Subjects – Cannon, Joseph (Uncle Joe)
Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon of Illinois
May 07, 1836
Speaker Joseph Gurney Cannon of Illinois was born in Guilford, North Carolina. “Uncle Joe” Cannon’s career in Congress spanned almost five decades.
Speaker of the House James Beauchamp “Champ” Clark of Missouri
March 07, 1850
James Beauchamp “Champ” Clark of Missouri, the 39th Speaker of the House (1911–1919), was born in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.
Longtime congressional employee Ben Jones
August 05, 1879
Benjamin Jones—the longtime manager of the House Republican Cloakroom—was born in East St. Louis, Illinois.
Uncle Joe Cannon’s colorful words on the House Floor
August 27, 1890
On this date, the House of Representatives fell into complete disarray after Representatives Joe Cannon of Illinois and William McAdoo of New Jersey exchanged verbal insults.
Congress’s centennial celebration of Washington, DC
December 12, 1900
On this date, Congress held a Joint Meeting to commemorate the centennial of Washington, DC, serving as the capital city.
The unveiling of the Capitol model
March 31, 1904
On this date, a model of the Capitol, designed to show the building with the East Front extension originally envisioned by architect Thomas U. Walter, was unveiled in the Rotunda.
The adjournment of the Second Session of the 58th Congress
April 28, 1904
On this date, the second session of the 58th Congress (1903–1905) adjourned.
Representative Nicholas Longworth of Ohio married Alice Roosevelt
February 17, 1906
Representative Nicholas Longworth of Ohio married Alice Roosevelt, daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, in a White House ceremony.
The Speaker’s broken gavels
June 23, 1906
On this date, Speaker of the House Joseph Cannon of Illinois broke a gavel while putting the House into the Committee of the Whole for further consideration of a bill.
The delayed end of the first session of the 59th Congress (1905–1907)
June 30, 1906
On this date, the first session of the 59th Congress (1905–1907) ended several hours late, due to a printing error at the Government Printing Office (GPO).
The House’s commemoration of the centennial of President Lincoln’s birth
February 12, 1909
On this date, the House of Representatives paid tribute to President Abraham Lincoln on the 100th anniversary of his birth.
A flight demonstration by the Wright brothers for Washington political luminaries including House Leaders
July 29, 1909
On this date, before a crowd of Washington political luminaries including House Speaker Joe Cannon of Illinois, Orville and Wilbur Wright conducted a test flight at Fort Myer outside of Washington, D.C.
The House’s all night session to break Speaker Joe Cannon’s power
March 17, 1910
The House of Representatives “stayed up all night” during a marathon session lasting 29 hours, debating the power of the Committee on Rules.
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.
The “Comebacks” of the 64th Congress
December 05, 1915
As the 64th Congress (1915–1917) began to organize itself, the House of Representatives experienced a monumental return of former Members to the House as more than nearly one-third of its Membership had not served is the prior Congress.
The House declaration of war against Germany in 1917
April 06, 1917
On this date, the House adopted a war resolution against Imperial Germany—formally committing the United States to intervention in the First World War.
“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.”
The Capitol celebration of former Speaker of the House Joe Cannon of Illinois
May 07, 1920
On this date, “Uncle Joe” Cannon of Illinois celebrated his 84th birthday.
The first woman Representative to preside over the House Chamber
June 20, 1921
On this date, Alice Robertson of Oklahoma became the first woman to preside over a session of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn’s portrait leaves the “Board of Education”
June 19, 1962
The House moved the portrait of Speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas from its longtime home to the Speaker’s Lobby.