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Global Health Matters

July - August, 2008  |  Volume 7, Issue 4

Fogarty turns forty...faces new challenges

In his 20 years as chairman of the House subcommittee that funded what is now HHS, Rep. John E. Fogarty (D-R.I.) had a vision to create a more peaceful world by sharing biomedical research discoveries with other nations. But he died at his desk before the dream of a "Health for Peace" institute could be realized.

His legacy turned out to be the Fogarty International Center, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in July with an open house for NIH staff at the historical Stone House.

Back in Fogarty's heyday, Congress was much less partisan than today, and he won the admiration and cooperation of many Republicans concerned with health issues.

The power of appropriators was so great and Fogarty's likeability so wide that he single-handedly raised the NIH budget from $37 million to #1.24 billion during his chairmanship.

That he was such an ardent health research advocate might not be expected from his background. Born in Providence, R.I., March 23, 1913, Fogarty finished high school and, like his father, became a bricklayer. Within 10 years he was president of the statewide union.

Elected to Congress in 1940 at the age of 27, he won appointment seven years later to the House Appropriations Committee and its subcommittee that controlled spending for the NIH and other agencies in the old Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

Two years later he became the subcommittee's youngest chairman and devoted himself to the task of dismantling the brick wall of congressional resistance to spending on health research.

Unusual for that day, he would badger friendly witnesses from the NIH at budget time about why they were not asking for more money. The answer was that they were dutifully defending the request of the president, their ultimate boss.

The result? A lot of money. Usually a lot more than the president had requested.

In addition to promoting research throughout his congressional career, Fogarty consistently urged funding for the disabled and those with mental and physical impairments, as well as for medical libraries.

By 1963, he was dreaming of "a great international center for research...dedicated to international cooperation."

He died Jan. 10, 1967, while preparing to re-introduce such legislation, and 18 months later President Johnson created the John E. Fogarty International Center in his memory.

From a starting budget of $500,000 that has grown to $67 million, the Fogarty Center today supports more than 5,000 researchers in more than 100 countries.

After his death, the New York Times editorialized: "No one in the history of this country has done more to promote more and better health services, more and better health facilities and more and better health research than Representative Fogarty.

Fogarty turns forty...faces new challenges (cont'd)