Our Office

Dr. Fred W. Beuttler

Deputy Historian of the House
Dr. Fred W. Beuttler - Deputy Historian of the House

Fred W. Beuttler is Deputy Historian of the U.S. House of Representatives. In May, 2005, Speaker Dennis Hastert recreated the Office of the Historian, appointing Robert Remini as Historian of the House and Fred Beuttler as Deputy Historian. Prior to coming to Washington, Dr. Beuttler was for seven years the Associate University Historian at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). At UIC, Dr. Beuttler directed the university's oral history project and researched the history of the University. From 1993 to 1998, Dr. Beuttler was an assistant professor at Trinity Christian College near Chicago, where he taught American history and government.

Dr. Beuttler earned a B.A. from the University of Illinois, an M.A. from Trinity International University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. His dissertation, "Organizing an American Conscience: The Conference on Science, Philosophy and Religion, 1940-1968," focused on debates on the philosophical foundations of democracy.

In order to increase public understanding of the history of the House of Representatives, Dr. Beuttler gives numerous presentations on various aspects of House history, and has developed several workshop sessions for educators, including: "The First Branch: How to Teach About Congress"; "How the Really Important Bills Become Law"; "The Power of the Purse: Understanding the Congressional Appropriations Process"; and "The Virtues of the House."

He is currently working on several histories of House committees, including coauthoring a history of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, editing a short history of the Committee on Education and Labor, coauthoring a short history of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and updating the History of the House Ways and Means Committee. In 2008, he coauthored a short history of the House Committee on Science and Technology.

Mr. Anthony A. Wallis

Research Analyst
Mr. Anthony A. Wallis - Research Analyst

Anthony A. Wallis hails from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, a small suburb outside of Milwaukee. In 2005, he graduated with a B.A. in Political Science, U.S. History and Spanish Studies from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in Minneapolis. He began his career in public service by interning for U.S. Senator Norm Coleman (2003-2004) in the Regional Affairs Department, working as an elections clerk for Ramsey County in Saint Paul (2003-2004), and as a tax filing clerk for the Minnesota Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer (2004).

After working as a volunteer for the 2004 election campaigns in Minnesota, he came to Washington D.C. in January 2005 and interned for U.S. Representative Jim Ramstad of Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District until May 2005. Following the internship, Anthony was a part-time Staff Assistant for U.S. Representative F. James Sensenbrenner from the 5th Congressional District of Wisconsin until August 2005 when he accepted the position as Research Assistant for the Office of the Historian. Anthony has since received training by the Library of Congress on photographic and legislative research. In addition to pursuing his M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies at the US Naval War College, Anthony is also currently updating and writing the History of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Dr. Thomas Rushford

Digital Historian
Dr. Thomas Rushford - Digital Historian

Thomas Rushford, a PhD graduate from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, was hired in 2009 as Digital Historian/Projects Director for the Office of the House Historian.

Dr. Rushford is currently working on editing and archiving the Historian's Office's audio, video and photo digital files, along other digital projects to preserve and present the history of the House of Representatives. Dr. Rushford recently completed a three-year Post-Doctoral Teaching Fellowship at George Mason University. While at George Mason, Doctor Rushford was chosen to serve as Project Editor for the prestigious Center for History and New Media (CHNM). His work as the Project Editor was for the digital history site The Making of the History of 1989, one of the many sites created by the CHNM to provide teachers and scholars with interdisciplinary digital tools to enrich and enliven their curriculum and classrooms. He has also worked on Teaching American History grant projects, based at the CHNM.

Doctor Rushford received his Master's degree from University of Massachusetts-Amherst and his Bachelor's degree from the University of Vermont. He also holds a law degree, graduating cum laude from Vermont Law School. His dissertation, done under the direction of Brian Ogilvie, is Burnings & Blessings: The Cultural Reality if the Supernatural Across Early Modern European Spaces, focuses on the cultural and social dynamics of supernatural beliefs in the 17th century Atlantic world. His fields of study include the legal and social dynamics of the early Modern Atlantic world. Drawing on both his degrees and experience, Doctor Rushford presents regularly at various academic conferences, both nationally and internationally, most recently at the annual World Historical Association meeting in Salem, Massachusetts and the Society for Sixteenth Century Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.

Mr. Benjamin Hayes

Researcher
Mr. Benjamin Hayes - Researcher

Benjamin Hayes was raised in the small, country town of Kemblesville, Pennsylvania. He attended Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA where he earned a B.A. in Philosophy and in Biblical Studies in May of 2008. Benjamin arrived in the Washington, D.C. area in September 2008 upon his acceptance into the Capital Fellows Program in McLean, VA. During the duration of the Fellows Program, Benjamin interned in the Office of the Historian. He completed his internship in May 2009 and was hired as a Researcher. He has done training seminars on CRS products and resources at the Library of Congress. During his time in the Historian's Office, Benjamin has contributed to numerous projects, including a history of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and a compilation of Speakers' speeches and biographies. He is currently working on the history of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.