Joe Bartlett
![Joe Bartlett began his 38-year career with the House of Representatives in 1941. In this undated image, he is seen at the Reading Clerk's desk.](https://webharvest.gov/congress115th/20180922163818im_/http://historycms.house.gov/assets/37936.jpeg?wd=190)
— Joe Bartlett, April 7, 2006
Abstract & Transcript
In the summer of 1941, just before his 15th birthday, Joe Bartlett left the family farm in rural West Virginia to work as a Page on Capitol Hill. But what he expected would be a one-month position became a House career that spanned 38 years. Bartlett eventually served as the chief of Pages, then as a reading clerk and, in the 1970s, as Clerk to the Minority, the senior Republican staff officer in the House. In his series of interviews, he provided many details on House proceedings and insights on how each of his positions fit into the day-to-day operation of the institution. Bartlett witnessed and described many historic events during his long tenure on the Hill, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" speech on December 8, 1941 and the 1954 shooting in the House Chamber. He also spoke about the daily routines, customs, and traditions he observed in the U.S. House. Bartlett's recollections of the House Page program, the Congressional Baseball Game, the renovation of the House Chamber from 1949 to 1951, and his personal memories of the era's leading Representatives and House Officers, such as Sam Rayburn, Joe Martin, William Tyler Page, Joe Sinnott, and South Trimble, all provide an invaluable and unique perspective on the institution.
Biography
Dorsey Joseph Bartlett was born on August 7, 1926, in Clarksburg, West Virginia. He was the sixth of ten children of Flavius Dorsey Bartlett, an efficiency engineer in the glass business, and Blanche (Hacker) Bartlett. Bartlett lived on the family farm in central West Virginia and attended local schools. After being named "America's Typical Schoolboy Patrolman," he was awarded a 30-day appointment as a HousePage on August 1, 1941, with the help of Representative Wright Patman of Texas. Later, having impressed Doorkeeper Joe Sinnott and House Clerk South Trimble, Bartlett received Page appointments while serving as Page Overseer and attending the Capitol Page School. Upon graduating in 1944, Bartlett enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was honorably discharged as a Private First Class in September 1945.
Returning to the Capitol after his service in World War II, Bartlett was appointed the Republican chief of Pages by Speaker Joe Martin of Massachusetts. He oversaw the work of several dozen House Pages, some as young as 11 years old. Commissioned from the ranks of the Marine Corps Reserve, Bartlett was recalled to active duty in January 1951 and served until June of 1952. From 1953 to 1971,Bartlett was a House reading clerk, sharing duties on the rostrum and working with the Speaker's and the Clerk's offices on numerous floor-related and administrative tasks. Bartlett also served as chief reading clerk for six Republican National Conventions. From May 1971until he retired, Bartlett served as Minority Clerk.
In January 1979, a year after retiring from the Marine Corps as a Brigadier General, Bartlett retired from the House. During his career, Bartlett received honorary law degrees from the Atlanta Law School and Salem College. He was also awarded the Legion of Merit, and in 1982 he was the Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the Federal Executive Institute. Joe Bartlett died on March 1, 2013, at his home in Richmond, Virginia.
Video
"The Clinic"
Description of Indiana Congressman Charlie Halleck's office space, "The Clinic."
Competition for House Reading Clerk
Personal account of the competition which took place for House Reading Clerk in 1953.
The House Assembles in the Ways and Means Committee Room
Recollections of the 81st Congress (1949-1951) which met in the House Ways and Means Committee Room.
Account of the Shooting
Memories of the shooting on the House Floor.
Security During World War II
Discussion of the increased police presence on Capitol Hill during the early years of World War II.
Audio
Capitol Page School
Memories of the Capitol Page School during the 1940s.
House Page Responsibilities
Information on the duties and responsibilities of House Pages during the 1940s.
Pages on the House Floor
Description of the responsibilities of Pages assigned to the House Floor during the 1940s and 1950s.
Patronage in the U.S. House
Background on House patronage and appointments during the 1940s and 1950s.
"Heck of a Good, Young Team"
Memories of Wilmer "Vinegar Bend" Mizell.
Memories of Representative Jeannette Rankin
Memories of Representative Jeannette Rankin's lone dissenting vote.
Images & Artifacts
![<em>House Reading Clerk</em>](https://webharvest.gov/congress115th/20180922163818im_/http://historycms.house.gov/assets/31903.jpeg?sz=190)
![<em>88th Congress, 1963–1965</em>](https://webharvest.gov/congress115th/20180922163818im_/http://historycms.house.gov/assets/31905.jpeg?sz=190)
![<em>House Page School Athletic Letter, 1944</em>](https://webharvest.gov/congress115th/20180922163818im_/http://historycms.house.gov/assets/31902.jpeg?sz=190)
About this object
![<em>House Reading Clerk Joe Bartlett at the Speaker's Rostrum</em>](https://webharvest.gov/congress115th/20180922163818im_/http://historycms.house.gov/assets/31904.jpeg?sz=190)
![<em>Chief Page Joe Bartlett</em>](https://webharvest.gov/congress115th/20180922163818im_/http://historycms.house.gov/assets/31908.jpeg?sz=190)
![<em>House Page School Graduation, 1944</em>](https://webharvest.gov/congress115th/20180922163818im_/http://historycms.house.gov/assets/31907.jpeg?sz=190)
![<em>Joe Bartlett in the U.S. Marine Corps</em>](https://webharvest.gov/congress115th/20180922163818im_/http://historycms.house.gov/assets/31906.jpeg?sz=190)