Weekly Historical Highlights (February 25 through March 3)
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February 27, 1869
On this date John Willis Menard of Louisiana became the first African American to address the U.S. House. With the passage of the 15th Amendment, African Americans first exercised the vote, catapulting hundreds of southern blacks into public office. In November 1868, Menard appeared to have won a special election to succeed the late James Mann, whose district encompassed New Orleans—a victory that would have made him the first African American to serve in Congress. But his opponent, Caleb Hunt (who also had contested Mann’s original election), challenged Menard’s right to be seated. During his brief appeal on the House Floor, Menard recounted the decisive support (64 percent) he had received from New Orleanians: “I would feel myself recreant to do the duty imposed upon me if I did not defend their rights in this floor. . . I do not expect nor do I ask that there shall be any favor shown me on account of my race or former condition of that race.” The House deemed neither candidate qualified, leaving the seat vacant for the remainder of the final days of the 40th Congress (1867–1869). In the following Congress, Joseph Rainey of South Carolina won election to become the first African American seated in the House.
March 1, 1954
Four Puerto Rican nationalists, armed with handguns, opened fire onto the House Floor from the back row of the south gallery. At the time, the House was voting on a measure to re-authorize a program allowing migrant Mexican farm workers to work in the country. Numerous Representatives and staff were present, with Speaker Joe Martin presiding over the roll call. In the fusillade, five Representatives were wounded—Alvin Bentley of Michigan, Ben Jensen of Iowa, Clifford Davis of Tennessee, George Fallon of Maryland, and Kenneth Roberts of Alabama. All five survived, although Bentley was critically wounded. Gallery visitors and police quickly subdued the nationalists; later, they were tried and sentenced to long prison terms. Future Representatives Bill Emerson of Missouri and Paul Kanjorski of Pennsylvania were among a group of Pages who helped to evacuate wounded Members on stretchers to waiting ambulances on the East Front.
March 3, 1869
On the final day of the 40th Congress, Theodore Pomeroy of New York became Speaker of the House for one day—the shortest period of service for a Speaker on record. When House Speaker Schuyler Colfax of Indiana resigned to become Vice President in the incoming Ulysses S. Grant administration, the House chose Pomeroy, who was retiring the following day, to succeed Colfax. Henry Dawes of Massachusetts introduced the motion to elect Pomeroy and, after it passed without dissent, administered the oath of office. During his eight years in the House (1861–1869) Pomeroy served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Post Office Department and the Committee on Banking and Currency. Affable and well-liked by Representatives from both parties, Pomeroy gave a brief speech thanking the Members “for the kind personal consideration which is involved in my unanimous election to this most honorable position.”
