"The establishment of the John Brademas Center at NYU, my alma mater, is very exciting as it promises to bring together a tremendously diverse and knowledgeable group of people to examine the workings of Congress. And, with today's increasingly politically charged atmosphere, the Center's commitment to operating in a bipartisan manner will greatly enhance its effectiveness and ability to work on difficult issues."

—U.S. Representative Christopher Shays (R-CT)

"I am delighted by the creation of a center named in honor of my friend and former colleague, John Brademas. John's extraordinary commitment to examining and highlighting the essential role that Congress plays in making policy will lead to the highest caliber of work. And what better place to house an outside-the-Beltway, objective center than in New York City, with its diversity and access to academia and media outlets."

—U.S. Representative Charles B. Rangel (D-NY)

"I am pleased that New York University has named its Center for the Study of Congress after my good friend and fellow Hoosier, John Brademas. As a distinguished legislator and university president, John has an impressive history of achievements in education. I am confident that with his idealism, integrity, and creativity, the Brademas Center will develop constructive ideas to inspire a desire for public service in students and a more comprehensive understanding of the role that Congress plays in shaping the laws that govern our nation."

—U.S. Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-IN)

**Left:** Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-IN) and Dr. Brademas.

**Above, left to right:** Then-President Gerald Ford and then-Representative John Brademas; Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) and Dr. Brademas; then-President Lyndon B. Johnson and Dr. Brademas.

JOHN BRADEMAS CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF CONGRESS

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## ABOUT THE ROBERT F. WAGNER GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC SERVICE

Established in 1938, the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service offers advanced programs leading to the professional degrees of Master of Public Administration, Master of Urban Planning, Master of Science in Management, and Doctor of Philosophy. Through these rigorous programs, NYU Wagner educates the future leaders of public, nonprofit, and health institutions as well as private organizations serving the public sector. Trained in management, policy, and finance, NYU Wagner students graduate with the skills they need to confront society's most pressing problems. From all walks of life and from throughout the country and increasingly the world, NYU Wagner's student body—as well as Wagner's faculty and alumni—is bound together by a common commitment to public service, a commitment that infuses the school's courses, programs, and activities with a sense of shared moral and ethical purpose.

The commitment of the Wagner School to the values of public service, combined with the academic excellence of New York University as a whole, makes the Wagner School and NYU an ideal home for the Brademas Center. For more information on Wagner, please visit http://wagner.nyu.edu.

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FUN FACTS ABOUT CONGRESS

In November 1788, the Congress of the Confederation adjourned and left the United States without a central government until April 1789. That is when the first Congress under the new Constitution convened with its first quorum.

When Congress convened for the first time on March 4, 1789, it met in New York. Congress stayed in New York for just over a year before moving to Philadelphia in 1790 and finally to Washington, DC, in 1800.

The U.S. Congress first intended to hold all of its meetings in secret. When the U.S. Senate achieved its first quorum on April 6, 1789, one of the first items of business was selecting a "doorkeeper"—a person to guard the Senate's closed sessions.

The national government spent $4.3 million during the first session of Congress (1789-1791). During the last year that George Washington was president of the United States (1796-1797), the entire cost of running the federal government was a little over $5.7 million.

The Constitution was stored in various cities until 1952, when it was placed in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. During the daytime, pages one and four of the document are displayed in a bullet-proof case. The case contains helium

and water vapor to preserve the paper's quality. At night, the pages are lowered into a vault, behind five-ton doors that are designed to withstand a nuclear explosion. The entire Constitution is displayed only one day each year—September 17, the anniversary of the day the framers signed the document.

Capitol Hill was once known as Jenkins Hill.

The first radio broadcast from the Senate chamber was on March 4, 1929.

The first TV broadcast from the Senate chamber was on December 19, 1974, when Vice President Nelson Rockefeller took the oath of office.

The longest serving Senator was Strom Thurmond (R-SC)—47 years and 5 months.

The longest floor speech since 1900 was given by Senator Thurmond when he filibustered the 1957 Civil Rights Act; he spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes.

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