back seat to the issue of the day and the urgency to be addressed. There is no denying who bears the burden of so many unresolved issues that were put on hold. This takes someone of enormous strength and character with the will to persist and persevere through the neglect that is simply the reality of public life and the life of a caring spouse.
uplifts and explains to the children when, unintentional or not, her needs and those of her children are seemingly subjugated to the needs of the public. This of course was never part of any marriage contract or pall of any proposal, or what either party envisioned when they were married, it is, however, the reality of public service and public life.
they want to be or not. Leslie has never sought the spotlight or frankly the glitter of public life. While there may be some advantages, and some opportunities, they pale to the realities of being alone with all the responsibility, with the lack of privacy and the security she and her children receive because of who she is married to.
it. The best insight I can provide is that my wife is a master gardener. She is amazing in the way she is able to grow, nurture, and watch her flowers blossom and witness the plants that she has cared for from seedling to flowering come to fruition. She has held our family and our children together with the same tender care. She pays exceptional attention to detail, analogous to her emphasis on good soil, fertilizing, and the amount of sunlight and rain critical to growth. She applies those same gardening skills to holding our family together and watching it grow.
plants, no thank you from the flowers, only observing and knowing that helping them flourish and blossom happens because of her efforts. For Carolyn, Laura, and Ray, and certainly me, we benefitted from that same loving care. Leslie has never sought acknowledgment; like so many spouses of elected officials, she carries out her responsibilities out of a sense of duty and love. Without her, without the unselfish manner that she protects her children and her husband with, my life in public service would not have been possible. She is as remarkable as she is rare, and clearly my children and I have benefited from her efforts, and so have the 1st Congressional District and my hometown of East Hartford have as well.
messages, and acknowledgments, they were only made possible because of the sacrifice of Leslie A. Larson.