Tom Foley

Name	Tom Foley
Image
Office	25th United States Ambassador to Japan
President	Bill Clinton George W. Bush
Term Start	November 19, 1997
Term End	April 1, 2001
Predecessor	Walter Mondale
Successor	Howard Baker
Office1	Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board
President1	Bill Clinton
Term Start1	January 16, 1996
Term End1	November 19, 1997
Predecessor1	Warren Rudman (acting)
Successor1	Warren Rudman
Office2	49th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Term Start2	June 6, 1989
Term End2	January 3, 1995
Predecessor2	Jim Wright
Successor2	Newt Gingrich Office3 Leader of the House Democratic Caucus Term Start3 June 6, 1989 Term End3 January 3, 1995 Predecessor3 Jim Wright Successor3 Dick Gephardt Office4 House Majority Leader Leader4 Jim Wright Term Start4 January 3, 1987 Term End4 June 6, 1989 Predecessor4 Jim Wright Successor4 Dick Gephardt Office5 House Majority Whip Leader5 Tip O'Neill Term Start5 January 3, 1981 Term End5 January 3, 1987 Predecessor5 John Brademas Successor5 Tony Coelho Office6 Chair of the House Democratic Caucus Leader6 Tip O'Neill Term Start6 January 3, 1977 Term End6 January 3, 1981 Predecessor6 Phillip Burton Successor6 Gillis Long Office7 Chair of the House Agriculture Committee Term Start7 January 3, 1975 Term End7 January 3, 1981 Predecessor7 William Poage Successor7 Kika de la Garza
State8	Washington
Term Start8	January 3, 1965
Term End8	January 3, 1995
Predecessor8	Walt Horan
Successor8	George Nethercutt
Birth Name	Thomas Stephen Foley
Birth Date	1929-3-6
Birth Place	Spokane, Washington, U.S.
Death Place	Washington, D.C., U.S.
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Heather Strachan (1968 – now)
Education	Gonzaga University University of Washington (BA, JD)

Early life, education, and legal career

Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, Foley was the son of Helen Marie (née Higgins) a school teacher, and Ralph E. Foley a Superior Court judge for 34 years. He was of Irish Catholic descent on both sides of his family; his grandfather Cornelius Foley was a maintenance foreman for the Great Northern railroad in

Foley graduated from the Jesuit-run Gonzaga Preparatory School in Spokane in 1946 and attended Gonzaga University for three years; he completed his bachelor's degree at the University of Washington in Seattle, then attended its School of Law and was awarded a Juris Doctor degree in 1957.

Following law school, Foley entered private practice. In 1958, he began working in the Spokane County prosecutor's office as a deputy prosecuting attorney, and later taught at Gonzaga's School of Law (in Spokane) from 1958 to 1959. He joined the state attorney general's office in 1961 as an assistant attorney general.

In 1961, Foley moved to Washington, D.C., and joined the staff of Senator Henry M. Jackson. He left Jackson's office in 1964 to run for Congress.

Congressional service

Speaker of the House

In June 1989, Jim Wright of Texas resigned as Speaker of the House of Representatives (only the fourth speaker ever to resign) and from Congress amid a House Ethics Committee investigation into his personal business dealings. In the June 6 election to succeed Wright, Foley was the victor, receiving 251 votes; his Republican opponent, Minority Leader Robert H. Michel, received 164 votes.

During the 101st Congress, Foley presided over the House as it passed a landmark update to the 1963 Clean Air Act, measures protecting persons with disabilities, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as well as the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990. The budget act, a part of the massive Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990, established the "pay-as-you-go" process for discretionary spending and taxes, and was signed into law by President George H. W. Bush on November 5, 1990, contrary to his 1988 campaign promise not to raise taxes. This became a significant issue during the 1992 presidential campaign.

In 1993, the 103rd Congress passed an omnibus budget bill through which the government was able to raise additional revenue and balance the federal budget. Signed into law by President Bill Clinton on August 10, 1993, the measure stirred controversy because of the tax increases it imposed. Under Foley's leadership Congress also passed the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, as well as the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act plus legislation that laid the groundwork for the "Don't ask, don't tell" military service policy in 1993 which was then instituted by the Clinton Administration in 1994.

Term limits

During his time in the House, Foley repeatedly opposed efforts to impose term limits on Washington state's elected officials, winning the support of the state's voters to reject term limits in a 1991 referendum; however, in 1992, a term limit ballot initiative was approved by the state's voters.

Foley brought suit, challenging the constitutionality of a state law setting eligibility requirements on federal offices. Foley won his suit, with a United States District Court declaring that states did not have the authority under the United States Constitution to limit the terms of federal officeholders.

However, in Foley's bid for a 16th term in the House, his Republican opponent, George Nethercutt, used the issue against him, citing the caption of the federal case brought by Foley, "Foley against the People of the State of Washington". Nethercutt vowed that if elected, he would not serve more than three terms in the House, though he ultimately served for five. Foley lost in a narrow race. While Foley had usually relied on large margins in Spokane to carry him to victory, in 1994 he won Spokane by only 9,000 votes, while Nethercutt did well enough in the rest of the district to win overall by just under 4,000 votes. Since Foley left office, no Democrat has garnered more than 45 percent of the district's vote.

Foley became the first incumbent Speaker of the House to lose his bid for re-election since Galusha A. Grow in 1862. He is sometimes viewed as a political casualty of the term limits controversy of the early 1990s. President Clinton attributed Foley's defeat to his support for the Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994. Foley lost his seat in the Republican Revolution.

Later career

From 1995 to 1998, Foley was head of the Federal City Council, a group of business, civic, education, and other leaders interested in economic development in Washington, D.C.

In 1997, Foley was appointed as the 25th U.S. Ambassador to Japan by President Bill Clinton, and was part of the US government response to the deaths of Japanese schoolchildren caused by a US submarine.

He served as ambassador until 2001.

Foley was a Washington delegate to the 2004 and 2012 Democratic National Conventions. On July 9, 2003, Governor Gary Locke awarded the Washington Medal of Merit, the state's highest honor, to Foley. He was North American Chairman of the Trilateral Commission.

Death

Foley died at his home in Washington, D.C. on October 18, 2013, following months of hospice care after suffering a series of strokes and a bout with pneumonia. He was 84 and was survived by his wife, Heather. Services were held at St. Aloysius Church at Gonzaga University, as well as in Washington, D.C. Speaker John Boehner, and Nancy Pelosi, who had also served as Speaker, issued statements honoring Foley. In a White House statement, President Barack Obama called Foley a "legend of the United States Congress" who "represented the people of Washington's 5th district with skill, dedication, and a deep commitment to improving the lives of those he was elected to serve.", going on to praise Foley for his bipartisanship and subsequent ambassadorial service under former president Clinton. Vice President Joe Biden also released an official statement, saying "Tom was a good friend and a dedicated public servant.", citing his work in Congress with Foley in the 1980s on budgetary issues. Washington governor Jay Inslee also released a statement, acknowledging Foley's efforts to reach consensus and emphasize mutual common ground, and his work in the legal system and in Congress. Former president George H. W. Bush stated that Foley "represented the very best in public service--and our political system" and "never got personal or burned bridges."

Honors

• Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (UK).
• Order of Merit (Germany).
• Légion d'honneur (France).
• Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers, Grand Cordon (Japan), 1995.
• Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University. Established in 1995.
• Thomas S. Foley Memorial Highway (U.S. Route 395), dedicated in 2018.

Electoral history

Congressional elections

• November 3, 1964:

• November 8, 1966:

• November 5, 1968:

• November 3, 1970:

• November 7, 1972:

• November 5, 1974:

• November 2, 1976:

• November 7, 1978:

• November 4, 1980:

• November 2, 1982:

• November 6, 1984:

• November 4, 1986:

• November 8, 1988:

• November 6, 1990:

• November 3, 1992:

• November 8, 1994:

Speaker elections

• June 6, 1989:

• January 3, 1991:

• January 5, 1993:

References

• Langer, Emily, 2013-10-18, Thomas S. Foley, former House speaker, dies at 84, en-US, The Washington Post, 2022-01-26, 0190-8286
• Post, The Washington Post , , The Washington, 2013-10-18, Thomas Foley, reluctant but powerful leader, dies at 84, 2023-11-21, The Denver Post, en-US
• 2013-10-18, Thomas Foley, reluctant but powerful leader, dies at 84, 2023-11-21, Washington Post, en-US
• Tom Foley - Oct. 18, 2013 , , The Spokesman-Review, 2025-05-15, www.spokesman.com
• 2024-09-01, Review: "Tom Foley: The Man in the Middle" tells life of Democratic politician elected to a heavily Republican district, 2025-05-15, Spokesman.com, en
• Spokane Chronicle, Washington, House speaker's mother dies at 88, January 5, 1990
• Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington, (obituary), Retired Judge Ralph Foley dead at 84, April 17, 1985
• Foley, Thomas S. (1929-2013), HistoryLink.org, May 3, 2017
• Tom Foley, January 29, 2015, July 25, 2018, The Gonzaga Bulletin, Spokane, Washington
• Ex-House Speaker Tom Foley reigned in friendlier political era, Seattle Times, October 19, 2013, September 22, 2015, Song, Kyung M.
• Spokane Daily Chronicle, Horan, Foley express appreciation to voters, September 16, 1964
• House – July 9, 1965, Congressional Record, 111, 12, U.S. Government Printing Office, 16285–16286, February 27, 2022
• House – August 3, 1965, Congressional Record, 111, 14, U.S. Government Printing Office, February 27, 2022
• House – August 16, 1967, Congressional Record, 113, 17, U.S. Government Printing Office, February 27, 2022
• House – April 10, 1968, Congressional Record, 114, 8, U.S. Government Printing Office, February 27, 2022
• TO SUSPEND THE RULES AND PASS H.R. 3706, A BILL AMENDING TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE TO MAKE THE BIRTHDAY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., A LEGAL PUBLIC HOLIDAY. (MOTION PASSED;2/3 REQUIRED).
• TO PASS S 557, CIVIL RIGHTS RESTORATION ACT, A BILL TO RESTORE THE BROAD COVERAGE AND CLARIFY FOUR CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS BY PROVIDING THAT IF ONE PART OF AN INSTITUTION IS FEDERALLY- FUNDED, THEN THE ENTIRE INSTITUTION MUST NOT DISCRIMINATE.
• TO PASS, OVER PRESIDENT REAGAN'S VETO, S 557, CIVIL RIGHTS RESTORATION ACT, A BILL TO RESTORE BROAD COVERAGE OF FOUR CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS BY DECLARING THAT IF ONE PART OF AN INSTITUTION RECEIVES FEDERAL FUNDS, THEN THE ENTIRE INSTITUTION MUST NOT DISCRIMINATE. VETO OVERRIDDEN; TWO-THIRDS OF THOSE PRESENT VOTING IN FAVOR.
• Smith, Timothy R., May 6, 2015, Jim Wright, House speaker who resigned amid an ethics investigation, dies at 92, The Washington Post, February 6, 2019
• Jenkins, Jeffery A., Stewart, Charles, 2013, Fighting for the Speakership: The House and the Rise of Party Government, Princeton University Press, February 4, 2019
• Langer, Emily, October 18, 2013, Thomas S. Foley, former House speaker, dies at 84, The Washington Post, February 6, 2019
• Federal Judge Strikes Down Law Limiting the Terms of Lawmakers, Egan, Timothy, February 11, 1994, The New York Times, January 17, 2017
• My Life, Vintage, December 23, 2012, usurped, July 31, 2012
• Rasanen, Colton, 2023-11-08, Tom Foley was the first Washingtonian to become House speaker — what can we learn from him today?, 2025-11-08, The Inlander, en
• King, Colbert I., Fred, Did We Really Know You?, The Washington Post, September 8, 2007, none
• Order in the House — and the Garage, Washington Business Journal, June 30, 1997, November 27, 2016
• Fram, Alan, Former Speaker of the House Tom Foley dies at 84, keprtv.com, October 17, 2013, The Associated Press, 15 December 2021
• The New York Times, Adam, Clymer, Thomas Foley, House Speaker, Dies at 84; Democrat Urged Parties to Collaborate, October 18, 2013
• Associated Press, October 19, 2013, Tom Foley, former speaker of the US House, dies at age 84, The Washington Post, October 18, 2013, dead
• Former Speaker of the House Tom Foley dies at 84 - Spokesman.com - Oct. 18, 2013, Spokesman.com, October 18, 2013, October 18, 2013
• Tom Kludt, October 18, 2013, Boehner, Pelosi Pay Tribute To Former Speaker Foley, Talkingpointsmemo.com, October 18, 2013
• National Archives, whitehouse.gov, Statement by the President on the Passing of Tom Foley, October 18, 2013
• National Archives, whitehouse.gov, Statement by the Vice President on the Passing of Tom Foley, October 18, 2013
• dead, October 19, 2013, CNN, Former House Speaker Tom Foley dead at 84, October 18, 2013
• Deshais, Nicholas, August 27, 2018, Say Hello to the new Foley Highway, The Spokesman-Review, September 24, 2018
• Election of the Speaker (House of Representatives – June 06, 1989), Congressional Record – 101st Congress, 1st Session, H2282–2283, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., March 10, 2016, dead, February 9, 2019
• Heitshusen, Valerie, Beth, Richard S., Speakers of the House: Elections, 1913–2019, January 4, 2019, CRS Report for Congress, Congressional Research Service, , the , Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., January 28, 2019
• Election of the Speaker (House of Representatives – January 03, 1991), Congressional Record – 102nd Congress, 1st Session, H2–3, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., March 21, 2016, dead, February 9, 2019
• Election of the Speaker (House of Representatives – January 05, 1993), Congressional Record – 103rd Congress, 1st Session, H2–3, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., March 15, 2016, dead, February 9, 2019

Further reading

• Bird, R. Kenton and John C. Pierce, Tom Foley: The Man in the Middle, University Press of Kansas, 2023. isbn 978-0700634651.

External links