Subjects – Clerk of the House
The first Quorum of the House of Representatives
April 01, 1789
On this date, Congress achieved its first quorum.
Clerk of the House Patrick Magruder
May 24, 1813
On the opening day of the 13th Congress (1813–1815), Patrick Magruder of Maryland was elected to a fourth consecutive term as Clerk of the House.
The youngest Representative in House history, William Charles Cole Claiborne
November 23, 1817
On this date, William Charles Cole Claiborne of Tennessee, the youngest person ever elected to the House of Representatives died.
Clerk of the House Matthew St. Clair Clarke
May 31, 1841
On this date Matthew St. Clair Clarke of Pennsylvania was named Clerk of the House for the 27th Congress (1841–1843).
Mid-nineteenth century proposals for electronic voting in the House
March 02, 1848
On this date, inventor Francis H. Smith of Baltimore petitioned the House to develop a legislative telegraph to tally the yeas and nays.
The Opening of the 34th Congress
December 03, 1855
On this date, Representatives badly divided over the slavery issue convened in the Old House Chamber (present-day Statuary Hall) to commence the 34th Congress (1855–1857).
The appointment of William H. Smith as House Librarian
December 09, 1881
On this date, William Henry Smith—a prominent African-American Washingtonian—was appointed Librarian of the House.
Alexander McDowell, long-serving Clerk of the House
March 15, 1897
On this date, Alexander McDowell of Pennsylvania was elected Clerk of the House for a second term.
One of the first efforts by the House of Representatives to preserve its records
June 06, 1900
The House of Representatives took its first step toward the long term preservation of its records, by providing funding for document storage in a general appropriations bill.
Early efforts to preserve the records of the House of Representatives
February 21, 1910
The House allocated $2,500 “for the better preservation of early files of the House” by means of H. Res. 403.
The resignation of Parliamentarian Asher Hinds
March 03, 1911
On this day, Parliamentarian Asher Hinds resigned his position to become a Representative from the State of Maine.
“American’s Creed” by Clerk of the House William Tyler Page
April 03, 1918
On this date, the House of Representatives honored William Tyler Page, a longtime congressional employee and Clerk of the House, for his authorship of the “American’s Creed.”
A Joint Session to commemorate the completion of the Washington Monument
February 22, 1927
On this date, Congress held a Joint Session to commemorate the birthday of George Washington and to inaugurate elaborate planning of festivities for the 1932 bicentennial of the first President’s birth.
The opening of the 72nd Congress
December 07, 1931
On this date, the 72nd Congress (1931–1933) convened as Clerk William Tyler Page called the House to order at noon on opening day.
The 20th Amendment
January 03, 1935
On this date, the 74th Congress (1935–1937) became the first to convene for opening day in fulfillment of the requirements of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution.
The House Committee on the Library’s report on the condition of House Records
June 01, 1937
The House Committee on the Library recommended the “Transfer of Certain Records of House of Representatives to National Archives” (H. Rpt. No. 917, 75th Cong., 1st sess.)
Discovering the “lost” records of the early Congresses
January 22, 1939
On this date, the Washington Post published a front-page story featuring Clerk of the House South Trimble, whose staff had unearthed 19th century House documents long believed to have been lost.
Deputy Clerk Harry Newlin Megill assumed Clerk of the House South Trimble’s responsibilities
August 02, 1946
Due to the poor health of House Clerk South Trimble, Deputy Clerk Harry Newlin Megill assumed his responsibilities on August 2, 1946, when the House approved H. Res. 753, authorizing the “appointment of an acting Clerk.”