The Sergeant at Arms of the Senate is an officer of the Senate with protection, security, decorum, protocol, and administrative responsibilities. The Sergeant at Arms is elected by the membership of the Senate. As the Senate’s chief law enforcement officer, the Sergeant at Arms is responsible for security in the Senate wing of the Capitol, the Senate office buildings, and on adjacent grounds.
As the chief of protocol of the Senate, the Sergeant at Arms performs ceremonial functions that fall within his jurisdiction through custom and precedent. In carrying out these duties, the Sergeant at Arms greets and escorts the U.S. President, heads of state, and other official Senate guests while attending functions in the Capitol; leads Senators from the Senate side of the Capitol to the House chamber for joint sessions of Congress, to their places on the inaugural platform, and to any other place the Senate goes as a body; and assists in arrangements for inaugurations and the planning of funerals of Senators who die while in office. By custom, the Sergeant at Arms is custodian of the Senate gavel.
As an administrative official of the Senate, the Sergeant at Arms is responsible for specified services to Senators’ offices. In the administration of Senators’ offices the Sergeant at Arms is responsible for securing home state office space, including mobile home state office space; purchasing office equipment; managing telecommunications services; establishing prices of items available for use in Senate offices; reimbursing Senators for items purchased through their offices; maintaining records of equipment used in offices; and administering orientation seminars, among others.
The Sergeant at Arms of the Senate is an officer of the Senate with protection, security, decorum, protocol, and administrative responsibilities. The Sergeant at Arms is elected by the membership of the Senate. As the Senate's chief law enforcement officer, the Sergeant at Arms is responsible for security in the Senate wing of the Capitol, the Senate office buildings, and on adjacent grounds.
As the chief of protocol of the Senate, the Sergeant at Arms performs ceremonial functions that fall within his jurisdiction through custom and precedent. In carrying out these duties, the Sergeant at Arms greets and escorts the U.S. President, heads of state, and other official Senate guests while attending functions in the Capitol; leads Senators from the Senate side of the Capitol to the House chamber for joint sessions of Congress, to their places on the inaugural platform, and to any other place the Senate goes as a body; and assists in arrangements for inaugurations and the planning of funerals of Senators who die while in office. By custom, the Sergeant at Arms is custodian of the Senate gavel.
As an administrative official of the Senate, the Sergeant at Arms is responsible for specified services to Senators' offices. In the administration of Senators' offices the Sergeant at Arms is responsible for securing home state office space, including mobile home state office space; purchasing office equipment; managing telecommunications services; establishing prices of items available for use in Senate offices; reimbursing Senators for items purchased through their offices; maintaining records of equipment used in offices; and administering orientation seminars, among others.
On April 6, 1789, James Mathers was elected as Senate Doorkeeper and became the chamber's first elected officer.1 On February 5, 1798, Mathers's duties were expanded when he was "invested with the authority of Sergeant-at-Arms, to hold said office during the pleasure of the Senate, whose duty it shall be to execute the commands of the Senate, from time to time, and all such process as shall be directed to him by the President of the Senate."2 Initially, the Senate met in closed-door sessions and it was the responsibility of the Doorkeeper to ensure that a quorum of Senators was present and that other interested parties were kept out of the chamber. This officer is hereafter referred to as Sergeant at Arms.
Today, the Sergeant at Arms performs the original duties of the doorkeeper and is responsible for the protection of the Senate wing of the Capitol, the Senate office buildings,3 and the Senate chamber.4 In addition, the Sergeant at Arms serves as the Senate's chief protocol officer and has administrative responsibility for Senate offices and other Senate services, including the Senate beauty and barber shops, the Senate garage, the Senate post office, the Senate recording studio, and the Senate photographic studio. The Sergeant at Arms is elected by the Senate and serves "from Congress to Congress until a successor is chosen."5
The duties and responsibilities of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper have developed over time through several sources.6 These sources include statutes, Senate rules and orders, and customs and precedents. Statues, rules and orders, and other materials may be found in
Additionally, many of the duties of the Sergeant at Arms are defined by the Senate Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. As a consequence of its jurisdiction over Senate administrative matters, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration oversees operations of the Sergeant at Arms.
The duties and responsibilities of Sergeant at Arms can be divided into three broad categories: law enforcement and security, protocol, and administration. Each category reflects the basic responsibility to ensure safe and effective operation of the Senate.
As the Senate's chief law enforcement officer, the Sergeant at Arms is responsible for security in the Senate wing of the Capitol,11 the Senate office buildings, adjacent grounds,12 and for the security of Senators. At the request of a majority of Senators present on the floor, the Sergeant at Arms also has the authority to compel the attendance of absent Senators.13 The Sergeant at Arms enforces rules made by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and serves as a member of the Capitol Police Board, which is authorized by law to design, install, and maintain security systems for the Capitol and its grounds.14
Together with the Secretary of the Senate, the Sergeant at Arms develops and maintains a continuity-of-operations plan that enables the Senate to conduct business and access data at offsite locations, and oversees the office of security and emergency preparedness, which serves as the Senate's emergency planning and response team.15
As the chief of protocol of the Senate, the Sergeant at Arms performs ceremonial functions that exist through custom and precedent. In carrying out these duties, the Sergeant at Arms greets and escorts the U.S. President, heads of states, and other official Senate guests while attending functions in the Capitol; leads Senators from the Senate side of the Capitol to the House chamber for joint sessions of Congress, to their places on the inaugural platform, and to any other place the Senate travels as a body; and assists in arrangements for inaugurations and the planning of funerals of Senators who die while in office. By custom, the Sergeant at Arms is custodian of the Senate gavel.16
The Sergeant at Arms is responsible for protocol surrounding the death of a Senator. These responsibilities include the enforcement of a provision in the Standing Orders of the Senate which prohibits flowers in the Senate chamber unless an order is given waiving the prohibition for a display of flowers on the desk of a deceased Senator on the day of eulogies.17 The Sergeant at Arms also ascertains that the construction of a monument to a deceased Senator, who is to be buried in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C., conforms to specific construction materials and procedures.18
As an administrative officer of the Senate, the Sergeant at Arms is responsible for specified services to Senators' offices, including the following:
The administrative duties of the Sergeant at Arms also include services to the Senate as a whole, including the following:
Since 1789, 38 men and women have been elected Sergeant at Arms of the Senate. Table A-1 lists those individuals, the Congress, when their term began, and when their term concluded.
Table A-1. Sergeants at Arms and Doorkeepers of the Senate
Congress (in which service began) |
Name |
Term Began |
Term Concluded |
1st (1789-1791) |
James Mathers |
April 6, 1789 |
September 2, 1811a |
12th (1811-1813) |
Montjoy Bayly |
November 6, 1811 |
December 9, 1833 |
23rd (1833-1835) |
John Shackford |
December 9, 1833 |
1837b |
25th (1837-1839) |
Stephen Haight |
September 4, 1837 |
June 7, 1841 |
27th (1841-1843) |
Edward Dyer |
June 7, 1841 |
December 9, 1845 |
29th (1845-1847) |
Robert Beale |
December 9, 1845 |
March 17, 1853 |
33rd (1853-1855) |
Dunning R. McNair |
March 17, 1853 |
July 6, 1861 |
37th (1861-1863) |
George T. Brown |
July 6, 1861 |
March 22, 1869 |
41st (1869-1871) |
John R. French |
March 22, 1869 |
March 24, 1879 |
46th (1879-1881) |
Richard J. Bright |
March 24, 1879 |
December 18, 1883 |
48th (1883-1885) |
William P. Canaday |
December 18, 1883 |
June 30, 1890 |
51st (1889-1891) |
Edward K. Valentine |
June 30, 1890 |
August 7, 1893 |
53rd (1893-1895) |
Richard J. Bright |
August 8, 1893 |
February 1, 1900 |
56th (1899-1901) |
Daniel M. Ransdell |
February 1, 1900 |
August 26, 1912 |
62nd (1911-1913) |
E. Livingston Cornelius |
December 10, 1912 |
March 4, 1913 |
63rd (1913-1915) |
Charles P. Higgins |
March 13, 1913 |
March 3, 1919 |
66th (1919-1921) |
David S. Barry |
May 19, 1919 |
February 7, 1933 |
73rd (1933-1935) |
Chesley W. Jurney |
March 9, 1933 |
January 31, 1943 |
78th (1943-1945) |
Wall Doxey |
February 1, 1943 |
January 3, 1947 |
80th (1947-1949) |
Edward F. McGinnis |
January 4, 1947 |
January 2, 1949 |
81st (1949-1951) |
Joseph C. Duke |
January 3, 1949 |
January 2, 1953 |
83rd (1953-1955) |
Forest A. Harness |
January 3, 1953 |
January 4, 1955 |
84th (1955-1957) |
Joseph C. Duke |
January 5, 1955 |
December 30, 1965 |
89th (1965-1967) |
Robert G. Dunphy |
January 14, 1966 |
June 30, 1972 |
92nd (1971-1973) |
William H. Wannall |
July 1, 1972 |
December 17, 1975 |
94th (1975-1977) |
Frank "Nordy" Hoffman |
December 18, 1975 |
January 4, 1981 |
97th (1981-1983) |
Howard S. Liebengood |
January 5, 1981 |
September 12, 1983 |
98th (1983-1985) |
Larry E. Smith |
September 13, 1983 |
June 2, 1985 |
99th (1985-1987) |
Ernest E. Garcia |
June 3, 1985 |
January 5, 1987 |
100th (1987-1989) |
Henry K. Giugni |
January 6, 1987 |
December 31, 1990 |
102nd (1991-1993) |
Martha S. Pope c |
January 3, 1991 |
April 14, 1994 |
103rd (1993-1995) |
Robert Laurent Benoit |
April 15, 1994 |
January 3, 1995 |
104th (1995-1997) |
Howard O. Greene, Jr. |
January 4, 1995 |
September 6, 1996 |
Gregory S. Casey |
September 6, 1996 |
November 9, 1998 |
|
105th (1997-1999) |
James W. Ziglar |
November 9, 1998 |
September 3, 2001 |
107th (2001-2003) |
Alfonso E. Lenhardt |
September 4, 2001 |
March 16, 2003 |
108th (2003-2005) |
William H. Pickle |
March 17, 2003 |
January 4, 2007 |
110th (2007-2009) |
Terrance Gainer |
January 4, 2007 |
Present |
Source: Senate Historical Office, http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/sergeant_at_arms.htm.
Notes:
a. James Mathers was originally elected to be Senate Doorkeeper, making him the first Senate officer. On February 5, 1798, the Senate expanded his duties to include those of Sergeant at Arms.
b. John Shackford's exact date of death is unknown.
c. Martha S. Pope was the first woman to serve as Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate.
1. |
Senate debate, Annals of the Congress of the United States, vol. 1 (April 6, 1789), pp. 17-18. |
2. |
Senate debate, Annals of the Congress of the United States, vol. 7 (February 5, 1798), pp. 497-498. |
3. |
U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, Senate Manual—Containing the Standing Rules, Orders, Laws, and Resolutions Affecting the Business of the United States Senate, 110th Cong., 1st sess., S.Doc. 110-1 (Washington: GPO, 2008). [Hereafter, Senate Manual] Rules for the Regulation of the Senate Wing of the United States Capitol and Senate Office Building, Rule I (§ 120). |
4. |
U.S. Congress, Senate, Standing Rules of the Senate, 110th Cong., 1st sess., September 14, 2007, S.Doc 110-9 (Washington: GPO, 2007). Rule XXIII specifies those individuals who may be admitted to the Senate floor when the Senate is in session. |
5. |
U.S. Congress, Senate Historical Office, "The Office of the Senate Sergeant at Arms," Sergeant At Arms, http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/sergeant_at_arms.htm. |
6. |
U.S. Congress, Congressional Research Service, The Senate Sergeant at Arms: Authorities, Duties, and Administration of Office, created at the request of the Senate Sergeant at Arms, by [author name scrubbed] (January 16, 2008), 117 pp. Copies are available only from the Senate Sergeant at Arms. |
7. |
The U.S. Code can be found online at the Office of the Law Revision Counsel website, http://uscode.house.gov/search/criteria.shtml. |
8. |
The Statutes at Large is prepared and published by the Office of the Federal Register at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For more information see http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/publications/statutes.html. |
9. |
Senate Manual. The Standing Rules of the Senate were most recently published on September 14, 2007, and can be found on the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration website http://rules.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=RulesOfSenateHome. |
10. |
For example of some of the precedents of the Senate see, U.S. Congress, Riddick's Senate Procedure: Precedents and Practices, 101st Cong., 2nd sess., S.Doc. 101-28 (Washington: GPO, 1992). |
11. |
Standing Rules of the Senate, Rule XXII; Rule XIX; and Rule XXXIII. Additional responsibility can be found in the Senate Manual, Rules and Regulations of the Senate Wing of the United States Capitol and Senate Office Buildings, Rule III, Rule IV, Rule VI, and Rule X. |
12. |
The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration has directed that the Rules of the Regulation of the Senate Wing of the Capitol extend to the Senate Office Buildings under their authority from the Standing Rules of the Senate, Rule XXV (1)(n). |
13. |
Standing Rules of the Senate, Rule VI. |
14. |
2 U.S.C. § 1901, note. The Sergeant at Arms serves on the Capitol Police Board with the House Sergeant at Arms, the Architect of the Capitol, and the chief of the United States Capitol Police, who serves as an ex-officio member. |
15. |
Testimonies of the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate William H. Pickle and former Sergeant at Arms of the Senate Alfonso Lenhardt, U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, Oversight of the Sergeant at Arms, Library of Congress, and Congressional Research Service, 108th Cong., 1st sess., April 8, 2003. |
16. |
Silvio A. Bedini, "The Mace and the Gavel," Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 87, part 4 (1997), pp. 53-70. The Senate gavel is used to call for the commencement, adjournment, and for order in the Senate. For more information on the Senate gavel see, U.S. Congress, U.S. Senate Art & History, "Senate Gavel," http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/artifact/Decorative_arts/Other/71_00002.htm. |
17. |
Senate Manual, Standing Orders of the Senate, § 64. |
18. |
2 U.S.C. § 51. |
19. |
2 U.S.C. § 59. |
20. |
2 U.S.C. § 59b(a)-(c). |
21. |
2 U.S.C. § 58a; 2 U.S.C. § 58a-2; and 2 U.S.C. § 52a-3. |
22. |
2 U.S.C. § 69a. |