Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate: Legislative and Administrative Duties
Released: 2011-03-21T00:00:00

History of the Senate Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper

On April 6, 1789, James Mathers was elected as Senate Doorkeeper and became the chamber's first elected officer. On February 5, 1798, Mathers's duties were expanded when he was "invested with the authority of Sergeant-at-Arms, to hold said office during the pleasure of the Senate, whose duty it shall be to execute the commands of the Senate, from time to time, and all such process as shall be directed to him by the President of the Senate." Initially, the Senate met in closed-door sessions and it was the responsibility of the Doorkeeper to ensure that a quorum of Senators was present and that other interested parties were kept out of the chamber. This officer is hereafter referred to as Sergeant at Arms.

Today, the Sergeant at Arms performs the original duties of the doorkeeper and is responsible for the protection of the Senate wing of the Capitol, the Senate office buildings, and the Senate chamber. In addition, the Sergeant at Arms serves as the Senate's chief protocol officer and has administrative responsibility for Senate offices and other Senate services, including the Senate beauty and barber shops, the Senate garage, the Senate post office, the Senate recording studio, and the Senate photographic studio. The Sergeant at Arms is elected by the Senate and serves "from Congress to Congress until a successor is chosen."

Origins of Duties and Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper have developed over time through several sources. These sources include statutes, Senate rules and orders, and customs and precedents. Statues, rules and orders, and other materials may be found in

the United States Code , which is the codification, by subject matter, of the general and permanent laws of the United States; the United States Statutes at Large , which is the collection of all laws and concurrent resolutions enacted during each session of Congress, published in the order they were enacted into law; the Senate Manual , which contains the texts of the (1) Standing Rules of the Senate, (2) Standing Orders of the Senate, (3) rules for the Regulation of the Senate Wing of the United States Capitol, and (4) excerpts from law applicable to the Senate; and custom and precedent.

Additionally, many of the duties of the Sergeant at Arms are defined by the Senate Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. As a consequence of its jurisdiction over Senate administrative matters, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration oversees operations of the Sergeant at Arms.

Areas of Responsibility

The duties and responsibilities of Sergeant at Arms can be divided into three broad categories: law enforcement and security, protocol, and administration. Each category reflects the basic responsibility to ensure safe and effective operation of the Senate.

Law Enforcement and Security

As the Senate's chief law enforcement officer, the Sergeant at Arms is responsible for security in the Senate wing of the Capitol, the Senate office buildings, adjacent grounds, and for the security of Senators. At the request of a majority of Senators present on the floor, the Sergeant at Arms also has the authority to compel the attendance of absent Senators. The Sergeant at Arms enforces rules made by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and serves as a member of the Capitol Police Board, which is authorized by law to design, install, and maintain security systems for the Capitol and its grounds.

Together with the Secretary of the Senate, the Sergeant at Arms develops and maintains a continuity-of-operations plan that enables the Senate to conduct business and access data at offsite locations, and oversees the office of security and emergency preparedness, which serves as the Senate's emergency planning and response team.

Protocol

As the chief of protocol of the Senate, the Sergeant at Arms performs ceremonial functions that exist through custom and precedent. In carrying out these duties, the Sergeant at Arms greets and escorts the U.S. President, heads of states, and other official Senate guests while attending functions in the Capitol; leads Senators from the Senate side of the Capitol to the House chamber for joint sessions of Congress, to their places on the inaugural platform, and to any other place the Senate travels as a body; and assists in arrangements for inaugurations and the planning of funerals of Senators who die while in office. By custom, the Sergeant at Arms is custodian of the Senate gavel.

The Sergeant at Arms is responsible for protocol surrounding the death of a Senator. These responsibilities include the enforcement of a provision in the Standing Orders of the Senate which prohibits flowers in the Senate chamber unless an order is given waiving the prohibition for a display of flowers on the desk of a deceased Senator on the day of eulogies. The Sergeant at Arms also ascertains that the construction of a monument to a deceased Senator, who is to be buried in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C., conforms to specific construction materials and procedures.

Administration

As an administrative officer of the Senate, the Sergeant at Arms is responsible for specified services to Senators' offices, including the following:

acquiring home state office space, including mobile office space; purchasing office equipment and maintaining records of equipment use; operating computer support services; managing telecommunications services; establishing prices of items available for use in Senate offices; and administering orientation seminars for Senators, Senate officials, or members of the staffs of Senators or Senate officials and other similar meetings.

The administrative duties of the Sergeant at Arms also include services to the Senate as a whole, including the following:

Senate service department, which is responsible for production of newsletters and other Senate mailings, purchase and maintenance of equipment, storage of Senate publications, and micrographics services; Senate computer center, which oversees Senate computer operations; Senate post office, and recording and photographic studios; Senate barber and beauty shops; custodial services, office furnishings and equipment, and automobiles; Senate garage and other parking facilities; appointment desk to greet visitors on official business; Senate health promotion office; Senate placement office; Senate telecommunications, the Capitol telephone exchange, and the Senate telephone directory; Capitol Guide Service and other visitor services including assistance in Braille, sign language interpretation, and telecommunications devices for the deaf; Senate page program and assignment of duties to messengers; oversight of the doorkeepers; issuance of identification cards to Senate employees; disposal of surplus equipment; and education and training programs for Senate staff as needed.

Appendix. Sergeants at Arms and Doorkeepers of the Senate

Since 1789, 38 men and women have been elected Sergeant at Arms of the Senate. Table A-1 lists those individuals, the Congress, when their term began, and when their term concluded.