The Ohio Clock (or Senate Clock) is a clock in the United States Capitol. The United States Senate ordered the clock from Thomas Voigt in 1815, and it has stood in or near the Senate Chamber since 1859.
The Ohio Clock (or Senate Clock) is a clock in the United States Capitol. The United States Senate ordered the clock from Thomas Voigt in 1815, and it has stood in or near the Senate Chamber since 1859.
Senator David Daggett of Connecticut ordered the eleven-foot (3.35 m) tall clock in late December 1815 from Philadelphia clockmaker Thomas Voigt for use in the Old Brick Capitol. [1] [2] [3] The clock was delivered in 1817 to the Old Senate Chamber and was moved to the corridor outside the newly finished Senate Chamber in 1859. [4] There is no evidence to support the claim that senators hid illegal liquor in the clock during the Prohibition period. [5] The glass covering the clock's face was broken in the 1983 United States Senate bombing. [3] The clock, which was renovated in Boston in 2010, is wound weekly and keeps accurate time. [3]
The source of the clock's name is unknown. [6] One myth is that the clock was meant to commemorate Ohio's admission to the Union as the 17th state because the shield on the front of the clock's case has seventeen stars in it. However, there is no record that shows the clock celebrates Ohio's statehood and the clock was ordered twelve years after Ohio became a state, at a time when there were already eighteen states. [1] [6]
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Senate .
The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government. It is located on Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Although no longer at the geographic center of the federal district, the Capitol forms the origin point for the street-numbering system of the district as well as its four quadrants.
The subway system of the United States Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C., consists of three underground electric people mover systems that connect the United States Capitol to several congressional office buildings – all of the Senate buildings and one of the House buildings.
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The congressional office buildings are the office buildings used by the United States Congress to augment the limited space in the United States Capitol. The congressional office buildings are part of the Capitol Complex, and are thus under the authority of the Architect of the Capitol and protected by the United States Capitol Police. The office buildings house the individual offices of each U.S. Representative and Senator as well as committee hearing rooms, staff rooms, multiple cafeterias, and areas for support, committee, and maintenance staff.
Tiber Creek or Tyber Creek, originally named Goose Creek, is a tributary of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. It was a free-flowing creek until 1815, when it was channeled to become part of the Washington City Canal. Presently, it flows under the city in tunnels, including under Constitution Avenue NW.
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The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress. The United States Senate, along with the lower chamber of Congress, the United States House of Representatives, comprise the federal bicameral legislature of the United States. The Senate and House maintain authority under Article One of the U.S. Constitution to pass or defeat federal legislation. The U.S. Senate has exclusive power to confirm U.S. presidential appointments, ratify treaties, exercise advice and consent powers, try cases of impeachment brought by the House, all of which provide a check and balance on the powers of the executive and judicial branches of government.
The United States Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection is a series of 46 busts in the United States Capitol, each one bearing the likenesses of a vice president of the United States. Each sculpture, from John Adams to Dick Cheney, honors the role of the vice president as both a member of the executive branch and as president of the Senate.
The Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence, also known as Webster Hall, is the residence for United States Senate Pages. The building is a former funeral home and underwent an $8 million refurbishment in 1995, converting it to its current state. It is located near the Hart Senate Office Building, giving pages the ability to walk to and from work. Pages are required to live in the building during the school year. The building has 24/7 protection by the United States Capitol Police both indoors and on foot around the building. The United States Senate Page School is located in the basement of the building. The residential portion of Webster Hall is staffed by adult employees of the United States Senate Page Program, while the school is staffed by employees of the United States Senate Page School. Pages are supervised by proctors, generally graduate students, who are employed by the United States Senate Page Program. $780 per month is deducted from a page's paycheck to fund room and board. In addition to the proctors, there is a program director and an administrative aide. There are two living quarters with one being designated for female students and the other for male students. There are laundry and kitchen facilities in the building. Along with the 24/7 protection by the United States Capitol Police, visitors are required to sign in and all individuals must present some form of identification. During summer sessions pages may request arrangements for alternative housing.
The 1858–59 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. As these U.S. Senate elections were prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1858 and 1859, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 2.
The United States Senate Chamber is a room in the north wing of the United States Capitol that has served as the legislative chamber of the United States Senate, since January 4, 1859. The Senate first convened in its current meeting place after utilizing Federal Hall, Congress Hall, and the Old Senate Chamber in the Capitol building for the same purpose.
The Vice President's Room is the vice president's office in the United States Capitol, added during the 1850s expansion.
Thomas Voigt was an American clockmaker. He apprenticed under his father, Henry Voigt, an American Revolution era clockmaker and inventor.
