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U.S. House History Blog

27.11.2024

Giving Thanks for the Institution | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives

Behind the scenes and away from the spotlight, the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives ensure that America’s large and complex legislative institution runs smoothly. On any given day over the years, House employees have performed a myriad of tasks: delivering messages for Members of Congress, keeping track of votes on the House Floor, and assisting with committee hearings.When the Office of the House Historian began conducting oral histories twenty years ago, a major goal of the program was to describe and explain the work of staff. Documenting the responsibilities of staff and how they have changed over time offered a unique look at how the House of Representatives evolved and adapted to new technology and the growing demands on lawmakers. Interviews conducted with longtime employees proved especially useful in learning about the culture, interpersonal dynamics, and day-to-day proceedings of the House.In this final post commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the House’s oral history program, four former staff members, whose collective service covered more than 150 years, described their impressions of the institution and offered advice to a new generation of employees. Themes of gratitude, inspiration, and service emerge in this collection of interviews.Joe Bartlett (1941–1979)Dorsey Joseph Bartlett, better known as Joe to his colleagues on the Hill, was born on August 7, 1926, in Clarksburg, West Virginia. Bartlett first came to the House as a Page in 1941 where he enrolled in the Capitol Page School and ran errands for lawmakers. After serving in the Marines during World War II, Bartlett returned to the Capitol, where he served as chief Page, reading clerk, and later as Clerk to the Minority. Bartlett’s career as a House staffer spanned 38 years.Bartlett’s affable personality and skillful storytelling added colorful detail and vitality to his oral history. In one instance, he offered a description of the audition for the coveted job of reading clerk in 1953. More than twenty people traipsed to the House Floor to test their memory and auditory skill, while hoping to display the ability to think and react quickly. “One of the tricks they had—we were not allowed to audition in the presence of the other candidates—but one of the tricks they had was to turn off the microphone,” Bartlett remembered. “And these professionals had no idea what to do when the microphone went off. And so some, in a sense, sort of lost it. I didn’t have enough sense not to continue, and so I just raised my voice a little bit more, which was what they were looking for.” Bartlett’s strategy paid off. The West Virginia native served as House reading clerk for nearly two decades.With ample time in the chamber, Bartlett, who became an astute student of House proceedings, delighted in his interactions with Speakers, rank-and-file Members, and staff. Throughout his oral histories, Bartlett expressed a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to work for the House and to witness historic events including President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Day of Infamy” speech on December 8, 1941. “I would say to young people that democracy is worth serving,” Bartlett observed during his oral history. “Representative government is an ideal that has more than justified itself in the last 200 years and to be a participant in it is very enriching. To have an opportunity to work with the elect of that process, there’s just nothing like it.”Pat Kelly (1957–2011)Born on June 5, 1934, in Brooklyn, New York, Maura Patricia (Pat) Kelly grew up in a political family. The daughter of Representative Edna Kelly of New York, Pat Kelly came to Washington, DC, in 1957, to work as a researcher for the House Committee on Un-American Activities. After a decade of committee work, she switched gears finding employment as a legislative assistant for three Representatives, including her mother during her final term in Congress from 1967 to 1969. Kelly also worked for the House Committee on Rules before joining the Clerk’s Office where she spent the next 37 years editing the House Daily Digest and the Congressional Record.Kelly’s personal connection to the institution as the daughter of a Representative, in addition to her diverse employment portfolio on the Hill that stretched more than 50 years, offered a unique perspective of the House of Representatives. In her oral history, Kelly outlined her approach to working at the Capitol. She described the value of having a “deep desire” to help people and a commitment to supporting the objectives of the institution. A longtime member of the Congressional Staff Club, Kelly worked to help House employees make lasting connections with colleagues. She flourished in the staff club, organizing events, attending parties, and making an annual trip to New York City. After serving in several leadership positions for the club, Kelly became president in 1976.When asked to advise others who may consider working for Congress, Kelly drew upon her own experiences and deep respect for the House. “You have to be knowledgeable about issues of the world, and about state and local concerns,” she observed. “And think of service to your fellow countrymen in one area or one legislative body, whether it be in the state, in the Congress, or local government, whatever it might be. Think, ‘I wonder if I could really do something to help them do a better job?’ And not just to be picking up a paycheck, but to really say, ‘Well, what can I really do?’ If they have to have the desire to do it, number one, it’s just not a job to go up and apply for. I mean, you have to have a feeling, like I do, about the institution itself.”Donn Anderson (1960–1995)Donnald K. Anderson was born on October 17, 1942, in Sacramento, California. As a teenager, Anderson wrote a letter to his Congressman, John Moss of California, requesting a Page appointment to “see firsthand how our government at the national level conducts the affairs of the people.” Moss, impressed by Anderson’s conviction, extended him an invitation to serve as a House Page in 1960. Anderson thrived during his time as a Page and went on to hold several other positions (elevator operator, for example) before managing the Democratic Cloakroom for 15 years, which kept him in close proximity to lawmakers and the House Floor.An institutionalist at heart, Anderson expressed a genuine respect for the rules and procedures of the House. But he was also open to change if it helped Members improve efficiency without undermining House traditions. He recalled how he led a pilot program for Members to use “beepers” to stay informed of House proceedings while away from their congressional office.From the time he arrived at the Capitol, Anderson knew he wanted to serve as Clerk of the House. Over the years, he developed a deep admiration for the institution. “I’ve often said that being manager of the cloakroom, as far as I was concerned, was the best job there was, as least for me, except being Clerk of the House. When, after a total of 18 years in the cloakroom, I left to become the Clerk of the House, which was the fulfillment of my dreams and my fantasies, I never stopped missing the intimacy and the excitement of working in the cloakroom. It was like being at Mecca. It was the focal point of everything that went on on the House Floor. You knew absolutely everything that was happening.” Anderson served as Clerk for eight years and left his own mark on the institution when he oversaw the establishment of two House offices: Employee Assistance and Fair Employment Practices.Tina Tate (1972–2007)Ruth (Tina) Tate was born on September 5, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia. The first woman employed by the House Radio-TV Gallery, Tate’s oral history offered a rare look at the office during the 1970s. She described a close-knit staff of four who worked in a small office with space for only three desks. Tate marveled at how, for much of her tenure, she took notes and processed records by hand before the widespread adoption of personal computers in the 1990s.Tate was the first woman and only the third person to hold the position of director of the Radio-TV Gallery, and her oral history offered a comprehensive look at her responsibilities and the mission of the office during her 34-year career on the Hill. From supervising the daily log of House proceedings to coordinating press coverage of Joint Sessions and lying-in-state ceremonies, Tate managed logistics and provided information to radio and TV broadcasters. She spoke about the challenge of balancing the requests of reporters with adhering to House Rules. Tate also routinely expressed a sense of pride in the work of the gallery and of the House, including times where they managed the press coverage of difficult events. After the shooting deaths of two Capitol Police officers in 1998, Tate solemnly recalled the importance and privilege of coordinating coverage of their lying-in-honor ceremony, describing her efforts to honor their memory as the “best work I ever did.”Service to the institution and an awareness of the distinctive nature of her work guided Tate’s career. “Just remember every day that you are privileged to be where you are,” Tate recommended when contemplating advice she would give to prospective employees. “That building and both the press corps that you serve there are the best in the business. And the Members of Congress and their staffs are the best at what they do. It’s a privilege to be there every day that you go there. You are watching history be made.”

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