United States Senate Reception Room
The United States Senate Reception Room is located in the United States Capitol and is one of the Capitol's most richly decorated public rooms that features the work of Italian artist Constantino Brumidi.[1] The room, numbered S-213, has historically been used for meetings and ceremonies. These decorations feature nine permanent portraits of the greatest Senators as determined by a Senate committee. These portraits are placed in massive and ornate golden frames.[2]
Southwest corner of the Senate Reception Room in 2004 | |
| Building | United States Capitol |
|---|---|
| Location | Washington, DC |
| Country | United States |
| Purpose | Meetings |
Senator portraits edit
In 1957, a Senate Committee headed by then Senator John F. Kennedy was tasked to decide on the five greatest U.S. Senators of all time so their portraits could decorate the Senate Reception Room.[3] Three of the selections were the "Great Triumvirate":
The other two selections were:
The aforementioned were nicknamed the "famous five",[3] and at times have been referred to by media as being in the Senate's "hall of fame".[4]
In 2004, Arthur H. Vandenberg (Michigan) and Robert F. Wagner (New York) were added.[3] In 2006, a mural commemorating the Connecticut Compromise (also known as the Great Compromise of 1787) was added with Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut, resulting in the group's informal name becoming the "famous nine".[3]
References edit
- ^ (Press release). US House of Representatives. July 29, 2015. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ^ Shaw, John T. (2013). JFK in the Senate: Pathway to the Presidency. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-230-34183-8.
- ^ a b c d "The 'Famous Five'". United States Senate. March 12, 1959. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- ^ "Foe Called Them Names, Senate Calls Them Great". Newsday (Nassau Edition). Hempstead, New York. UP. May 1, 1957. p. 2. Retrieved December 11, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
But these five men ... will grace the Senate's own hall of fame.
External links edit
- Official website
- Clinton might find inspiration in Senate portraits