[Deschler-Brown Precedents, Volume 17, Chapters 34 - 40]
[Ch. 36. Ceremonies and Awards]
[Â§20. Presentation of Gifts and Awards]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[Page 256-263]
 
                               CHAPTER 36
 
                         Ceremonies and Awards
 
Sec. 20. Presentation of Gifts and Awards

    On occasion, the House (or the Congress) has received works of art 
or historic objects donated by private individuals, organizations or 
foundations, for preservation in the public trust.(1) These 
donations will generally have a patriotic significance and upon their

[[Page 257]]

receipt, an announcement of acceptance or dedication ceremony may be 
held.(2)
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 1. Acceptance of foreign gifts, emoluments, offices, or titles by 
        House employees is subject to the limitations of Section 9, 
        Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution; the Foreign Gifts and 
        Decorations Act of 1966 (Pub L. No. 90-83, 81 Stat. 208, Sept. 
        11, 1967; codified at 5 USC Sec.  7342) and by House ethics 
        rules (See House Ethics Manual, Committee on Standards of 
        Official Conduct, 110th Cong. 2d Sess., U.S. G.P.O. (Washington 
        2007)). See also 5 Hinds' Precedents Sec. Sec. 7100-7106 and 8 
        Cannon's Precedents Sec. Sec. 3558, 3559.
 2. See Sec. Sec. 20.2-20.4, infra. The Committee on House 
        Administration has jurisdiction over statuary, pictures, and 
        the acceptance or purchase of works of art for the Capitol. The 
        Committee on Natural Resources is responsible for the erection 
        of monuments to the memory of individuals. See Rule X clause 1, 
        House Rules and Manual Sec. 731 
        (2007).                          -------------------
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The John W. McCormack Annual Award of Excellence

Sec. 20.1 The Majority Leader announced to the House that the Speaker, 
    at ceremonies in his honor, had been given a book signed by all 
    House employees and that an annual award of excellence had been 
    established in the Speaker's name to be presented to the employee 
    performing the most valuable service to the House.

    On Dec. 17, 1970,(1) Majority Leader Carl Albert, of 
Oklahoma, announced that Speaker John W. McCormack, of Massachusetts, 
had been presented with a book signed by all the employees of the House 
and that an award had been designated in his honor, as follows:
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 1. 116 Cong. Rec. 42190, 42191, 91st Cong. 2d Sess.
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        Mr. ALBERT. Mr. Speaker, one of the most deserved and touching 
    ceremonies I have ever witnessed took place in the caucus room of 
    the Cannon House Office Building today. On this occasion, the 
    employees of the House of Representatives honored the Speaker by 
    giving him a book signed by all of them and presented in his name a 
    plaque to be called ``The John W. McCormack Annual Award of 
    Excellence'' on which each year the name of the House employee, who 
    performs the most valuable service for the House, will be 
    inscribed. This plaque will be hung in a conspicuous place on the 
    House side of the Capitol and will be a permanent part of the House 
    and its heritage.
        The employees paid the Speaker a tribute which expressed both 
    their high regard and deep affection. In responding, the Speaker 
    made a remarkably beautiful spontaneous speech which brought tears 
    to the eyes of many in attendance. It was evident that everyone 
    present from the lowliest employee to the ranking officials of the 
    House loved our great Speaker and were saddened that he will not be 
    with them next year. They all appreciate his

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    decency, his humility, his consideration, and his kindness. He has 
    certainly been a friend of the House employees.

Presentation of Historic Chairs to the House

Sec. 20.2 Proceedings in connection with the presentation to the House 
    of two antique chairs, used in the new House Chamber when it was 
    first occupied in 1857, were inserted in the Congressional Record.

    On July 22, 1968,(1) the following proceedings occurred 
in the House:
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 1. 114 Cong. Rec. 22684, 22685, 90th Cong. 2d Sess.
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        Mr. [Fred] SCHWENGEL [of Iowa]. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous 
    consent to extend my remarks at this point in the Record and 
    include extraneous matter.
        The SPEAKER pro tempore.(2) Is there objection to 
    the request of the gentleman from Iowa?
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 2. Carl Albert (OK).
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        There was no objection.
        Mr. SCHWENGEL. Mr. Speaker, on July 18 in a brief ceremony in 
    the Speaker's Lobby, Mrs. George J. Le Blanc, of Alexandria, Va., 
    presented two chairs used by the House of Representatives over 100 
    years ago when they were still meeting in the old House Chamber, 
    now known as Statuary Hall. Because of the special interest present 
    Members of the House may have in this and because it was a historic 
    occasion, it should be properly recorded in the Journal. I am 
    having the remarks made at the occasion placed in the Congressional 
    Record:

                   Congressisonal Chair Presentation Ceremony

                         remarks by hon. fred schwengel

            Mr. Speaker, fellow Congressmen, friends and guests: We are 
        gathered again today to make another presentation to the 
        Capitol. I speak as President of the United States Capitol 
        Historical Society to serve as a vehicle to present to the 
        House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States 
        of America, two antique chairs used by Congressmen in the House 
        Chamber over one hundred years ago, to be here as daily 
        reminders of our history and heritage. . . .

                    presentation by mrs. george j. le blanc

            I am very happy to attend this homecoming for it gives me 
        the opportunity to see these two chairs returned to their 
        rightful place, the Capitol of the United States, where they 
        once had the honor of serving Congressmen of the House of 
        Representatives. . . .
            And so it is with great pleasure that I return these chairs 
        to their rightful place, realizing by your acceptance of them 
        they will be preserved for posterity as a part of our great 
        American Heritage.

                      remarks of the speaker of the house

            Mr. Schwengel, I am glad to be here in this historic 
        Speaker's Lobby for this important ceremony and accept these 
        fine heirlooms for the House of Representatives. I am glad to 
        have these chairs that were used by Congressmen over one 
        hundred

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        years ago. They will be reminders of our early patriots and 
        Representatives of the House who were statesmen in the very 
        real and important sense. The memories of these men should be 
        noted and called to our attention more often than they are and 
        with the acceptance of these chairs placed here in this Lobby, 
        we will have an interesting daily reminder of these men and 
        women. . . .
            In closing may I say again these two chairs are a reminder 
        of history -- the history of yesterday, and I want to assure 
        Mrs. Le Blanc that these chairs will become an intricate part 
        of the House of Representatives in its daily work to serve the 
        people.

                         remarks of hon. fred schwengel

            Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for those eloquent words of 
        appreciation and assurance. Once again, you have gone beyond 
        the call of duty as you have done so often -- especially for 
        the Historical Society and for those projects and programs that 
        have for their purpose the recalling of the magnificent story 
        of our Capitol and the history of our country. You have been a 
        great Speaker and you have been great in the support of those 
        things that recall a great foundation based on freedom on which 
        our nation was built. . . .

Donation of Marble Bust to Congress

Sec. 20.3 A marble bust was donated to Congress by an organization and 
    placed in the rotunda of the Old House Office Building.

    On May 15, 1962,(1) a marble bust of former Speaker 
Joseph W. Martin, Jr. was presented to the Congress of the United 
States by the National Federation of Republican Women.(2) 
The following proceedings occurred:
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 1. 108 Cong. Rec. 8453-57, 87th Cong. 2d Sess.
 2. The bust was placed in the ``Old House Office Building,'' which was 
        subsequently renamed the Cannon House Office Building. See 
        http://www.aoc.gov/cc/cobs/chob.cfm (last visited Jan. 5, 
        2010).
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        Mr. [Don L.] SHORT [of North Dakota]. Mr. Speaker, I ask 
    unanimous consent that the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Morse] 
    may extend his remarks in the body of the Record and include 
    extraneous matter.
        The SPEAKER pro tempore.(3) Is there objection to 
    the request of the gentleman from North Dakota?
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 3. Carl Albert (OK).
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        There was no objection.
        Mr. [F. Bradford] MORSE [of Massachusetts]. Mr. Speaker, 
    hundreds, indeed thousands, of men have served in this great House, 
    but none has inspired greater respect, devotion and affection than 
    has our distinguished colleague from the Commonwealth of 
    Massachusetts, the beloved former Speaker of this body, Joe Martin. 
    The qualities that have earned Speaker Martin such a high place in 
    the regard of his colleagues have endeared him to millions of 
    Americans.
        The honors that have been accorded this great yet humble man 
    bear eloquent testimony to his stature. Honors, indeed, are not new 
    to Joe Martin, but I believe that of all the tributes he has 
    received none have had greater meaning than that which was accorded

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    him on Sunday, April 15, 1962, when the National Federation of 
    Republican Women presented to the Congress of the United States a 
    marble likeness of Joe Martin, executed by the noted sculptress, 
    Mme. Suzanne Silvercruys, to be placed in the rotunda of the House 
    Office Building.
        Scores of Joe's colleagues from both branches of the Congress 
    joined with hundreds of Republican ladies from throughout our 
    nation in the presentation ceremony. In order that our colleagues 
    who were not able to attend the ceremonies may share the sentiments 
    of those who paid tribute to Joe on this notable occasion, I am 
    incorporating at this point in the Congressional Record the program 
    describing the ceremonies together with a record of the proceedings 
    which was transcribed from a tape recording of the ceremonies 
    contributed as a public service by Mr. Isaac Street, of Business 
    and Social Recordings[.](4)
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 4. The taped ceremonies were printed in the Congressional Record at 
        108 Cong. Rec. 8453-57, 87th Cong. 2d Sess., May 15, 1962.
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Donation of 49-Star Flag to House

Sec. 20.4 A 49-star flag, for use on the rostrum, was presented to the 
    House of Representatives by the Daughters of the American 
    Revolution.

    On July 16, 1959,(1) Mr. Clifford G. McIntire, of Maine, 
gave a one-minute speech announcing that a 49-star flag had been 
presented to the House by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The 
proceedings were as follows:
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 1. 105 Cong. Rec. 13592, 13593, 86th Cong. 1st Sess.
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        Mr. McINTIRE. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor and privilege to 
    direct the attention of the House to the fact that as this session 
    opens today the new 49-star flag of our beloved country is 
    officially displayed over the Speaker's rostrum for the first time.
        A flag of the United States was presented to the House of 
    Representatives in 1901 by the National Society of the Daughters of 
    the American Revolution and hung over the Speaker's rostrum for the 
    first time.
        On August 19, 1919, the House was presented with a new flag by 
    this society to replace the flag displayed since 1901, which had 
    become soiled and worn. This new flag was formally accepted by 
    House resolution, September 18, 1919, and hung over the Speaker's 
    rostrum, back of the Speaker's chair. By House Resolution of 
    September 18, 1919, the old flag was returned to the society, to be 
    displayed and carefully preserved in the archives of the society.
        On December 28, 1950, a new flag was once again presented to 
    the House by this society to replace the flag that had been 
    displayed in the Chamber since 1919, and was hung over the 
    Speaker's rostrum back of the Speaker's chair, on January 3, 1951, 
    the day when the House met for the first time in the remodeled 
    Chamber. The old flag was returned to the society for preservation, 
    December 28, 1950.
        In the office of the Speaker this morning, Mrs. Doris White, 
    distinguished citizen of Maine and president-general of the 
    Daughters of the

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    American Revolution, presented this beautiful 49-star flag to the 
    House of Representatives.
        This continues a project which began in 1901 as a project truly 
    in keeping with the great traditions and high ideals of this 
    distinguished organization of American women.

Memorial Bell Tower

Sec. 20.5 A resolution authorizing the printing of proceedings in 
    connection with the dedication ceremonies of the Robert A. Taft 
    Memorial.

    On Apr. 13, 1959,(1) Mr. Clarence J. Brown, of Ohio, 
asked unanimous consent to address the House:
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 1. 105 Cong. Rec. 5776, 86th Cong. 1st Sess.
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                    DEDICATION CEREMONY, TAFT MEMORIAL TOWER

        Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to 
    address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend my remarks.
        The SPEAKER.(2) Is there objection to the request of 
    the gentleman from Ohio?
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 2. Sam Rayburn (TX).
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        There was no objection.
        Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I have requested this time to 
    announce that tomorrow morning the dedicatory exercises for the 
    Taft Memorial Bell Tower on the Capitol Grounds, just across 
    Constitution Avenue, will begin at 10 o'clock. All Members of 
    Congress, of course, are invited, along with their wives. Tickets 
    have been sent to each Member of the House and each Member of the 
    Senate, two tickets to each. Special reserved seats have been 
    arranged and are being held for the use of Members of Congress.
        If I may take just a second or two, I should like to tell you 
    something of the program:
        The Indian Hill High School Band, which comes from the little 
    community where Senator Taft lived, will give a part of the musical 
    program, which will start about 10 minutes of 10. Then the U.S. 
    Marine Band will follow.
        The presiding officer to open the meeting will be 
    Representative B. Carroll Reece of Tennessee, who is the president 
    of the Robert A. Taft Memorial Foundation, Inc.
        The invocation will be given by Rev. Frederick Brown Harris, 
    Chaplain of the Senate.
        The meaning of the tower will be explained in a short address 
    by Representative Reece, who will present, in a body, the 100 
    trustees of the memorial foundation.
        The meeting will then be turned over to me as the chairman of 
    the Physical Memorial Subcommittee, and I in turn will introduce, 
    first, Senator Styles Bridges, who will speak for 4 or 5 minutes 
    for the Senate, then Senator Harry Flood Byrd, who will speak also 
    for the Senate for about the same length of time, to be followed by 
    William Howard Taft III, the eldest son of Senator Taft, former 
    Ambassador to Ireland, as you recall. He will respond for a minute 
    or so in behalf of the family.
        Following I will present the former President of the United 
    States, the

[[Page 262]]

    chairman of the board of trustees of the foundation, the Honorable 
    Herbert Hoover, who will deliver a eulogy on Senator Taft.
        Next, the President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 
    honorary chairman of the foundation, will be presented, and in turn 
    he will dedicate the memorial by turning over symbolic keys to the 
    Vice President of the United States and to Speaker Rayburn, of the 
    House, both of whom will respond on behalf of the Congress.
        Following the address of Mr. Speaker Rayburn, the benediction 
    will be given by the Acting Chaplain of the House.
        This memorial, as you know, which cost approximately 1 million 
    is being presented to the Congress of the United States by the Taft 
    Memorial Foundation, and the Congress will serve as its custodian 
    for the benefit of the American people.
        Following the speaking program there will be a 20-minute 
    carillon concert so that those assembled may have the opportunity 
    to hear these famous bells for the first time.

    On Apr. 14, 1959,(3) the following resolution was 
offered.
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 3. See 105 Cong. Rec. 5858, 86th Cong. 1st Sess.
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        Mr. Reece of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I offer a resolution (H. 
    Res. 243) and ask for its immediate consideration.
        The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

            Resolved, That there be printed as a House 
        document,(4) will [sic] illustrations, the 
        proceedings in connection with the dedication ceremonies of the 
        Robert A. Taft Memorial on April 14, 1959.
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 4. H. Doc. No. 86-121.
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        The resolution was agreed to.
        A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

Presentation of Gift to Speaker by Member

Sec. 20.6 The Speaker was presented an Irish shillelagh on St. 
    Patrick's Day.

    On Mar. 17, 1952,(1) Mr. Fred E. Busbey, of Illinois, 
presented Speaker Sam Rayburn, of Texas, with a shillelagh, as 
indicated below:
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 1. 98 Cong. Rec. 2403, 82d Cong. 2d Sess.
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        Mr. BUSBEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to address the 
    House for 1 minute and to revise and extend my remarks.
        The SPEAKER. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman 
    from Illinois?
        There was no objection.
        Mr. BUSBEY. Mr. Speaker, today Americans the length and breadth 
    of the land are joining the Irish in honoring their patron saint 
    and we pay our respects to the gallant people of Irish extraction 
    on this St. Patrick's Day. . . .
        I hold in my hand a genuine black-thorn shillelagh which came 
    from the county of Tipperary, Ireland. By virtue of the esteem the 
    Members of this body hold for the Speaker, I believe it very

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    appropriate for him to use a shillelagh on St. Patrick's Day to 
    preside over the House of Representatives. This shillelagh was 
    presented to me during my visit in Ireland by Mr. Nicholas Lakas, 
    one of our younger and most promising Foreign Service officers, who 
    was in charge of the United States consulate at Cork, Ireland. I, 
    in turn, present it to our Speaker with my compliments, a 
    shillelagh from O'Busbey to Speaker O'Rayburn.
        The SPEAKER. I appreciate the suggestion of the gentleman from 
    Illinois.