The Senate Gavel
The sergeant at arms has custody of the gavel that the Senate uses to start each day’s session. A member of the sergeant at arms’ staff delivers two gavels to the floor before the Senate goes into session each day, and stores them after the Senate adjourns. One gavel dates from at least 1834, although according to one account, Vice President John Adams may have used that gavel to call the first Senate to order in New York City. The gavel had been deteriorating since the 1940s, and in 1952, the Senate had silver pieces attached to both ends to limit further damage. In spite of the Senate’s best efforts, in 1954, the institution came to need a new gavel; the old one shattered during a heated debate. That year, the government of India presented the Senate with the gavel currently used to call the Senate to order. The gavel is ivory and has no handle.
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