By Jim Ross Lightfoot ——Bio and Archives--January 7, 2024
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All the best for a fantastic 2024! I thought you might enjoy a good story to start off your year.
Here is a short personal story about Congress I would like to share with you.
When Nancy and I first arrived in Washington, DC, Bob Michel, our Minority Leader, put together a reception for all of the new freshman members of the Republican class of 1984. Mr. Michael chose the Statuary Hall in our beautiful Nation’s Capitol Building for the event. The dinner is an event I will never forget!
Each state in the union is invited to place a statue of a famous person from their state in Statuary Hall. The statues are placed around the outside edge of the Hall, facing inward. You feel like 1,000 eyes are watching you!
Usually, other than the statues, the Chamber is empty. Tourists flow through it every day. One of the highlights is a particular spot on the left side of the Chamber where a person can whisper, and the conversation can be heard many feet away at a specific location on the other side of the Chamber.
The floor is constructed of black-and-white marble tiles. Nameplates of all the US Presidents who served during the Chambers’ use are placed on the floor, where their desks were located when they served as Members of Congress.
Tables, each seating four people, had been brought into the Hall. Once we were seated, it was a little intimidating to look down and see a nameplate by my foot with James Monroe engraved on it. Now, I will enjoy a meal at the exact location of President Monroe’s desk. This situation is becoming pretty moving for an Iowa farm boy.
Statuary Hall is a magnificent Chamber on the south side of the Rotunda. Built in amphitheater form, it is rendered in a neoclassic style. It was the meeting place of the original Congress before the current House Chamber was constructed between 1850-1857.
The Navy Band and Choir provided patriotic music while we ate.
I could feel the presence of many people who had served in this Chamber. It was like their ghosts were hiding behind the statues and watching us. Others were seated in the gallery above.
It’s a feeling I cannot adequately describe on paper.
After singing “God Bless America,” Nancy and I passed out through the Rotunda door. By happenstance, we were walking with our Minority Leader, Bob Michel, and his wife, who live in our neighboring state of Illinois. We enjoyed a little conversation about the Midwest.
And then Congressman Michel asks, “Did that leave a lump in your throat or a tear in your eye?”
“Yes, it did,” I responded.
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James R. Lightfoot, Lightfoot Strategies served in Congress six terms, starting in 1985 and retiring in 1997. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal and General Government (TPS) of Appropriations, he had jurisdiction over 40% of Federal Law Enforcement (Customs, Secret Service, ATF, FLETC, and IRS enforcement).