Newspaper publisher and multi-millionaire William Randolph Hearst was viewed as a strong candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in 1908. This illustration entitled, “Hearst’s New Make-up”, by cartoonist Clifford Berryman, appeared in the Washington Evening Star on June 5, 1907 and shows Hearst attempting to convince the common man that he is their friend. Hearst was born on April 29, 1863.  Hearst’s New Make-up by Clifford Berryman, 6/5/1907, U.S. Senate Collection (ARC 6010707)
Pop-upView Separately

Newspaper publisher and multi-millionaire William Randolph Hearst was viewed as a strong candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in 1908. This illustration entitled, “Hearst’s New Make-up”, by cartoonist Clifford Berryman, appeared in the Washington Evening Star on June 5, 1907 and shows Hearst attempting to convince the common man that he is their friend. Hearst was born on April 29, 1863. 

Hearst’s New Make-up by Clifford Berryman, 6/5/1907, U.S. Senate Collection (ARC 6010707)

Congress in the Archives will feature monthly staff posts on our blog. Today’s post comes from Center archivist Kristen Wilhelm.

Love it or hate it, it’s tax day! This year marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 16th Amendment, which allows Congress to collect a tax on income. Preparing my income tax return always brings out my archivist spidey senses – all those numbers in neat columns, tracking every receipt, having documentation for every entry — delightful!

The only thing as sure as death and taxes is that Congress in the Archives wouldn’t miss remembering the 16th Amendment!

Senate Joint Resolution 40, proposing a constitutional amendment, SEN 61A-B9, 6/28/1909, Records of the U.S. Senate

On September 18, 1975, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hosted a luncheon in honor of Margaret Thatcher. Her note thanking the committee for their hospitality spoke volumes of her courtesy as well as her political aspirations: “I hope we shall meet again soon.” In 1979 Thatcher was the first woman to be elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She served until 1990. Thatcher passed away on April 8, 2013.  Margaret Thatcher letter, 9/23/1975, Records of the U.S. Senate
Pop-upView Separately

On September 18, 1975, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hosted a luncheon in honor of Margaret Thatcher. Her note thanking the committee for their hospitality spoke volumes of her courtesy as well as her political aspirations: “I hope we shall meet again soon.” In 1979 Thatcher was the first woman to be elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She served until 1990. Thatcher passed away on April 8, 2013. 

Margaret Thatcher letter, 9/23/1975, Records of the U.S. Senate

Source: congressarchives

While we’re still reeling from the National’s Opening Day victory, we wanted to share this awesome new (free!) eBook from the National Archives. 

“Baseball: The National Pastime in the National Archives” tells the story of baseball in America through documents, photographs, audio, video, and other records preserved at the National Archives. Chapter 9 “Saving the Integrity of the Game” features records from congressional hearings during the steroid era. 

The book can be downloaded for free on your iPhone, Android, iPad, and eReaders, so check it out!

Congress in the Archives will feature monthly staff posts on our blog. Today’s post comes from Adam Berenbak.  Today is Opening Day in DC and all eyes are on the Nationals, especially their new mascot based on William Howard Taft. Taft is being celebrated as an addition to the ‘Presidents Run’ not only because he was an accomplished statesman and President, but because he is recognized as the first president to ever throw out a ‘first pitch’ on Opening Day, April 11, 1910.  Though the game is mostly remembered for Taft’s first pitch, Walter Johnson was the star, pitching within one hit of a no-hitter for Washington. Frank ‘Home Run’ Baker (who earned his nickname the following year with two dramatic home runs in the World Series) was the one batter to luck into a hit off of Johnson that day. In the fourth inning, Baker came to bat and lined a foul ball towards the President’s box. Though the ball missed Taft, it careened into the adjacent box, narrowly missing Vice President James Sherman before hitting Secretary of the Senate Charles Bennett in the head. Luckily for all involved, the ball “had spent its force when it landed in the box,” leaving everyone uninjured. Later reports and references to the incident, though, incorrectly refer to Bennett as the Secretary of State (and report that he was knocked out!). As Secretary of the Senate, the chief legislative officer in the Senate, Bennett helped to usher the Senate into the modern era. In doing so, he was one of the first to collect and publish the various procedures of the Senate into a concise guide for Senators. He also enjoyed frequent outings to Boundary Field, and then National Park (later Griffith Stadium), to watch baseball. Though no mascot of Bennett will be around during this year’s opening day game, their story reminds us all to watch out for the foul ball! Will the Base Runner Start for Third? by Clifford Berryman, 8/17/1906, U.S. Senate Collection (ARC 6010644)
Pop-upView Separately

Congress in the Archives will feature monthly staff posts on our blog. Today’s post comes from Adam Berenbak. 

Today is Opening Day in DC and all eyes are on the Nationals, especially their new mascot based on William Howard Taft. Taft is being celebrated as an addition to the ‘Presidents Run’ not only because he was an accomplished statesman and President, but because he is recognized as the first president to ever throw out a ‘first pitch’ on Opening Day, April 11, 1910. 

Though the game is mostly remembered for Taft’s first pitch, Walter Johnson was the star, pitching within one hit of a no-hitter for Washington. Frank ‘Home Run’ Baker (who earned his nickname the following year with two dramatic home runs in the World Series) was the one batter to luck into a hit off of Johnson that day. In the fourth inning, Baker came to bat and lined a foul ball towards the President’s box. Though the ball missed Taft, it careened into the adjacent box, narrowly missing Vice President James Sherman before hitting Secretary of the Senate Charles Bennett in the head. Luckily for all involved, the ball “had spent its force when it landed in the box,” leaving everyone uninjured. Later reports and references to the incident, though, incorrectly refer to Bennett as the Secretary of State (and report that he was knocked out!).

As Secretary of the Senate, the chief legislative officer in the Senate, Bennett helped to usher the Senate into the modern era. In doing so, he was one of the first to collect and publish the various procedures of the Senate into a concise guide for Senators. He also enjoyed frequent outings to Boundary Field, and then National Park (later Griffith Stadium), to watch baseball.

Though no mascot of Bennett will be around during this year’s opening day game, their story reminds us all to watch out for the foul ball!

Will the Base Runner Start for Third? by Clifford Berryman, 8/17/1906, U.S. Senate Collection (ARC 6010644)

Congress in the Archives will feature monthly staff posts on our blog. Today’s post comes from intern Johanna Schein for women’s history month.

Women did not have the right to vote in 1913. Yet through organized lobbying efforts, their influence could still be felt in Congress, especially in terms of environmental policy. Tied to women’s larger effort to extend their traditional “housekeeping” role into the public sector, women’s clubs advocated for a stronger National Park system for the sake of both moral and physical health. When Congress was debating the Raker Bill in 1913, which would grant San Francisco the right to dam the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park, women’s clubs were among the strongest lobbying groups against the legislation. 

In 1913, the Massachusetts State Federation of Women’s Clubs was just one of the many women’s organizations from across the country that submitted petitions to Congress urging them to protect the Hetch Hetchy Valley from development. In their resolution, the Massachusetts State Federation of Women’s Clubs argued that both women and men found health and inspiration in the Valley. The Federation stressed that with hotels and better transportation, the Hetch Hetchy Valley could be enjoyed by more citizens. According to their resolution, the damming of Hetch Hetchy would be not only unnecessary, but would also be an “irrevocable sacrifice” by the whole nation.

Petition from the Massachusetts State Federation of Women’s Clubs, 11/1913, Records of the U.S. Senate (ARC 7268076)

Even though the first day of spring was last week, many of us are still feeling the effects of Old Man Winter! Clifford Berryman penned this cartoon for The Washington Evening Star as Washington, DC shivered through a cold spell during the end of March 1915. Untitled by Clifford Berryman, 3/27/1915, U.S. Senate Collection (ARC 6011103)
Pop-upView Separately

Even though the first day of spring was last week, many of us are still feeling the effects of Old Man Winter! Clifford Berryman penned this cartoon for The Washington Evening Star as Washington, DC shivered through a cold spell during the end of March 1915.

Untitled by Clifford Berryman, 3/27/1915, U.S. Senate Collection (ARC 6011103)

todaysdocument:

The Beer-Wine Revenue Act - March 22, 1933

80 years ago, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Beer–Wine Revenue Act into law on March 22, 1933.  This law amended the Volstead Act and permitted the sale of beer and wine with an alcohol content of less than 3.2% by volume.   The act represented the first relaxation of the prohibition laws since 1918 and was followed up at the end of the year with the passage of the 21st Amendment repealing prohibition.  Repeal of prohibition laws was a key plank in the Democratic platform during the 1932 Presidential election as reflected in Clifford Berryman’s cartoon.

(Admittedly Marine Corporal R.L. Quisenberry and the New Ulm German singers club were likely not contemporaries of FDR’s decision, but we suspect they would have approved.)
On March 20, 1965, Mrs. Bertram Jeffrey sent this  letter to Representative Emanuel Cellar, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, advocating for the passage of the Voting Rights Act for the continuance of a true democratic system. Letter from Mrs. Bertram Jeffrey in Favor of the Voting Rights Act, 3/20/1965, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives (ARC 593573)
Pop-upView Separately

On March 20, 1965, Mrs. Bertram Jeffrey sent this  letter to Representative Emanuel Cellar, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, advocating for the passage of the Voting Rights Act for the continuance of a true democratic system.

Letter from Mrs. Bertram Jeffrey in Favor of the Voting Rights Act, 3/20/1965, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives (ARC 593573)