In accepting the first Thomas S. Foley Award for Distinguished Public Service, former Secretary of Defense and retired general James Mattis on Tuesday called on those in the audience to reject political division and cynicism for this country.
“I trust some of you young folks in the audience will leave tonight refusing to adopt the childish practices you see too often on our television screens. Rather, resolving to embrace the courage, the conviction, the civility and the dignity of Tom Foley,” Mattis said during the award presentation by Washington State University's Foley Institute . The award was given at the John J. Hemmingson Center on the Gonzaga University campus.
Before retiring in 2013, Mattis served over 40 years in the United States military, including as a general at the highest levels in the U.S. Marine Corps. Mattis was called back into service as Secretary of Defense under former President Donald Trump. He later resigned and broke from Trump in the lead-up to the 2020 election.
Mattis is also a native son of Washington, having been born in Pullman and graduated from Central Washington University. In accepting the award, Mattis said he hoped he was a good steward for the legacy of Tom Foley, whom he called “one of the finest citizens our state ever produced.”
The only Speaker of the House from Washington state, the late Congressman served 30 years. A member of the Democratic Party, Foley was Speaker from 1989 to…
