Adams House

Floor Speech

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Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate a historic milestone in one of our Nation's oldest diplomatic partnerships as we look toward America's 250th anniversary. Recently, in The Hague, Netherlands, the United States Ambassador's residence was officially designated as Adams House.

This designation honors a remarkable legacy of American statesmanship, that of our second President John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams. In 1782, as the foundations of our Republic were still being laid, the elder Adams secured the Dutch recognition and financial support that proved essential to our independence. He knew then, as we hold true today, that American liberty is fortified by strong, principled alliances. This house further honors the torch passed to his son John Quincy Adams, who served as U.S. Minister Resident to the Netherlands before his own storied tenure as Secretary of State and our sixth President.

For my fellow Texans, this relationship is not just a matter of history; it is a cornerstone of our modern prosperity. The Netherlands is one of the top foreign investors in the State of Texas. From the energy corridors of the Gulf Coast to the tech hubs in Austin, Dutch innovation and Texas industry work hand-in-hand.

We even see this heritage in the names of our own communities, like Nederland, TX, founded by Dutch settlers whose legacy of hard work and resilience remains part of the fabric of our State.

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our Nation, Adams House serves as a permanent reminder that our diplomatic presence in The Hague was the first building the United States ever owned on foreign soil. It is a symbol of a friendship that has never broken.

I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this designation and in reaffirming the vital strategic, economic, and cultural bond between the United States and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

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