Capitol Hill's Telephonic Revolution
/tiles/non-collection/e/ex_tech_telephone_kahn_rogers_lc.xml
Image courtesy of Library of Congress
Representatives Florence Kahn and Edith Nourse Rogers (featured with a telephone) meet in the Ladies’ Cloakroom in 1927.
During the American Industrial Revolution, Alexander Graham Bell invented the first
functional telephone in 1876. Shortly thereafter, major cities across the
United States and Europe began to install the revolutionary telephone system. Service
expanded to Washington, D.C., in 1879, and slowly transformed the information system
throughout the Nation's Capital.
/tiles/non-collection/e/ex_tech_telephone_cannon_lc.xml
Image courtesy of Library of Congress
An early Member office in the Cannon House Office Building
The first telephone was installed in the U.S. Capitol Building in 1880. Situated
in the lobby of the House of Representatives, the telephone was placed under the
supervision of the House Doorkeeper,
Walter Brownlow. Within two years the telephone became so popular that Brownlow
petitioned the House to permit him to hire an additional Page to work the telephone.
By the early 1890s telephones became standard equipment, appearing in a variety
of Capitol offices, including the Speaker's Office, the Office of the Clerk, and
the Appropriations Committee. In the early 1890s, the first telephone was installed
in the Press Gallery. The invention increased the speed and accuracy that a reporter
could get the latest congressional story to press. By 1897 the expanding telephone
system required a larger switchboard and a fulltime operator. The telephone continued
to grow in use and popularity within Congress and across the country, diminishing,
but not completely eliminating the use of the telegraph. Over time, the number of
calls handled by Capitol Hill operators shrank, aided, in part, by the use of e-mail
beginning in the 1990s and the addition of cellular phone technologies. Nevertheless,
the telephone remains a popular method for constituents to contact their Representative. Since the installation of the first telephone in the Capitol,
the Capitol switchboard has handled an average of more than a million calls per year.
| Date
| Event
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1879
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Washington's first telephone service was installed by the National Telephone Exchange
in 1879.
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1880
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A resolution was approved to install one telephone for the House of Representatives
lobby, provided the expenses were covered by the National Telephone Exchange Company.
The Doorkeeper was assigned to oversee the installation and use of the telephone.
|
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1882
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The Doorkeeper of the House received authorization to hire one additional Page to
take charge of the telephone in the House lobby.
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1883
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The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company assumed control of the telephone lines
in 1883. Telephone lines were installed between the Capitol and the Office of Public
Grounds. Lines connected the Capitol to the Departments of War, Navy, State Department,
and the White House.
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|
1889
|
The Speaker's room, the Clerk's Office, and the Appropriations Committee were among
the first offices to have telephone's installed.
|
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1896
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Telephone lines were installed from the House Folding Room to a new annex at the
junction of Massachusetts Avenue and North Capitol Street.
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1897
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Telephone lines from the Capitol to the new Library of Congress Building are run
as well as internal lines for the Library of Congress Building.
|
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1898
|
As an operator for Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, Mrs. Harriott Daley
became the first switchboard operator for the Capitol. She was the head switchboard
operator at the Capitol for 47 years.
|
|
1908
|
The Capitol switchboard was moved from the basement of the Capitol to the Senate
annex (B Street, Maltby Building). There were four operators for the 11 am to 4:30
pm shift and two operators for the other hours. The operators serviced 350 telephones.
Once the new Senate and House Office Buildings (Russell and Cannon) were completed,
the office was moved to Cannon.
|
|
1926
|
Mrs. Harriott Daley supervised 15 telephone operators. Roughly 30,000 calls a day
came through the Capitol Switchboard. There were 114 trunk lines and 1,603 stations.
The service ran 24 hours a day. The 15 female switchboard operators ran the telephones
in various capacities from 8 am to 10 pm. From 10 pm to midnight, two men ran the
telephones. From midnight to 8 am, one man ran the telephones. The office was located
in the Cannon House Office Building on the 5th floor.
|
|
1957
|
With 75 operators, the Capitol telephone exchange moved from the Longworth House
Office Building to the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The modern luxury of direct
phone dialing was introduced to the Capitol Complex. The exchange averaged more
than 55,000 calls per day.
|
|
1983
|
Capitol operators received more than 22,000 calls a day. The office operated with
a staff of 28 operators and four supervisors.
|
|
1993
|
President Bill Clinton and Senator Bob Dole of Kansas urged the public to call their Representatives and Senators
to complain about the budget. The Capitol received more than two million calls between
August 4th and 5th.
|
|
2005
|
The Capitol switchboard received more than 45,000 calls per week and employed 34
individuals. The switchboard was manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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