The sergeant at arms of the United States House of Representatives is an officer of the House with law enforcement, protocol, and administrative responsibilities. The sergeant at arms is elected at the beginning of each Congress by the membership of the House.

Duties

In one of its first resolutions, the 1st United States Congress (April 14, 1789) established the role of Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives.

Security As the chief law enforcement officer of the House, the sergeant at arms is responsible for security in the House wing of the United States Capitol, the House office buildings, and on adjacent grounds. Under the direction of the speaker of the House or other presiding officer, the sergeant at arms plays an integral role in maintaining order and decorum in the House chamber.

The sergeant at arms is also responsible for ensuring the safety and security of members of Congress, the congressional staff, visiting dignitaries, and tourists. Toward this end, the sergeant at arms works in concert with the Senate sergeant at arms and the Architect of the Capitol. These three officials, along with the chief of the Capitol Police ex officio, comprise the Capitol Police Board.

In 2015, at a House committee hearing chaired by Candice Miller, then House Sergeant at Arms Paul D. Irving said that he gave considerable time to ensuring House members' safety and their staff, and visitors to the House, including threat and intelligence monitoring and analysis by reviewing threats and intelligence directed to House members. He said that he monitored events at the Capitol complex, such as demonstration activity, committee hearings, head of state visits, and major events taking place on the complex. He said that on a daily basis, he dealt with the Senate sergeant at arms about security for the Capitol complex.Transcript, House Administration Committee hearing, June 3, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20171118220548/https://www.house.gov/the-house-explained/officers-and-organizations/sergeant-at-arms

Protocol and ceremony

Through custom and precedent, the sergeant at arms performs a number of protocol and ceremonial duties. These duties include leading formal processions at ceremonies such as presidential inaugurations, joint sessions of Congress (such as the State of the Union address, prior to 2007), formal addresses to the Congress, greeting and escorting visiting foreign dignitaries, conveying articles of impeachment from the House to the Senate, and to supervise congressional funeral arrangements. In this capacity, the sergeant at arms is most famous for announcing the arrival of the president, a responsibility that he took over from the doorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives when the latter position was abolished in 1995. Custom dictates that he announce the arrival of the Supreme Court, the president's cabinet, and finally the president by proclaiming, "Mister (or Madam) Speaker, the President of the United States!"

Unruliness

For daily sessions of the House, the sergeant at arms carries the silver and ebony mace of the United States House of Representatives in front of the speaker in procession to the rostrum. When the House is in session, the mace stands on a pedestal to the speaker's own right. When the body resolves itself into a Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, the sergeant at arms moves the mace to a lowered position, more or less out of sight. In accordance with the Rules of the House, on the rare occasions when a member becomes unruly, the sergeant at arms, on order of the speaker, lifts the mace from its pedestal and presents it before the offenders, thereby restoring order.

Other The sergeant at arms also performs administrative services in support of the members, staff, and visitors associated with the security and other operations of the House.

If a quorum is not present, those representatives who are present may vote to order the sergeant at arms to try to round up absent representatives.

In addition to serving on the Capitol Police Board, the sergeant at arms served with the Senate sergeant at arms and the Architect of the Capitol on the Capitol Guide Board. This board oversaw the Capitol Guide Service, which provided tours of the Capitol to visitors and special services to tourists.

Deputy sergeants at arms The deputy sergeants at arms act as assistants to the sergeant at arms. The sergeant at arms has the duty of making the important decisions under his/her power, while the deputy sergeant at arms often executes the decisions. The deputy sergeant at arms that served under Paul Irving was Timothy Blodgett. The current Deputy Sergeant at Arms is Sean Keating.

List of sergeants at arms Image Sergeant at Arms State or territory Term of service Congress 1 Joseph Wheaton Rhode Island May 12, 1789 – October 27, 1807 1st – 9th 2 Thomas Dunn Maryland October 27, 1807 – December 5, 1824 10th – 18th 3 John O. Dunn District of Columbia December 6, 1824 – December 3, 1833 18th – 22nd 4 Thomas Beverly Randolph Virginia December 3, 1833 – December 15, 1835 23rd – 24th 5 Roderick Dorsey Maryland December 15, 1835 – June 8, 1841 24th – 27th 6 Eleazor M. Townsend Connecticut June 8, 1841 – December 7, 1843 27th – 28th 7 Newton Lane Kentucky December 7, 1843 – December 8, 1847 28th – 30th 8 Nathan Sargent Vermont December 8, 1847 – January 15, 1850 30th – 31st 9 Adam J. Glossbrenner Pennsylvania January 15, 1850 – February 3, 1860 31st – 36th 10 Henry William Hoffman Maryland February 3, 1860 – July 5, 1861 36th – 37th 11 Edward Ball Ohio July 5, 1861 – December 8, 1863 37th – 38th 12 Nehemiah G. Ordway New Hampshire December 8, 1863 – December 6, 1875 38th – 43rd 13 John G. Thompson Ohio December 6, 1875 – December 5, 1881 44th – 46th 14 George W. Hooker Vermont December 5, 1881 – December 4, 1883 47th 15 John P. Leedom Ohio December 4, 1883 – December 2, 1889 48th – 50th 16 Adoniram J. Holmes Iowa December 2, 1889 – December 8, 1891 51st 17 Samuel S. Yoder Ohio December 8, 1891 – August 7, 1893 52nd 18 Herman W. Snow Illinois August 7, 1893 – December 2, 1895 53rd 19 Benjamin F. Russell Missouri December 2, 1895 – December 4, 1899 54th – 55th 20 Henry Casson Wisconsin December 4, 1899 – April 4, 1911 56th – 61st 21 Uriah Stokes Jackson Indiana April 4, 1911 – June 22, 1912 62nd 22 Charles F. Riddell Indiana July 18, 1912 – April 7, 1913 62nd 23 Robert B. Gordon Ohio April 7, 1913 – May 19, 1919 63rd – 65th 24 Joseph G. Rodgers Pennsylvania May 19, 1919 – December 7, 1931 66th – 71st 25 Kenneth Romney Montana December 7, 1931 – January 3, 1947 72nd – 79th 26a William F. Russell Pennsylvania January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 80th 27 Joseph H. Callahan Kentucky January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1953 81st – 82nd 26b William F. Russell Pennsylvania January 3, 1953 – July 7, 1953 83rd 28 Lyle O. Snader Illinois July 8, 1953 – September 15, 1953 83rd 29 William R. Bonsell Pennsylvania September 15, 1953 – January 5, 1955 83rd 30 Zeake W. Johnson Jr. Tennessee January 5, 1955 – September 30, 1972 84th – 92nd 31 Kenneth R. Harding Virginia October 1, 1972 – February 29, 1980 92nd – 96th 32 Benjamin J. Guthrie Virginia March 1, 1980 – January 3, 1983 96th – 97th 33 Jack Russ Maryland January 3, 1983 – March 12, 1992 98th – 102nd 34 Werner W. Brandt Virginia March 12, 1992 – January 4, 1995 102nd – 103rd 35 Wilson Livingood Virginia January 4, 1995 – January 17, 2012 104th – 112th 36 Paul D. Irving Florida January 17, 2012 – January 7, 2021 112th – 117th – Timothy Blodgett (acting) New York January 11, 2021 – March 26, 2021 117th 37 William J. Walker Illinois March 26, 2021 – January 7, 2023 117th 38 William McFarland Maryland January 7, 2023 – present 118th

See also Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate Serjeant-at-arms

References

External links

Source: United States House of Representatives Sergeant at Arms Fact Sheet (pdf file), via House.gov Sergeants at Arms official fact sheet, via history.house.gov