H. Res. 526 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
February 22, 2010. 
Whereas the site for the historic Langston Golf Course was 
selected in 1929, following repeated demands from Afri-
can-Americans who were excluded from all but one of the 
District’s public courses, the Lincoln Memorial; 
Whereas construction did not begin until the mid 1930s, and 
in 1938, African-American women from the Wake Robin 
Golf Club pressed for desegregation of the District of Co-
lumbia’s public courses by drafting and introducing a pe-
tition to Secretary of the Interior, Harold Ickes; 
Whereas the Langston Golf Course, officially opened in 1939, 
is the first and only course built by the United States 
Government for segregated purposes, and was built be-
cause African-Americans were denied equal access to the 
city’s golf courses; 
Whereas the Langston Golf Course was named for John Mer-
cer Langston, a renowned Howard University educator, 
prominent political figure, and the first African-American 
Congressman from Virginia, elected in 1888; 
Whereas the Langston Golf Course is listed in the National 
Register of Historic Places and has been the home course 
of both the Royal Golf Club and the Wake Robin Golf
•HRES 526 EH 
Club, respectively the Nation’s first clubs for African- 
American men and women; 
Whereas over its 70-year existence, the Langston Golf Course 
has attracted many famous African-American golfers, 
such as Lee Elder, Ted Rhodes, Calvin Peete, and Jim 
Thorpe, who all made regular and annual stops on the 
circuit of African-American professionals when they were 
unable to play regularly on the then-racially restricted 
PGA Tour; 
Whereas other notable visitors to play golf there include 
heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis, Hall of Fame 
baseball player Maury Wills, Washington Senators base-
ball player Chuck Hinton, Washington Redskins players 
Darrell Green and Brian Mitchell, U.S. Secretary of the 
Interior Gale Norton, Missouri Congressman Lacy Clay, 
South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn, Wisconsin 
Senator Russ Feingold, actor and professor Al Freeman, 
Jr., and the musical superstars the O’Jays have all en-
joyed the Langston course; 
Whereas in 2002, a partnership was formed with Howard 
University to open the Interpretive Education Center, 
and this program was integrated into the Langston com-
munity schools in 2003; 
Whereas for more than 15 years, three junior golf programs 
have made the Langston Golf Course their home, Masons 
Army, Langston Junior Boys and Girls, and the First 
Tee, DC; 
Whereas juniors from these programs are nationally and 
internationally known as The Jimmy Garvin All-Stars 
and are required to utilize the Education Center in order 
to learn golf and use the facilities;
•HRES 526 EH 
Whereas these programs operate year round offering edu-
cational and golf instruction; 
Whereas the Langston Golf Course is known as the home of 
the internationally renowned Capital City Open Pro-Am 
Tournament and the Jimmy Garvin Legacy Scholarship 
Classic; 
Whereas the Langston Golf Course, Rock Creek Golf Course, 
and East Potomac Golf Course are owned by the Na-
tional Park Service, and each has a long history of serv-
ice to the general public as an integral part of the Na-
tion’s capital, including services to local and regional resi-
dents, visitors, and tourists; and 
Whereas it is the policy of the National Park Service to 
maintain and upgrade its recreational sites: Now, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes 
the historical and cultural significance of the Langston Golf 
Course and its contributions to racial equality. 
Attest: 
Clerk.