Abstract

Glenn Rupp’s remarkable memory of his life as a House Page from 1932–1936, provides important insights about a variety of topics. His recollections of the daily activities of Pages and of special events, such as the annual dinners hosted by Representative Joseph Shannon of Missouri, are a personal record of the work and pastimes of the House Pages. In addition, his detailed descriptions of the Speaker’s Lobby and the Democratic Cloakroom—in terms of both architecture and atmosphere—allow comparisons of the House in the 1930s with the institution today. Rupp’s recollections of the mundane (paging a Member), unusual (helping to apprehend an intruder on the House Floor), special (FDR’s first inauguration and State of the Union address), and unfamiliar (the “Little Congress”), provide a vivid and dynamic picture of the Members, congressional employees, and the institution of the era, enhancing the history of the U.S. House.