Use of National Statuary Hall: Assignment and Historic Events
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Contents
- Introduction
- Scheduling Statuary Hall Events
- Events in Statuary Hall, 2005-2022
- Receptions/Dinners
- Ceremonies
- Media Events
- Memorial Services
Figures
- Figure 1. United States Capitol Historical Society Reception to Honor the 90th Anniversary of the Joint Committee on Taxation
- Figure 2. Congressional Gold Medal Presentation Ceremony for Stephen Gleason
- Figure 3. Media Interviews for State of the Union Address in National Statuary Hall
- Figure 4. Memorial Ceremony for Former Representative Bob Michel
Tables
Summary
Statuary Hall has been used as the setting for a variety of events, including memorial ceremonies and receptions for new Members of Congress, award presentations, and as media space after presidential addresses. This report identifies and categorizes uses of Statuary Hall since 2005.
Use of Statuary Hall is at the discretion of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Under House Rule I, clause 3, the Speaker has the authority to assign unappropriated rooms on the House side of the Capitol, including Statuary Hall. Events in Statuary Hall can also be authorized by House resolution, but no events since 2005 have been held in Statuary Hall on such authority.
Since 2005, Statuary Hall has hosted 195 events. These events can be divided into four categories: (1) receptions and dinners, (2) ceremonies, (3) media events, and (4) memorial services. The report provides a brief explanation of each category and examples of activities in each category.
Introduction
Between 1819 and 1857, the room currently called Statuary Hall served as the Hall of the House of Representatives.1 Upon the completion of the current House chamber in 1857, the House debated the fate of the old "Hall of the House" for many years.
Perhaps the simplest was that it be converted into additional space for the Library of Congress, which was still housed in the Capitol. More drastic was the suggestion that the entire Hall be dismantled and replaced by two floors of committee rooms. Eventually, the idea of using the chamber as an art gallery was approved, and works intended for the Capitol extensions were put on exhibit; among these was the plaster model for the Statue of Freedom, which was later cast in bronze for the Capitol dome. The lack of wall space effectively prevented the hanging of large paintings, but the room seemed well suited to the display of statuary.2
The first two events held in Statuary Hall were a reception and dinner for the Society of the Army of the Cumberland on November 20, 1879,3 and a ceremony to close the Centennial Safe on November 22, 1879.4
Today, Statuary Hall is the home to many of the statues in the National Statuary Hall collection, which consists of two statues from each state.5
Scheduling Statuary Hall Events
A room in the House Wing of the Capitol may be reserved in one of two ways: through a chamber resolution or pursuant to the Speaker's authority. House Rule I, clause 3 provides the Speaker with the authority to assign unappropriated rooms (i.e., not already assigned to a committee, House leadership, or an officer of the House). House Rule I, clause 3 states
Except as otherwise provided by rule or law, the Speaker shall have general control of the Hall of the House, the corridors and passages in the part of the Capitol assigned to the use of the House, and the disposal of unappropriated rooms in that part of the Capitol.6
For rooms jointly controlled by the House and Senate (e.g., the Rotunda and Emancipation Hall of the Capitol Visitors Center), a concurrent resolution is generally required to authorize use.7
Initially adopted in 1811 to provide the Speaker with approval authority over events in the House chamber,8 clause 3 was last amended in 1911, to provide the Speaker with control over unappropriated rooms elsewhere in the House Wing of the Capitol.9 Since 1911, the Speaker has generally authorized use of rooms in the House Wing of the Capitol not otherwise appropriated.10
Events in Statuary Hall, 2005-2022
Since 2005, 195 events have been held in Statuary Hall. The House Sergeant at Arms, whose office provided data for this report, defines an event as activity that prevents public access to Statuary Hall for a period of time. As a result, activities such as a brief wreath laying at a particular statue are not included. Table 1 reports the total number of events held in Statuary Hall since 2005. The Appendix provides the date of each event and a brief description.
|
Year |
Number |
|
2005 |
16 |
|
2006 |
15 |
|
2007 |
16 |
|
2008 |
18 |
|
2009 |
10 |
|
2010 |
15 |
|
2011 |
12 |
|
2012 |
9 |
|
2013 |
14 |
|
2014 |
9 |
|
2015 |
4 |
|
2016 |
13 |
|
2017 |
9 |
|
2018 |
10 |
|
2019 |
12 |
|
2020 |
3a |
|
2021 |
0 |
|
2022 |
10 |
|
Total |
195 |
Source: CRS Analysis of Sergeant at Arms data.
a. In March 2020, the House began restricting access to the House office buildings and the House wing of the Capitol because of COVID-19. No events were held in Statuary Hall between January 15, 2020 (Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony for Stephen Gleason) and November 2020 (one reception/dinner each for the Republican and Democratic parties to welcome newly elected Members for the 117th Congress). For more information, see U.S. Congress, House, Committee on House Administration and Committee on Ethics, "Update about the Coronavirus: Joint House Administration-Ethics Guidance," at https://e-dearcolleague.house.gov/Home/Preview?DCID=295964.
Following receipt of the data from the House Sergeant at Arms, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) examined the events and divided them into four categories: (1) receptions and dinners, (2) ceremonies, (3) media events, and (4) memorial services. The following sections provide a brief explanation of each category and examples of activities. Table 2 reports the number of events since 2005, by category.
|
Category |
Number |
Percentage of Total |
|
Receptions/Dinners |
107 |
54.9% |
|
Ceremonies |
62 |
31.8% |
|
Media Events |
11 |
5.6% |
|
Memorial Services |
15 |
7.7% |
|
Total |
195 |
100% |
Source: CRS Analysis of House Sergeant at Arms data.
The largest percentage of events held in Statuary Hall since 2005 (54.9%) were receptions or dinners, hosted by both official congressional entities and private groups. For example, the Joint Congressional Committee on the Inaugural Ceremonies held the Inaugural Luncheon in Statuary Hall in 2005, 2009, 2013, and 2017;11 and the Capitol Historical Society held a reception for new Members of Congress in the Hall in 2005 and 2013. Figure 1 shows a picture from the United States Capitol Historical Society reception honoring the 90th Anniversary of the Joint Committee on Taxation on February 24, 2016.
|
Figure 1. United States Capitol Historical Society Reception to Honor the February 24, 2016 |
 |
|
Source: United States Capitol Historical Society, "USCHS Honors 90th Anniversary of the Joint Committee on Taxation," at https://uschs.org/news-releases/uschs-honors-90th-anniversary-joint-committee-taxation. |
Ceremonies account for 31.8% of the events held in Statuary Hall since 2005. These ceremonies include presentations of awards, unveiling of official portraits, commemorations of event anniversaries, formal wreath layings, and prayer services. For example, the annual National Moment of Remembrance is held in Statuary Hall. In addition, prior to moving the statue to Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center, an annual lei draping ceremony at King Kamehameha statue was held in Statuary Hall. Figure 2 shows the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony for Stephen Gleason on January 15, 2020.
|
Figure 2. Congressional Gold Medal Presentation Ceremony for Stephen Gleason January 15, 2020 |
 |
|
Source: U.S. Congress, House of Representatives, "Former NFL Player Steve Gleason Receives Congressional Gold Medal," January 16, 2020, at https://www.house.gov/feature-stories/2020-1-16-former-nfl-player-steve-gleason-receives-congressional-gold-medal. |
Occasionally, Statuary Hall has been used as the location for media availability, primarily after a presidential address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber. Media events represent 5.6% of the events held in Statuary Hall since 2005. Figure 3 shows National Statuary Hall being used for Member media interviews following President Donald Trump's 2018 State of the Union address.
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Figure 3. Media Interviews for State of the Union Address in National Statuary Hall January 30, 2018 |
 |
|
Source: CSPAN.org, "State of the Union Statuary Hall Interviews," at https://www.c-span.org/video/?402871-1/state-union-statuary-hall-interviews. |
Since 2005, 14 memorial services (7.7%) have been held in Statuary Hall—10 for individual then-current or former Members, and since 2016, an annual U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress memorial service to honor former Members who died in the past year. Table 3 lists the memorial services for individual Members held in Statuary Hall, including the Member honored and the date of the service; and Figure 4 shows the memorial service for former Representative Bob Michel on March 9, 2017.
|
Figure 4. Memorial Ceremony for Former Representative Bob Michel March 9, 2017 |
 |
|
Source: CSPAN Twitter, "Memorial Service for Former Republican Leader Bob Michel," at https://twitter.com/cspan/status/839931294599557121. |
|
Date |
Member of Congress |
|
January 5, 2005 |
Robert Matsui |
|
May 17, 2007 |
Juanita Millender-McDonald |
|
February 14, 2008 |
Tom Lantos |
|
September 10, 2008 |
Stephanie Tubbs Jones |
|
March 30, 2010 |
John P. Murtha |
|
April 25, 2012 |
Donald M. Payne |
|
October 29, 2013 |
Speaker Thomas Foley |
|
September 14, 2016 |
Mark Takai |
|
March 9, 2017 |
Robert Michel |
|
April 18, 2018 |
Louise Slaughter |
Source: CRS Analysis of Sergeant at Arms data.
Appendix. Events Held in Statuary Hall, 2005-2022
Since January 1, 2005, 195 events have been held in Statuary Hall. Table A-1 contains a chronological list of these events, the date of the event, and the event type.
Source: The list of events held in National Statuary Hall was provided to CRS by the Office of the House Sergeant at Arms. The House Sergeant at Arms maintains the list of events.
Notes: In March 2020, the House began restricting access to the House office buildings and the House wing of the Capitol because of COVID-19. Subsequently, between the January 15, 2020, Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony for Stephen Gleason, and the Democratic Party reception/dinner for new Members of the 117th Congress, no events were held in Statuary Hall because of COVID-19. For more information, see U.S. Congress. House, Committee on House Administration and Committee on Ethics, "Update about the Coronavirus: Joint House Administration-Ethics Guidance," at https://e-dearcolleague.house.gov/Home/Preview?DCID=295964.
a. Inaugural lunches are hosted by the Joint Congressional Committee on the Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC). The first luncheon in Statuary Hall was held in 1953 for President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
b. The Gold Medal Ceremony for the Tuskegee Airmen was held in the Rotunda (see S.Con.Res. 15, 110th Congress). In addition to being used for photo opportunities, Statuary Hall was used as an overflow room for the Gold Medal Ceremony.
c. The Robert E. Lee statue was moved to the Capitol Crypt in 2008.
d. The King Kamehameha statue was moved to the Capitol Visitor Center's (CVC's) Emancipation Hall in 2009. The Lei Draping ceremony was moved to the CVC beginning in June 2009.
e. The worship service held in Statuary Hall was in conjunction with a Sunday session of the House (Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 156 [March 21, 2010], pp. H1819-H1890).
Representative Elijah Cummings lay in state at the main door to the House chamber on October 24, 2019. For more information, see U.S. Congress, Office of the House Sergeant at Arms, "Arrangements for the Late Honorable Elijah Cummings," at https://e-dearcolleague.house.gov/Home/Preview?DCID=278042; and CRS Insight IN11472, Members of the House of Representatives Lying in State in the U.S. Capitol, by Jacob R. Straus.
Footnotes
| 1. |
U.S. Congress, Architect of the Capitol, "National Statuary Hall," https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/buildings-grounds/capitol-building/house-wing/statuary-hall. |
| 2. |
U.S. Congress, Architect of the Capitol, "National Statuary Hall," https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/buildings-grounds/capitol-building/house-wing/statuary-hall. |
| 3. |
Anson G. McCook, Address Before the Society of the Army of the Cumberland at their Eleventh Reunion, Washington, November 19, 1879 (Cincinnati: Press of Robert Clarke & Co, 1879). |
| 4. |
U.S. Congress, Office of the House Historian, "The Mysterious Centennial Safe of Mrs. Charles F. Deihm," Historical Highlights, https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-mysterious-Centennial-safe-of-Mrs--Charles-F--Deihm/. |
| 5. |
U.S. Congress, Architect of the Capitol, "About the National Statuary Hall Collection," https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/about-national-statuary-hall-collection. For a list of statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection, see U.S. Congress, Architect of the Capitol, "The Art Collection," https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art?search&artist=All&collection%5B119%5D=119&state=All&location=All. National Statuary Hall Collection statues are currently housed in National Statuary Hall and in various halls of the Capitol, including the Capitol Crypt, the Hall of Columns, the Rotunda, the first and second floor of the Senate Wing of the Capitol, and the second floor House connecting corridor. Additionally, statues are also housed in the Capitol Visitor Center. See also, CRS Report R42812, National Statuary Hall Collection: Background and Legislative Options, by Jacob R. Straus and R. Eric Petersen. |
| 6. |
House Rule I, clause 3. U.S. Congress, Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and Rules of the House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, 116th Cong., 2nd sess., H.Doc. 116-177 (Washington: GPO, 2021), §623, at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/HMAN-117/xml/HMAN-117-pg345-2.xml. |
| 7. |
Since the 101st Congress (1989-1990), at least one event was held in the Rotunda without a concurrent resolution: the lying in state of President Gerald Ford. President Ford died in December 2006, during the recess between the 109th and 110th Congress. The Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader jointly authorized the use of the Rotunda without a concurrent resolution. For more information on use of the Rotunda, Emancipation Hall, and the Capitol Grounds, see CRS Report RL34619, Use of the Capitol Rotunda, Capitol Grounds, and Emancipation Hall: Concurrent Resolutions, 101st to 117th Congresses, by Jacob R. Straus. |
| 8. |
U.S. Congress, Hinds' Precedents of the House of Representatives of the United States, prepared by Asher C. Hinds, vol. 2 (Washington: GPO, 1907), §1354, pp. 892-893. The Speaker's authority to assign rooms in the House Wing of the Capitol stems from his or her general authority to control the use of the House chamber. For more information, see "Committee Rooms, &c.," Annals of the Congress of the United States, vol. 42 (May 26, 1824), p. 2764. |
| 9. |
U.S. Congress, Cannon's Precedents of the House of Representatives of the United States, prepared by Clarence Cannon, vol. 6 (Washington: GPO, 1935), §261, pp. 424-425. See also, "Recognition Still Remains with the Speaker," Congressional Record, vol. 47, part 1 (April 5, 1911), p. 80. |
| 10. |
U.S. Congress, Hinds' Precedents of the House of Representatives of the United States, prepared by Asher C. Hinds, vol. 5 (Washington: GPO, 1907), §7273, p. 1104. |
| 11. |
In 2021, for the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies did not hold the traditional luncheon because of COVID-19. For more information, see U.S. Congress, Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, "59th Inaugural Ceremonies" January 20, 2021, at https://www.inaugural.senate.gov/59th-inaugural-ceremonies/. |