III 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 162 

Recommending that the Langston Golf Course, located in northeast Washington, DC and owned by the National Park Service, be recognized 

for its important legacy and contributions to African-American golf history, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 21, 2009 

Mr. FEINGOLD (for himself, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, and Mr. 

BURRIS) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 

agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recommending that the Langston Golf Course, located in 

northeast Washington, DC and owned by the National 

Park Service, be recognized for its important legacy and 

contributions to African-American golf history, and for 

other purposes. 

Whereas the Langston Golf Course was designated for construction by the Department of the Interior in the 1930s 

as a safe and expanded recreational facility for the local 

and national African-American communities; 

Whereas Langston Golf Course was named for John Mercer 

Langston, the first African-American Representative 

elected to Congress from the Commonwealth of Virginia, 


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•SRES 162 ATS 

and who also was a founder of the Howard University 

School of Law; 

Whereas the Langston Golf Course is believed to be the first 

regulation course in the United States to be built almost 

entirely on a refuse landfill; 

Whereas Langston Golf Course has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Capital City 

Open golf tournament has made Langston Golf Course 

its home for the past 40 years; 

Whereas the first American-born golf professional of AfricanAmerican ancestry was John Shippen, who was born 

circa 1878 in the Anacostia area of Washington, DC, 

placed fifth in the second United States Open golf tournament in 1896 when he was 16 years old, and helped 

found the Capitol City Golf Club in 1925; 

Whereas the Capitol City Golf Club, eventually renamed the 

Royal Golf Club and Wake Robin Women’s Club, historically has promoted a safe golf facility for African Americans in Washington, DC, especially during an era when 

few facilities were available, and these 2 clubs remain the 

oldest African-American golf clubs in the United States; 

Whereas the Langston facility continues to provide important 

recreational outlets, instructional forums, and a ‘‘safe 

haven center’’ for the enhancement of the lives of Washington, DC’s inner-city youth; 

Whereas the Langston Golf Course and related recreational 

facilities provide a home for the Nation’s important minority youth ‘‘First Tee’’ golf instruction and recreational 

program in Washington, DC; 

Whereas Langston Golf Course’s operations and its related 

facilities seek to increase course-based educational opporVerDate Nov 24 2008 03:02 May 22, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR162.ATS SR162

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tunities under the auspices of the National Park Service 

for persons under 18 years of age, particularly those 

from populations of the inner-city and historically underrepresented among visitors to units of the National Park 

System; 

Whereas the preservation and ecologically-balanced enhancements via future public and private funding for the lands 

making up the 212 acres of the Langston Golf Course 

will benefit the National Park System’s Environmental 

Leadership projects program, the Anacostia River Watershed, the city of Washington, and the entire Washington, 

DC metropolitan area; 

Whereas Federal funds for enhancements to the Langston 

Golf Course have perennially been promised but rarely 

provided, even after the designation of Langston Golf 

Course as a ‘‘Legacy Project for the 21st Century’’, and 

after significant private funding and contributions were 

committed and provided; and 

Whereas the Langston Golf Course and related recreational 

facilities traditionally have provided additional quality of 

life value to all residents of Washington, DC, and will do 

more so once upgraded to meet its obvious athletic and 

historical promise: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) Langston Golf Course, its general manage3 ment, and the Royal Golf and Wake Robin Golf 

4 Clubs are to be commended for their historical and 

5 ongoing contributions to the local Washington, DC 

6 community and the Nation; 


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1 (2) the Director of the National Park Service 

2 and the Secretary of the Interior should give appro3 priate consideration to the future budget needs of 

4 this important park in the National Park System 

5 that is a historical site, recreational facility, and 

6 educational center; and 

7 (3) the Secretary of the Senate should transmit 

8 an enrolled copy of this resolution to the general 

9 manager of the Langston Golf Course. 

Æ 


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