As tradition dictated, the House Chaplain, James Shera Montgomery, opened the second session of the 74th Congress with a prayer. The House recessed early that afternoon in anticipation of President Franklin Roosevelt’s State of the Union address. Roosevelt, in a presidential first, delivered his message at night in hope of garnering a large public audience via radio.
History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, “Reconvening of the 74th Congress,” https://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2008/2008-080-001/ (June 26, 2022)
Office of the Historian
Office of Art and Archives
Attic, Thomas Jefferson Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 226-1300