Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate
| This article is part of a series on the |
| United States Senate |
|---|
 |
| History of the United States Senate |
| Members |
|
|
| Politics and procedure |
| Places |
The Sergeant at Arms of the Senate or originally known as the Doorkeeper of the Senate[1] from the First Congress until the Eighth Congress (April 7, 1789 – March 3, 1803) is the highest-ranking federal law enforcement officer in the Senate of the United States. One of the chief roles of the sergeant at arms is to hold the gavel used at every session.[2] The sergeant at arms can also compel the attendance of an absent senator when ordered to do so by the Senate.[1]
With the Architect of the Capitol and the House Sergeant at Arms, he serves on the Capitol Police Board, responsible for security around the building.
The sergeant at arms can, upon orders of the Senate, arrest and detain any person who violates Senate rules.[3]
The sergeant at arms is also the executive officer for the Senate and provides senators with computers, equipment, and repair and security services.[4]
In March 2014, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that Terrance W. Gainer was planning on retiring as Senate Sergeant at Arms, and would be replaced by Senate Deputy Sergeant at Arms Andrew B. Willison. [5] On January 6, 2015, the Senate swore in the sergeant at arms for its current term, Frank J. Larkin.[6]
On April 16, 2018, after Frank J. Larkin retired, Michael C. Stenger was nominated as the 41st sergeant at arms under Senate Resolution 465, put forth by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. This resolution was submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by unanimous consent.[7][citation needed]
Staff and organization
The office of the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate has between 800 and 900 staff, of the approximately 4,300 working for the Senate overall. Its budget is on the order of $200 million per year. Top officials reporting to the sergeant at arms include a deputy; a chief of staff; assistant sergeant at arms for intelligence and protective services; a CIO; an operations chief; Capitol operations; a general counsel; two legislative liaisons; and a CFO.[8]
The main office of the sergeant at arms is in the Postal Square Building in Washington, D.C. The core computer operations are in that building, and the staff manage Internet and intranet connections to offices of senators both in the Capitol complex and back in their home states.[8][9]
List of the Sergeants at Arms of the Senate
| Officer | Tenure |
|---|---|
| James Mathers | April 7, 1789 – September 2, 1811 |
| Mountjoy Bayly | November 6, 1811 – December 9, 1833 |
| John Shackford | December 9, 1833 – 1837 |
| Stephen Haight | September 4, 1837 – June 7, 1841 |
| Edward Dyer | June 7, 1841 – December 9, 1845 |
| Robert Beale | December 9, 1845 – March 17, 1853 |
| Dunning R. McNair | March 17, 1853 – July 6, 1861 |
| George Brown | July 6, 1861 – March 22, 1869 |
| John R. French | March 22, 1869 – March 24, 1879 |
| Richard Bright | March 24, 1879 – December 18, 1883 |
| William Canaday | December 18, 1883 – June 30, 1890 |
| Edward K. Valentine | June 30, 1890 – August 7, 1893 |
| Richard Bright | August 8, 1893 – February 1, 1900 |
| Daniel Ransdell | February 1, 1900 – August 26, 1912 |
| Livingston Cornelius | December 10, 1912 – March 4, 1913 |
| Charles Higgins | March 13, 1913 – March 3, 1919 |
| David S. Barry | May 19, 1919 – February 7, 1933 |
| Chesley Jurney | March 9, 1933 – January 31, 1943 |
| Wall Doxey | February 1, 1943 – January 3, 1947 |
| Edward McGinnis | January 4, 1947 – January 2, 1949 |
| Joseph Duke | January 3, 1949 – January 2, 1953 |
| Forest Harness | January 3, 1953 – January 4, 1955 |
| Joseph Duke | January 5, 1955 – December 30, 1965 |
| Robert Dunphy | January 14, 1966 – June 30, 1972[10] |
| William Wannall | July 1, 1972 – December 17, 1975 |
| Nordy Hoffmann | December 18, 1975 – January 4, 1981 |
| Howard Liebengood | January 5, 1981 – September 12, 1983 |
| Larry Smith | September 13, 1983 – June 2, 1985 |
| Ernest Garcia | June 3, 1985 – January 5, 1987 |
| Henry Giugni | January 6, 1987 – December 31, 1990 |
| Martha Pope | January 3, 1991 – April 14, 1994 |
| Robert Benoit | April 15, 1994 – January 3, 1995 |
| Howard Greene | January 4, 1995 – September 6, 1996 |
| Gregory Casey | September 6, 1996 – November 9, 1998 |
| James Ziglar | November 9, 1998 – September 3, 2001 |
| Alfonso E. Lenhardt | September 4, 2001 – March 16, 2003 |
| William H. Pickle | March 17, 2003 – January 3, 2007 |
| Terrance W. Gainer | January 4, 2007 – May 2, 2014 |
| Andrew B. Willison | May 5, 2014 – January 5, 2015 |
| Frank J. Larkin | January 6, 2015 – April 16, 2018 |
| Michael C. Stenger | April 16, 2018 – Present[11] |
See also
References[12]
- ^ a b "Sergeant at Arms". United States Senate. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ "Office of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper". United States Senate. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ "U.S. Senate: Sergeant At Arms". www.senate.gov.
- ^ "Sergeant at Arms". United States Senate. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ Berman, Russell (March 20, 2014). "Senate sergeant at arms to retire".
- ^ "Frank J. Larkin". United States Senate. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ Mitch, McConnell, (2018-04-16). "S.Res.465 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): A resolution electing Michael C. Stenger as Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Testimony of Frank J. Larkin, Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate to the Senate Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, Committee on Appropriations. March 1, 2016
- ^ https://www.securityarchitecture.com/senate-sees-exponential-rise-in-computer-attacks-might-be-time-to-rethink-security-posture-not-just-spend-more-to-respond/
- ^ Obituaries, Washington Post, January 21, 2006; Page B05
- ^ [1], United States Congress, April 16, 2018; 115th Congress
- ^ Mitch, McConnell, (2018-04-16). "S.Res.465 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): A resolution electing Michael C. Stenger as Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)