Mary Norton had recently won re-election when her niece brought her a huge basket of flowers in early December 1930. Floral tributes were a popular gift for Members of Congress and a tradition that dated back to the 1870s. In the Congress set to begin the following month, the Democrats were poised to regain control of the House. Norton would chair the Committee on the District of Columbia, the first of four committees she led during her storied career.
