From House Page to Clerk of the House, Donn Anderson’s 35-year career included a series of administrative and managerial positions which brought him in close contact with Members of Congress, momentous debates, and important changes to the daily customs of the House.
House Page and the son of former Representatives George and Elizabeth Andrews of Alabama, George W. Andrews III had a unique perspective of the historic events that took place at the Capitol and the institutional changes which occurred in Congress during the 1950s and 1960s.
Between Capitol Page School, assignments in the House Document Room, and operating the sound system for committee hearings, Albert Anness stayed busy as a House Page in the 81st Congress (1949-1951).
House Page, reading clerk, and Clerk to the Minority, Joe Bartlett participated in many significant events during his 30-plus years on the Hill, including graduating from the Capitol Page School and working in the House Ways and Means Committee Room during the House Chamber renovation.
Clarence J. "Bud" Brown Jr. grew up as the son of a leading Ohio politician, worked as an editor and executive in his family newspaper business, and eventually succeeded his late father in the U.S. House in 1965. He served more than 17 years on Capitol Hill before leaving to run for Governor of Ohio. He later served in the administration of President Ronald Reagan, and then led a nonprofit that promoted congressional and Capitol history.
Ronald V. Dellums came to Congress as an outspoken Vietnam War critic and civil rights activist. He made history as the first African-American Member to serve on and chair the Armed Services Committee and built a legacy as a tireless leader in the movement to end apartheid in South Africa.
From Page to Dean of the House, John Dingell, Jr.’s congressional service spanned from World War II into the 21st century. The son of Michigan Representative John Dingell, Sr., Dingell, Jr.’s long history in the House began as a Page where he learned the institutional ropes by observing his father, and House leaders like Sam Rayburn and John McCormack.
As a House Page, and Page overseer, Myles Garrigan roamed the halls of Congress running errands for Members, while also witnessing historic speeches and dramatic votes during the World War II era.
An eyewitness to the shooting in the House Chamber in 1954, Bill Goodwin and his fellow House Pages carried wounded Representatives on stretchers to waiting ambulances.
With her historic appointment as the first African-American woman officer on the Capitol Police Force, Arva Marie Johnson observed many changes in the institution’s security during her 32-year career, and was an officer during the 1998 shooting at the Capitol and on September 11, 2001.
As a Page during the 83rd Congress, Paul E. Kanjorski witnessed a violent attack against the United States House of Representatives on March 1, 1954. He later went on to win a U.S. House seat representing a Pennsylvania district for 13 terms. His House service coincided with another act of terrorism against the nation on September 11, 2001.
Throughout her 54-year career in the House, Pat Kelly, daughter of former Representative Edna Kelly, assisted Members of Congress with their daily activities as a researcher, a legislative assistant, and eventually, the editor of the House Daily Digest.
Ronald W. Lasch started his 42-year House career as a Page in 1958. As manager of the Republican Cloakroom, he kept track of party positions and floor developments and became a trusted source of information for Members. In 1995, he was appointed as floor assistant to Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Committee counsel Michael R. Lemov began his seven-year career in the House in the early 1970s. As the consumer movement began to take shape, Lemov drafted consumer protection legislation, conducted investigations, led markups, and worked closely with members of the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee.
In 1965 John R. Lewis and other peaceful protestors were brutally attacked by state troopers during a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. This event, which became known as “Bloody Sunday,” played a pivotal role in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. For over two decades, Representative Lewis led a congressional pilgrimage to Selma—and other cities across the state—to reflect on the civil rights movement.
After a successful letter-writing campaign to Speaker Carl Albert, Felda Looper’s appointment as a Page in the summer of 1973, in the midst of the Equal Rights Amendment debate and the Watergate investigation, made history when she became the first woman to join the House Page ranks.
During his 35 years on Capitol Hill, most of which he spent in the House Press Gallery, Charles Marston assisted reporters in their coverage of Congress from routine committee hearings to historic events like the 1954 shooting in the House Chamber.
As the first African-American House Page of the 20th century, Frank Mitchell made history by breaking racial barriers while also witnessing significant moments in the civil rights movement, including the floor debates for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
An eyewitness to the World War I Veterans’ Bonus March, Glenn Rupp’s House Page service included training future President Lyndon B. Johnson as a doorkeeper, as well as attending President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first inauguration and State of the Union Address.
Joe Strickland worked as an official reporter in the House of Representatives for more than 20 years, becoming chief reporter in 2005. He developed a firm grasp on the specialized legislative system by working both on the House Floor and in committee hearings and felt like “a fly on the wall” as an eyewitness to congressional history.
On the rostrum during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Day of Infamy” speech on December 8, 1941, Irving Swanson, a House reading clerk, read the historic roll calls when the House approved war declarations against Japan, and, several days later, against Germany and Italy.
The first woman director of the House Radio-TV Gallery, Tina Tate oversaw press coverage for major media events in Congress such as presidential impeachment hearings, Joint Sessions, and State of the Union addresses.
Working his way up the ranks from messenger to superintendent of the House Press Gallery, Benjamin C. West’s 35-year career spanned World War II, the civil rights movement, and Watergate, all the while modernizing the gallery and navigating the tumultuous relationship between print and electronic media.
