[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 8, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S568]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO DAVID FERRIERO

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, it is appropriate to take a moment here in 
the Senate to recognize David Ferriero, the 10th Archivist of the 
United States. Mr. Ferriero has held the top position at the National 
Archives since 2009, overseeing the maintenance and preservation of 
critical documents like the Constitution and the Declaration of 
Independence, along with 10 million maps, 13 million pages of text, and 
tens of millions of photographs. On January 13, 2022, Mr. Ferriero 
announced his intention to retire in April.
  Prior to his nomination and confirmation to be Archivist of the 
United States, David Ferriero spent decades as a librarian and library 
administrator for some of the largest research institutions and public 
library networks. After service in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam 
war, Mr. Ferriero worked as a librarian at the Massachusetts Institute 
of Technology for over three decades. In 1996, he moved to North 
Carolina, where he served as the vice provost for library affairs at 
Duke University, where he helped to develop the Triangle Research 
Library Network to facilitate greater access to research materials and 
collaboration across universities. Later, Mr. Ferriero was appointed 
the Andrew W. Mellon director and chief executive of the research 
libraries of the New York Public Library system.
  David Ferriero was nominated by President Obama and confirmed to be 
Archivist of the United States by the Senate in November 2009. 
Throughout his tenure as the leader of the National Archives, Mr. 
Ferriero made it his goal to bring the Archives and its vast range of 
historical records into the 21st century. He focused on digitizing the 
Archives' materials and improving availability of these materials 
online so that more Americans could access and benefit from these 
primary source records. Under his leadership, the National Archives 
also embraced social media and worked hard to bring more Americans into 
the creation, organization, and maintenance of our Nation's history and 
records.
  The documents and records maintained by the National Archives reflect 
the foundation and continuing story of our democracy and our Nation. 
They outline and define the evolution of the United States, documented 
throughout the pages of history, and preserved at the Archives as 
original source material. At this critical juncture in our endless 
march toward a more perfect union, our history becomes even more 
instructive.
  Mr. Ferriero's commitment to making our Nation's archives more open 
and more available to all of us is to be commended and will be a 
hallmark of his tenure as the Archivist of the United States. I wish 
Mr. Ferriero and his wife, Gail, all the best in the next chapter of 
their lives.
  I ask unanimous consent that a profile of Mr. Ferriero, appearing in 
The Washington Post on January 13, 2022, be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

               [From the Washington Post, Jan. 13, 2022]

     David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, Is Retiring

                         (By Michael E. Ruane)

       David S. Ferriero, who has been the archivist of the United 
     States for more than a decade under three presidents, is 
     planning to retire in April.
       Ferriero, 76, has been head of the National Archives and 
     Records Administration since he was appointed by President 
     Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in 2009.
       ``It has been the honor of a lifetime,'' Ferriero wrote in 
     a note to his staff Wednesday. ``My time here has been filled 
     with opportunities, challenges, and awesome responsibilities. 
     . . . I am humbled and awestruck and so deeply grateful--
     grateful to all of you.''
       In addition to housing national treasures such as the 
     Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of 
     Rights, the National Archives holds 13 billion pages of text, 
     10 million maps, charts and drawings, as well as tens of 
     millions of photographs, films and other records.
       The archives is also responsible for the nation's 13 brick-
     and-mortar presidential libraries.
       Before coming to the agency, Ferriero was director of the 
     New York Public Libraries and served in top positions at the 
     libraries of the Massachusetts Institution of Technology and 
     Duke University. A native of Beverly, Mass., he served as a 
     Navy hospital corpsman during the Vietnam War.
       A self-described introvert, he is reserved and has a dry 
     sense of humor. On his watch in 2014, the National Archives 
     held its first sleepover.
       He has pushed the digitization of the archives, and he 
     embraced social media. In November, he noted in a blog post, 
     ``We know that not everyone can come to our facilities [for 
     research] and providing these records online democratizes 
     access.''
       He has also promoted the role of ``citizen archivists'' who 
     volunteer to transcribe and review historic documents online.
       ``I have met or known half of all Archivists of the United 
     States . . . and none has done better'' than Ferriero, 
     historian Michael Beschloss tweeted.
       One of the items framed in Ferriero's office is a copy of a 
     letter he wrote to President John F. Kennedy when he was in 
     high school. The letter had been found at the Kennedy 
     Presidential Library in Boston.
       The future archivist asked about the Peace Corps and 
     requested a photo of JFK.
       Later, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library found 
     two letters Ferriero had written to President Eisenhower as a 
     youngster, and the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library 
     found one he had written to President Johnson. Ferriero had 
     them framed in his office, too.
       In 2020, the National Archives faced criticism when it 
     posted in its headquarters building an exhibit with a picture 
     that had been altered to blur out words suggesting criticism 
     of President Donald Trump.
       The large color photograph, designed to celebrate the 
     centennial of women's suffrage, showed a massive protest 
     crowd on Pennsylvania Avenue during the Women's March on Jan. 
     21, 2017, the day after Trump's inauguration. The original 
     photo had been altered to obscure some words on signs held by 
     marchers.
       A placard that proclaimed ``God Hates Trump'' had ``Trump'' 
     blotted out so that it read ``God Hates.'' A sign that read 
     ``Trump & GOP--Hands Off Women'' had the word ``Trump'' 
     blurred out.
       Less than 24 hours after Washington Post reporter Joe Heim 
     pointed out the alterations, the National Archives 
     apologized.
       ``We made a mistake,'' it said in a statement. ``As the 
     National Archives of the United States, we are and have 
     always been completely committed to preserving our archival 
     holdings, without alteration.
       ``We were wrong to alter the image,'' it said. ``We 
     apologize, and will immediately start a thorough review of 
     our exhibit policies and procedures so that this does not 
     happen again.''
       The altered picture was removed and replaced with an 
     unaltered one.
       ``Our credibility, so important to our mission, 
     understandably has been questioned.'' Ferriero wrote on his 
     blog. ``I take full responsibility for this decision and the 
     broader concerns it has raised . . . [and] pledge to restore 
     public confidence in this great institution.''
       The National Archives is headquartered in a massive 84-
     year-old granite and limestone landmark on Pennsylvania 
     Avenue in Washington's Federal Triangle. A ``temple to 
     American history.'' Ferriero called it.
       The agency also has a large, more modern complex in College 
     Park, Md.
       Deputy Archivist Debra Steidel Wall will serve as acting 
     archivist until the president nominates and the Senate 
     confirms a successor.
       ``It is not easy to leave you with our important work 
     continuing, especially initiatives to foster equity and 
     enhance the employee and customer experiences,'' Ferriero 
     told his staff. ``However, our profession is one of 
     stewardship, where despite our enduring responsibilities, we 
     are here for what amounts to a brief period of time.

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