Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate: Legislative and Administrative Duties

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.

Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate: Legislative and Administrative Duties

March 21, 2011 (98-748)

Summary

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.


Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate: Legislative and Administrative Duties

History of the Senate Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper

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

Origins of Duties and Responsibilities

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

  • the United States Code, which is the codification, by subject matter, of the general and permanent laws of the United States;7
  • the United States Statutes at Large, which is the collection of all laws and concurrent resolutions enacted during each session of Congress, published in the order they were enacted into law;8
  • the Senate Manual, which contains the texts of the (1) Standing Rules of the Senate, (2) Standing Orders of the Senate, (3) rules for the Regulation of the Senate Wing of the United States Capitol, and (4) excerpts from law applicable to the Senate;9 and
  • custom and precedent.10

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.

Areas of Responsibility

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.

Law Enforcement and Security

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

Protocol

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

Administration

As an administrative officer of the Senate, the Sergeant at Arms is responsible for specified services to Senators' offices, including the following:

  • acquiring home state office space, including mobile office space;19
  • purchasing office equipment and maintaining records of equipment use;20
  • operating computer support services;
  • managing telecommunications services;21
  • establishing prices of items available for use in Senate offices; and
  • administering orientation seminars for Senators, Senate officials, or members of the staffs of Senators or Senate officials and other similar meetings.22

The administrative duties of the Sergeant at Arms also include services to the Senate as a whole, including the following:

  • Senate service department, which is responsible for production of newsletters and other Senate mailings, purchase and maintenance of equipment, storage of Senate publications, and micrographics services;
  • Senate computer center, which oversees Senate computer operations;
  • Senate post office, and recording and photographic studios;
  • Senate barber and beauty shops;
  • custodial services, office furnishings and equipment, and automobiles;
  • Senate garage and other parking facilities;
  • appointment desk to greet visitors on official business;
  • Senate health promotion office;
  • Senate placement office;
  • Senate telecommunications, the Capitol telephone exchange, and the Senate telephone directory;
  • Capitol Guide Service and other visitor services including assistance in Braille, sign language interpretation, and telecommunications devices for the deaf;
  • Senate page program and assignment of duties to messengers;
  • oversight of the doorkeepers;
  • issuance of identification cards to Senate employees;
  • disposal of surplus equipment; and
  • education and training programs for Senate staff as needed.

Appendix. Sergeants at Arms and Doorkeepers of the Senate

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.

Footnotes

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.