III 110th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 578 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 22, 2008 Mr. Enzi (for himself, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Wicker, and Mr. Nelson of Nebraska) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Congressional Club.

Whereas the Congressional Club was organized in 1908 by 25 women who were influential in Washington’s official life and who wanted to establish a nonsectarian and nonpolitical group that would promote friendship and cordiality in public life; Whereas those women founded the Club to bring the wives of Members of Congress together in a hospitable and compatible environment in the Nation’s Capital; Whereas the Congressional Club was officially established in 1908 by a unanimous vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives and is the only club in the world to be founded by an Act of Congress; Whereas the Act entitled An Act to incorporate the Congressional Club (35 Stat. 476, chapter 226) was signed by President Theodore Roosevelt on May 30, 1908; Whereas the Congressional Club's founding was secured by the enactment of that Act unanimously on May 28, 1908, in order to overcome the opposition of Representative John Sharp Williams of Mississippi, who opposed all women's organizations; Whereas, when Representative Williams was called out of the chamber by Mrs. Williams, the good-mannered representative obliged and withdrew his opposition and request for a recorded vote, saying, upon this particular bill there will not be a roll call, because it would cause a great deal of domestic unhappiness in Washington if there were; Whereas the first Congressional Clubhouse was at 1432 K Street Northwest in Washington, District of Columbia, and opened on December 11, 1908, with a reception for President-elect and Mrs. William Taft; Whereas, after Mrs. John B. Henderson of Missouri donated land on the corner of New Hampshire Avenue and U Street Northwest, the cornerstone of the current Clubhouse was laid at that location on May 21, 1914; Whereas that Clubhouse was built by George Totten in the Beaux Arts style and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Whereas the mortgage on the Clubhouse was paid for by the sales of the Club’s cookbook and the mortgage document was burned by Mrs. Bess Truman in a silver bowl on the 40th anniversary of the Club’s founding; Whereas the Congressional Club has remained a good neighbor on the U Street corridor for more than 90 years, encouraging the revitalization of the area during a time of socioeconomic challenges and leading the way in upkeep and maintenance of historic property; Whereas the Congressional Club honors and supports the people in its neighborhood by inviting the local police and fire departments to the Clubhouse for lunch and delivering trays of Member-made cookies and candies to them during the holidays, by hosting an annual Senior Citizens Appreciation Day luncheon for residents of a neighborhood nursing home, and by hosting an annual holiday brunch for neighborhood children each December that includes a festive meal, gifts, and a visit from Santa Claus; Whereas the Congressional Club has hosted the annual First Lady’s Luncheon every spring since 1912 and annually donates tens of thousands of dollars to charities in the name of the First Lady; Whereas, among its many charitable recipients, the Congressional Club has chosen mentoring programs, United National Indian Tribal Youth, literacy programs, the White House library, youth dance troupes, domestic shelters, and child care centers; Whereas the Congressional Club members, upon the suggestion of Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, have been encouraged to become discussion leaders on national security in their home States, from the trials of World War II to the threats of terrorism; Whereas the Congressional Club extends the hand of friendship and goodwill globally by hosting an annual diplomatic reception to entertain the spouses of ambassadors to the United States; Whereas the Congressional Club is solely supported by membership dues and the sale of cookbooks and has never received any Federal funding; Whereas the 14 editions of the Congressional Club cookbook, first published in 1928, reflect the life and times of the United States with recipes and signatures of Members of Congress, First Ladies, Ambassadors, and members of the Club; Whereas the Congressional Club membership has expanded to include spouses and daughters of Representatives, Senators, Supreme Court Justices, and Cabinet members; Whereas 7 members of the Congressional Club have become First Lady: Mrs. Florence Harding, Mrs. Lou Hoover, Mrs. Bess Truman, Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy, Mrs. Patricia Nixon, Mrs. Betty Ford, and Mrs. Barbara Bush; Whereas several members of the Congressional Club have been elected to Congress, including Mrs. Jo Ann Emerson, Mrs. Lois Capps, and Mrs. Mary Bono, and former presidents of the Congressional Club Mrs. Lindy Boggs and Mrs. Doris Matsui; Whereas leading figures in politics, the arts, and the media have visited the Clubhouse throughout the past 100 years; Whereas the Congressional Club is home to the First Lady’s gown display, a museum with replica inaugural and ball gowns of the First Ladies from Mrs. Mary Todd Lincoln to Mrs. Laura Bush; Whereas the Congressional Club is charged with receiving the Presidential couple, honoring the Vice President and spouse, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and spouse, and the Chief Justice and spouse, and providing the orientation for spouses of new Members of Congress; and Whereas the Congressional Club will celebrate its 100th anniversary with festivities and ceremonies during 2008 that include the ringing of the official bells of the United States Congress, a Founder’s Day program, a birthday cake at the First Lady’s Luncheon, an anniversary postage stamp and cancellation stamp, a 100-year pin and pendant designed by former president Lois Breaux, and invitations to President and Mrs. Bush, Speaker and Mr. Pelosi, and Chief Justice and Mrs. Roberts to visit and celebrate 100 years of public service, civility, and growth at the Congressional Club: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)recognizes the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Congressional Club; (2)acknowledges the contributions of political spouses to public life in the United States and around the world through the Congressional Club for the past 100 years; (3)honors the past and present membership of the Congressional Club; and (4)encourages the people of the United States— (A)to strive for greater friendship, civility, and generosity in order to heighten public service, elevate the culture, and enrich humanity; and (B)to seek opportunities to give financially and to volunteer to assist charitable organizations in their own communities.