Honoring and commending The Honorable Thomas M. Foglietta on his return home to Philadelphia from his service as United States Ambassador to Italy and recognizing his over 40 years of public service.

WHEREAS, Thomas M. Foglietta was born on December 3, 1929 in Philadelphia. He graduated from one of America’s leading Catholic universities, Saint Joseph’s University, in 1949, and obtained his law degree at Temple University in 1952. He was an attorney in the general practice of law in the City of Philadelphia from 1953 to 1980; and

WHEREAS, From 1976 to 1977, he was the district director and representative of the U.S. Secretary of Labor in Philadelphia. At the time he was elected to Philadelphia City Council in 1955,

he was twenty-six years old and was the youngest elected councilman of a major city in America, and served as the Minority Leader in City Council; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Foglietta was elected to Congress in 1980. In Congress, he was the founding chairman of the Urban Caucus in 1991 and has been deeply involved in issues relating to the problems of urban transportation, African-Americans, women, world hunger, human rights, and the fine arts. During his years in Congress, his special efforts focused heavily on the problems of economic modernization of big cities, the provision of jobs, transportation and other basic services for the urban poor, the improvement and protection of health and other benefits during the welfare reform process, the development of Democracy and protection of human rights, and the conservation of the marine environment and ocean resources; and

WHEREAS, On November 12, 1997, the former U.S. Congressman, Thomas Foglietta, was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Italy. A nine-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the First District of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), he was serving on the Foreign Operations and Transportation Subcommittees of the Appropriations Committee at the time of his nomination. He previously served on the Armed Services Committee, the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Select Committee on Hunger; and

WHEREAS, During more than 40 years of public service, Ambassador Thomas Foglietta participated actively in a wide range of community, service, fraternal, professional, and other organizations. He has served the United States well in his capacity as Ambassador and Diplomat to the country of Italy since 1997; now therefore

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby honors and commends The Honorable Thomas M. Foglietta on his return home to Philadelphia from his service as United States Ambassador to Italy and recognizes his over 40 years of public service.

RESOLVED FURTHER, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to United States Ambassador Thomas M. Foglietta as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.

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