Office of The Senate Sergeant At Arms
On April 7, 1789, when the Senate created the position of doorkeeper and appointed James T. Mathers to the position, it empowered him to ensure that senators stayed in the Senate Chamber to start the business of government. They did this because the United States Constitution states that to “constitute a Quorum to do business,” the Senate requires the presence of a majority of its members. The Senate had difficulty establishing its first quorum; the Senate first met on March 4, 1789, but did not achieve its first quorum until April 6, 1789—the day before it elected its first doorkeeper. Over the years, the title and duties of the doorkeeper grew. The title is now “Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper,” and the sergeant at arms now serves the Senate as its chief law enforcement officer, protocol officer, and executive officer. Elected by the senators, each sergeant at arms serves from Congress to Congress until a successor is chosen. Since this is an elected position, the majority party in the Senate selects the sergeant at arms, but once elected, sergeants at arms serve all members of the Senate.
Read more about this topic: Sergeant At Arms Of The United States Senate
Famous quotes containing the words office of the, office of, office, senate, sergeant and/or arms:
“The office of the prince and that of the writer are defined and assigned as follows: the nobleman gives rank to the written work, the writer provides food for the prince.”
—Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872)
“The office of the prince and that of the writer are defined and assigned as follows: the nobleman gives rank to the written work, the writer provides food for the prince.”
—Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872)
“This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall,
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“What times! What manners! The Senate knows these things, the consul sees them, and yet this man lives.”
—Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 B.C.)
“It’s fear of being afraid that frightens me more than anything else.”
—Jerome Cady, U.S. screenwriter, and Lewis Milestone. Sergeant Clinton (Farley Granger)
“So in your discussions of the nuclear freeze proposals, I urge you to beware the temptation of pride—the temptation blithely to declare yourselves above it all and label both sides equally at fault, to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong, good and evil.”
—Ronald Reagan (b. 1911)