Finding Aids for Official House Records

“The chief monument of the history of a nation is its archives.”
— Waldo Gifford Leland, “The National Archives: A Programme,” The American Historical Review, 1912

There are currently almost 200 million pages of House Records on deposit at the National Archives with the Center for Legislative Archives in downtown Washington, D.C. Although the records are preserved and made accessible at the Center, the records remain the property of the House of Representatives and subject to its rules. Please note that access to the records described in these finding aids is only available through the Center for Legislative Archives. If you are interested in researching and accessing any of the records described in these finding aids, please contact the Center at 202-357-5350, legislative.archives@nara.gov.

The records for the 1st through the 79th Congresses (1789–1947) are described by Congress. The records created by the House during these Congresses are described in a single finding aid. The records of the Congresses following the 79th are described by committee. The records of each committee are described in separate finding aids grouped by Congress. Records after the 98th Congress (1983–1985) are not yet open under House Rules. Preliminary inventories are also available for Special, Select, and Joint Committees.