Facility in Patagonia will honor former congressman in the town where he grew up
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ legislation to name a post office in Patagonia after her predecessor, former U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe, passed the House today in a voice vote.
“Obviously, I’m flattered to have the post office named after me,” Kolbe said. “It means a lot to have my name on the post office where I grew up and went to mail packages and buy stamps.”
Giffords’ bill was co-sponsored by Arizona’s entire House delegation. It now goes to the Senate.
The legislation would rename the post office at 100 N. Taylor Lane in Patagonia the Jim Kolbe Post Office.
Kolbe, a Republican, served 22 years in the House where he developed a reputation as an expert in international trade. His thorough knowledge of this issue earned him a speaking spot at his party’s presidential nominating convention in 2000.
Kolbe was elected in 1984 and re-elected 10 times before deciding not to seek re-election in 2006. That year, Giffords was elected to succeed Kolbe representing Arizona’s 8th District.
Kolbe was born in Evanston, Ill. When he was five, his family moved to a ranch in rural Santa Cruz County, Ariz. He attended Patagonia Elementary School and Patagonia Union High School. Kolbe still has a cabin on the land where he grew up.
Kolbe graduated from the United States Capitol Page School after serving for three years as a page for Sen. Barry Goldwater.
“This experience would have a lasting impact on his appreciation for the virtue of public service, resulting in a long and distinguished career rooted in his dedication to cultivating a better Arizona and a better nation,” Giffords wrote to fellow House members as she introduced the bill.
Kolbe earned degrees from Northwestern University and Stanford University before joining the U.S. Navy and serving in Vietnam.
When Giffords introduced the bill renaming the post office, she called Kolbe “a true statesman in the Arizona tradition who worked tirelessly for his district, his state and his nation during more than two decades in the House.”
“He would spend his life serving our nation, whether in the United States Navy, the Arizona State Legislature or as the U.S. Representative for Arizona’s 5th and 8th Congressional Districts,” Giffords wrote to fellow House members when she introduced the bill last month.
“Congressman Kolbe did not work from a predetermined list of partisan positions,” Giffords added. “He worked to unite his colleagues in development of solutions to issues important to Arizonans, from increased economic opportunity through trade to environmental conservation.”
The main post office in Tucson, at 1501 S. Cherrybell Stravenue, is named in honor of former U.S. Rep. Morris K. Udall who represented Southern Arizona in the House from 1961 until 1991.