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Enhancement of the U.S. Capitol

In 1970, the Society instituted the first of three phases of a mural project to decorate the walls and ceilings of the U.S. Capitol with scenes of our nation's history. Among our most recent contributions are the "Westward Expansion" mural located on the first floor, West Corridor, House of Representatives, and architectural prints of early Capitol construction for the conference rooms in the Senate wing of the Capitol.

Walking the ground floor corridors of the House wing of the Capitol, visitors gaze upward at the magnificent murals adorning the arched ceilings. They may not know that they are looking at one of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society's major donations to the Capitol, nor do they necessarily realize the educational purpose underlaying the art.

As they pass through these corridors, however, visitors can see the Capitol's cornerstone laid, the building burnedby the British, the dome constructed and the Rotunda used as a hospital during the Civil War. Turning a corner they can relive great events such as the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, Washington's Inauguration and the Monroe Doctrine; around another corner they can retrace the westward expansion of the nation from sea to shining sea.

The first two corridors, known as the Hall of Capitols and Great Experiment Hall, were designed and painted by Allyn Cox (1896-1982) and his assistant, Cliff Young. In 1953, Cox, a renowned American muralist, had completed the Rotunda frieze begun over seventy years earlier by Constantino Brumidi. The U.S. Capitol Historical Society commissioned Cox to begin planning the House side murals in 1969. He completed the first corridor in 1974; the second was dedicated in 1982. Following the death of Cliff Young in 1986, Jeffrey Greene and EverGreene Painting Studios, Inc., were selected to complete the third corridor, Westward Expansion, based on preliminary designs by Cox and Young.

Visitors to the Cox Corridors need not be historians nor art critics to appreciate the meaning and purpose of the murals. They attract attention, they teach lessons about the past, and they stimulate a desire to learn more about the history of the Capitol and the nation.

Society Honors Senate Judiciary Committee

Richard Thornburgh, former U.S. Attorney General for the Bush Administration, delivered the keynote address at the United States Capitol Historical Society’s May 17 dinner honoring the 184-year history of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman, and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the committee’s Ranking Minority Member, also made remarks.

Thornburgh’s long career, capped by his service as the nation’s highest ranking law officer from 1988 to 1991, gave him a perspective on the interactions between the Executive and Legislative branches of government on judicial matters. In addition to holding the post of Attorney General, Thornburgh served as the Governor of Pennsylvania (1979 to 1987), the Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, the Assistant Attorney General of the United States in charge of the Criminal Division, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and Director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s JFK School of Government.

On the 46th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court case, Brown v. the Board of Education (May 17, 1954), Thornburgh pointed to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s central role in crafting civil rights legislation during the 20th century. He recalled some of the accomplishments his office achieved with the Judiciary Committee: the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) and the effort to curb the American Bar Association’s role in the judicial selection process, which he described as having been extended beyond the purview of judging professional credentials to assessing a nominee’s political and ideological views.

Thornburgh also outlined some of the challenges that the committee will need to undertake in the 21st century, including regulation of content on the Internet and the creation of a comprehensive federal criminal code. As regards the latter, the first attempt to enact a federal criminal code was undertaken in 1828. Shortly thereafter it was set aside, "due to the press of business." It has never been completed. Currently, more than 3,000 criminal offenses are defined in more than 50 titles of code; criminal intent is defined in 78 different ways.

While Thornburgh spoke about the tensions inherent in the "interface" between the Judiciary Committee and the Department of Justice, Senators Leahy and Hatch regaled the audience with anecdotes from their years of service on the Committee. Hatch spoke about how he came to propose Ruth Bader-Ginsburg as a possible Supreme Court nominee early in President Bill Clinton’s first term. On another occasion, soon after he dropped out of the 2000 presidential race, Clinton called him late one evening to ask a favor: Could the Senator get him a ‘Hatch for President’ button to add to his political button collection?

Leahy and Hatch also reminisced about their days as newcomers to the Senate, when they first met then-Chairman James Eastland of Mississippi. Eastland was a fixture in the Senate, serving from 1941 to 1978, including 22 years as Judiciary Committee Chairman.

Leahy, now a five-term Senator, recalled being summoned to Eastland’s office shortly after his election in 1974. The chairman, a staunch anti-Communist with a deep Southern drawl, was smoking a big Cuban cigar.

Statuary Hall Send-Off

With the stately splendor of National Statuary Hall for a backdrop, the U.S. Capitol Historical Society honored 39 retiring members of the 106th Congress at a July 11th reception. The careers of the retiring Members span a total of 500 years of public service: 422 in the House and 78 in the Senate. Among those honorees in attendance were Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE)--who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism in Vietnam; veteran of the House and current Senator Connie Mack (R-FL); Bill Clay (D-MO) who has served in the House for 32 years; Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ); and Senator Richard Bryan (D-NV).

The House and Senate leadership offered remarks to honor--and in some cases to roast--the retirees. Speakers included House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX), Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS), Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), and House Minority Whip David Bonior (D-MI).

Lott told the audience that he was preparing for a spate of farewell parties. He'd already attended one function for Mack, the two-term Senator from Florida. "And I made a fool out of myself, got all teary-eyed; pleaded with him not to retire, "change your mind Connie." Mack replied jokingly, "Look, I'll solve your problem. I'll come back as president of the Senate." Bonior spoke on behalf of the House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-MO).

Looking around the room at the statues of national leaders and heroes--some renowned, others obscure--Bonior noted that few legislators today would be lavished with such impressive monuments to their memory.

Senator Reid, standing in for Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), recalled an anecdote about Moynihan who--even before his terms in the Senate--had a long resume filled with government service. Prior to his election in 1976, Moynihan held posts in four consecutive presidential administrations--from John F. Kennedy to Gerald R. Ford. As a freshman Senator, Reid once approached Moynihan, then the Finance Committee Chairman, to seek his support for a highway project in Nevada. Several days later he received a five-page, handwritten letter from Moynihan that began with the statement: "I was thinking of Thomas Jefferson." For five pages the scholarly Senator from New York held forth on his thoughts about the third president.

Reid closed by speaking of his long-time friendship with Senator Bryan. Both men passed the Nevada Bar exam in 963, faced one another as attorneys, and, later, were elected as the only two freshmen to the Nevada State Legislature, where they were dubbed the "gold dust twins" for their fair hair color. When Bryan was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1988, he joined Reid who had already served one term.

Reflecting on the imminent retirement of his friend and three other Senate Democrats, Reid told Lott, "we're going to enact a new rule: For every Democrat that retires, a Republican should also retire."

Society Unveils Traveling Exhibition for Bicentennial

The U.S. Capitol Historical Society unveiled its traveling exhibition, "Where Freedom Speaks: 200 Years of the United States Capitol," at a preview ceremony and reception in the Russell Senate Office Building Rotunda on April 24, 2000.The exhibition--part of the Society's celebration of the Capitol bicentennial--features images and text that describe the origins and development of the building. Its six panels tell the story of the building's architectural evolution, artistic decoration, functions, and meaning over the two centuries of the U.S. Capitol's existence. This June, "Where Freedom Speaks" will begin to tour the 50 state capitols, many of which were influenced by the form and symbolism of the federal building.

At the April 24 event, Pamela Scott, the exhibition curator and a leading authority on Washington, D.C., architecture, spoke briefly about the concept of "Where Freedom Speaks." "Our intention is to bring the Capitol to the people," Scott told the audience at the reception.

Scott, who also developed and curated the "Temple of Liberty" Capitol exhibition at the Library of Congress in 1993, explained that the new exhibition "is a balance between images and information." On hand for the sneak preview were Architect of the Capitol Alan Hantman, Landscape Architect of the Capitol Matthew Evans, and the Curator for the Architect of the Capitol, Barbara Wolanin. Many of the images used in the exhibition were provided by the Office of the Architect of the Capitol. Former Society President Clarence J. Brown--who helped develop the project--also attended the debut. "This is a proud day for the Society," Society President Ronald Sarasin said. "Here the story of the U.S. Capitol--our living and evolving symbol of democracy--is conveyed in a manner that is informative for children and parents, teachers and students. It also will be physically accessible to Americans because we are committed to bringing it to their home states and--by summer 2000--putting it on the Internet."

"Where Freedom Speaks" is the culmination of nearly a year of work by Scott, Alan Aiches--a local graphic designer, and Society staff. Scott, a Washington, D.C.-based architectural historian, co-managed the project with the Society's chief historian Donald Kennon. Aiches created the design concept, giving vision to the exhibition's intellectual presentation.

The generous financial support of several of the Society's corporate members--AirTouch Communications Foundation, International Paper, The Proctor & Gamble Company, and General Dynamics--as well as contributions from individual members, provided for the development and construction of the exhibition.

Message to NYC Students: "You are the solution!"

"You are the solution" was a central theme at the Society's March 27 New York City "African Americans in Public Service" Youth Forum.

National, state, and local officials and students from sixteen high schools, representing all five city boroughs, engaged in a lively dialogue focusing on getting involved in the local community, social justice and equality of opportunities, consensus building, and education. Congressman Louis Stokes (D-OH) made the point most succinctly: "You have to live in a community. You are part of the political structure of this country. The more involvement you have, the more you have to say about who controls your life."

The New York forum offered young people the opportunity to listen and discuss important issues with ten community leaders. Following Society president Ronald a. Sarasin's welcoming remarks, C. Virginia Fields, Manhatten Borough President, delivered the keynote address, which drew into perspective recent events in the city involving the police and related those issues to the broader topics that the panelists would discuss. She emphasized the need to build on consensus to achieve progress on social issues. Bill Perkins of the 9th District served as moderator for the program and also addressed questions from students throughout the day.

Former Congressman and Society board member Stokes and Geoffrey Eaton, Chief of Staff for Philip Reed of the City's 8th District, served on the first session. They offered students different insights and life experiences that brought them into public service and the importance of becoming involved in public life. Students asked about ways to deal with the lack of resources and overcrowding at their schools. The panelists encouraged students to participate in voter registration drives to enable people to exercise their rights and responsibilities.

Councilman and majority leader, Archie Spigner, took Stokes' place during the second session. Fellow Councilmembers Tracy Boyland and Annette Robinson and Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY) joined the last panel before lunch. During these two sessions, students focused on the questions of equality and how to gain a voice in public affairs. To create that voice, the panelists exhorted the students to register, get others to register, and then vote. They also described the real art of representative democracy in that leaders have to use the art of persuasion. Congressman Meeks emphasized that he often was required to reach out to others with different points of view in order to gain their support for legislation helpful to his constitutents.

After lunch, New York Board of Regent members Eleanor Powell and Dr. Ena Farley joined Perkins and Eaton for the concluding session of the Forum. Students and panelists discussed a wide range of educational issues including quality and effectiveness of state testing programs, equitable distribution of limited financial resources, and the need for more teachers to fill future vacancies.

While the Forum was scheduled to end at 1:30 p.m., the dedicated panelists stayed an extra 30 minutes so that everyone's questions were answered.

The Forum was a success for all concerned. Teachers, students, and panelists expressed their thanks to the Society for this series of educational outreach programs. Time Warner and the Merrill Lynch & Co. Foundation, Inc., generously provided the funds for developing the Forum. Time Warner deserves special thanks for furnishing the room adnall the support services for the Society.

Society Acquires Historic, Mid-19th Century House Heirloom

The Society's most recent acquisition--found on an Internet auction site--is a historic chair reputed to be the one used to carry Congressman John Quincy Adams off the House floor shortly after he suffered a fatal stroke.

Capitol officials alerted the Society's chief historian, Donald Kennon, that the chair was up for bidding at the on-line auction house "eBay" with only three hours remaining in the auction. From his home computer Kennon bid for--and won--the chair. Funds for the purchase were provided through a generous donation from the General Motors Corporation.

For nearly 100 years, the chair was in the possession of a family in western New York. The family had acquired it from a former sergeant-at-arms of the U.S. House of Representatives.

According to family tradition, this former House official told them--when he gave them the chair--that it had been removed from the House Chamber following Adams's death. When the official retired, he brought the chair home with him and placed it in his Wellsville, NY, office.

An expert from Sotheby's originally appraised the chair, fixing its value based largely on its age, condition, and the family tradition. Society historians and the office of the Curator for the Architect of the Capitol are researching its history. Experts in historical furnishings have dated it to the mid-nineteenth century based on its styling and handmade composition. A photograph of the Committee of Agriculture room in the U.S. Capitol, dated ca. 1900, shows chairs very similar to this one around the conference table. The picture is plate 248 in Glenn Brown's History of the United States Capitol, Volume II, published in 1902 by the Government Printing Office. When the best available documentation has been compiled, the chair will be offered for donation to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Adams, the nation's sixth president (1825-1829), lost his re-election bid to Andrew Jackson in 1828. He did not go quietly. He won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1831. While representing his home state of Massachusetts, Adams distinguished himself as a leading and eloquent opponent of the institution of slavery.

Adams served in the House until suffering a massive stroke on February 21, 1848, at his desk in the House Chamber (now National Statuary Hall--a bronze floor marker identifies the spot where his desk was located). He was carried first into the Rotunda and then into the Speaker's office, where he died two days later.