[StBernard] Landrieu Honors Sheriff Harry Lee on Senate Floor

[Westley Annis]

Landrieu Honors Sheriff Harry Lee on Senate Floor Jefferson Parish Sheriff
dies today from Leukemia.

 

WASHINGTON - United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., today spoke on
the Senate floor in honor of Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee, who died
today from Leukemia.  The transcript of her floor speech appears below in
its entirety. 

"I come to the floor today to speak just very briefly about a loss that
Louisiana has suffered, and in many ways the nation, of a great political
leader, great political figure and a friend to many. Mr. President, earlier
this morning, Sheriff Harry lee of Jefferson Parish passed away after a
battle with leukemia. 

"As you know, Mr. President, I come from a place of rich political heritage
and colorful characters, with amazing and fantastic stories about our
political figures. Among the most colorful, though, was Harry Lee, Sheriff
Harry Lee, who stood out and stood tall for so many years. He served the
people of Jefferson Parish since 1979, as their sheriff. 

"But he started life in Louisiana in a much more humble way. You see, Mr.
President, Harry was born in the back room of a Chinese laundry in downtown
New Orleans to immigrant parents, Bing and Yip Lee who instilled in him a
strong and determined spirit that would serve him well and serve all of us
well for the rest of his life. 

"After a promising educational start at Francis T. Nicholls where he served
as both senior class president and student body president, Harry went on to
college at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He joined the ROTC
program there and was early on recognized as an outstanding cadet. He didn't
stop there. His next step was to serve the country in the Air Force, and
during the height of the Cold War, he served at the famous Strategic
Command. His Air Force career led him to make a great decision in his life
and that was to marry Lai Been Woo, his wife of 40 years. 

"When Harry returned to Louisiana, he took over the family restaurant and
convinced his father to allow him to attend law school. He excelled and
became the first federal magistrate for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
He soon then, through many political contacts, his great and gregarious
nature and hard work became Parish Attorney for Jefferson Parish in 1975.
Shortly after, he was elected sheriff, a post that he held for more than two
decades, and he became a household name in Louisiana. 

"This story has probably been tracked by others, but Harry Lee came from a
Chinese-American background. At the time he was elected sheriff, Mr.
President, I think he was the highest ranking Chinese official and the only
Chinese-American sheriff in the country. He was always extremely proud of
his heritage and always reminding us of that singular accomplishment. 

"After being a larger-than-life force in the realm of criminal justice for
over 40 years, as I said, this morning he finally lost his own battle with
leukemia. And he had fought and won many battles on the streets of Jefferson
Parish and in the courtroom and in the court of public opinion.  Harry Lee's
success says something important about our country. The son of immigrant who
goes on to not only serve his parish, his city, his region but went on to
befriend presidents, Republicans and Democrats, being a go-to person when
people of great political distinction would come to our state. They always
wanted to see and talk with Harry Lee. 

"Like all of us in public life, his tenure was not without controversy but
he was fiercely loyal to his deputies. There are thousands of deputies,
current and former, who are mourning his loss and his passing today. You can
only think that his father and mother would now - they've passed away --
look down and be very proud of their son's accomplishments. The loss of this
singular figure in Louisiana politics is not only a loss to Jefferson Parish
and to the state of Louisiana but to this great country that we all try our
best to serve. 

"I wanted to extend my heartfelt condolences, Mr. President, to the Lee
family, to the deputies, to the law enforcement officials of Jefferson
Parish and to our state who are mourning this loss today. I hope that we'll
all take some solace from the fact that they're being joined by so many
mourners who recognize and appreciate a life well-lived. 

"In closing I'd like to say that not so secret of a hobby to those of us who
knew Harry was his singing. I can't say that he would have ever made
records, but he tried. And he sang with great zest and at many a Jazz Fest
he would be tempted to the stage by his good friend, Willie Nelson. It was
one of the highlights of Jazz Fest. His favorite song was 'Welcome to My
World.' So I'd like to say to Harry today, thank you for welcoming us to
your world, Sheriff Lee. You served us well, and you will be missed." 

 

- 30 -