[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3497]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     CONGRESSIONAL CLUB CENTENNIAL

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                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 6, 2008

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today, along with 
Representatives Todd Tiahrt, Jeff Miller, Doris Matsui, Jo-Ann Emerson, 
and John Tanner, to introduce a resolution to commemorate the 
Congressional Club on its 100th anniversary.
  The Congressional Club was established in 1908 ``to promote 
sociability among its members, create a common meeting place, and 
further a personal acquaintance among the women of the Congressional 
circle.'' In the early 20th century, Members of Congress actually had 
little time for making friends outside of Congress or Government. It 
largely fell upon the wives to forge acquaintances in the Nation's 
Capital, since many of them led solitary lives while away from their 
home States.
  In 1914, the club moved into a Beaux Arts-style mansion on the corner 
of New Hampshire Avenue and U Street, Northwest, in Washington, DC, 
where it continues to be the meeting place to this day. It has 
maintained its mission of serving as a place for spouses of Members of 
both the House and Senate to develop non-partisan friendships. In 
addition, its membership has been broadened to include both female and 
male spouses as more women have been elected to Congress over the last 
century.
  The club also counts among its members spouses of Supreme Court 
Justices and the President's Cabinet, as well as former First Ladies. 
It has been a center for service since its founding--providing aid to 
our Nation's soldiers; supporting local police and fire departments; 
and hosting receptions for senior citizens, the disadvantaged, and 
spouses of Ambassadors. It is entirely self-supporting from membership 
dues and the sale of the Congressional club cookbook, which includes 
recipes and signatures of Members of Congress, First Ladies, 
Ambassadors, and members of the club.
  It is interesting to note that 100 years ago this May, it took the 
charm of a determined wife of a Member of Congress to get the Federal 
legislation incorporating the club approved by the House of 
Representatives. The House Minority Leader, John Sharp Williams of 
Mississippi, had opposed the bill and was using parliamentary 
procedures to defeat the bill.
  History has it that when Mrs. Williams, who favored the club, heard 
about her husband's opposition, she invited him to lunch the day the 
measure was on the House floor. After lunch, he withdrew his opposition 
and his request for a recorded vote, saying that ``it is the opinion of 
the gentleman from Mississippi that . . . there will not be a roll call 
because it would cause a great deal of unhappiness in Washington.''
  As the proud spouse of the current president of the Congressional 
Club, Vivian Creighton Bishop, it likely would cause a great deal of 
happiness in my household and the households of many other Members if 
this resolution is voted upon in the near future. I am pleased to be 
the sponsor of this resolution commemorating the club on reaching this 
important milestone and I urge its quick adoption.

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