Edward M. Kennedy Institute Tour Guide Study Materials

Practice flashcards covering the People of the Senate exhibit, key historical figures, chamber layout, leadership roles, and Senate terminology based on the Institute's training materials.

Senator Qualifications

The Constitutional requirements for serving in the Senate: must be at least $30$ years old, a U.S. citizen for at least $9$ years, and an inhabitant of the state they represent.

John Henry Eaton

The youngest Senator in history from Tennessee who took the oath of office in $1818$ at the age of $28$, as other Senators failed to ask his age.

James Shields

The only Senator to represent three different states at various times: Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri.

Vice President of the United States

The official who serves as the President of the Senate with the authority to preside over sessions and cast tie-breaking votes.

President pro tempore

The officer who presides over the Senate in the Vice President's absence; traditionally the longest-serving Senator from the majority party since $1949$.

Majority Leader

The spokesperson for the majority party who schedules floor business and holds the right of first recognition, a privilege Robert C. Byrd called the most potent weapon in the arsenal.

Majority/Minority Whip

Elected party officials responsible for keeping members unified and organized; the title is derived from a hunter who keeps dogs together on a foxhunt.

Robert C. Byrd

The longest-serving Senator in U.S. history from West Virginia, elected to $9$ consecutive terms and serving a total of $51$ years and $176$ days.

Rebecca Latimer Felton

The first female Senator, an appointed Democrat from Georgia who served for only $24$ hours in $1922$.

Hattie Caraway

The first woman elected to the Senate in $1932$ and the first woman to chair a standing Senate committee, known as the Committee on Enrolled Bills.

Hiram R. Revels

The first African American Senator, appointed by the Mississippi state legislature, who took the oath of office on February $25$, $1870$.

Carol Moseley-Braun

The first female African American Senator, who took the oath of office on January $5$, $1993$.

The Great Triumvirate

A group of three influential Senators in the early $1850s$: Daniel Webster, John C. Calhoun, and Henry Clay.

Henry Clay

Known as the Great Compromiser for brokering the Compromise of $1820$ and the Compromise of $1850$; he was a forefather of the Whig party.

Daniel Webster

A Senator from Massachusetts and legendary orator who favored preserving the Union at all costs; the desks at the Institute are modeled after his design.

John C. Calhoun

A Senator from South Carolina and staunch supporter of slavery and states' rights who resigned the Vice Presidency during the Nullification Crisis.

Charles Sumner

A Massachusetts Senator and fierce anti-slavery advocate who was viciously beaten with a cane by Preston Brooks on the Senate floor in $1856$.

Strom Thurmond

The oldest Senator in history who served until age $100$ and holds the record for the longest filibuster against the Civil Rights Act of $1957$ at $24$ hours and $18$ minutes.

Huey Long

Known as The Kingfish from Louisiana, he advocated for wealth redistribution under the Every man a King ideology and was assassinated in $1935$.

The Johnson Treatment

A persuasive tactic used by Lyndon B. Johnson involving physical proximity, intense human emotion, and mimicry to move colleagues toward his legislative goals.

Mike Mansfield

The Montana Senator and Majority Leader who served as party leader for a record $16$ years and was known as a China expert.

Everett Dirksen

The Republican Leader from Illinois who helped build the coalition to pass the Civil Rights Act of $1964$ and gave the first televised State of the Union rebuttal in $1965$.

Edward M. Kennedy

Known as the Lion of the Senate, he served nearly $47$ years and championed the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

Daniel Inouye

A long-serving Senator from Hawaii and WWII hero who is the only Senator to earn both the Medal of Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Joseph McCarthy

The Wisconsin Senator who led the second Red Scare by accusing government officials of communism; he was eventually censured by the Senate in a $67-22$ vote.

Margaret Chase Smith

The first woman elected to both houses of Congress and the first to run for President on a major party ticket; known for her Declaration of Conscience speech against McCarthyism.

Barbara Mikulski

A long-serving Maryland Senator and trailblazer who bucked Senate rules to wear pants on the floor and lobbied for the first women's bathroom near the chamber.

The Dog Patch

A Senate term referring to the desks on the far wings of the chamber, typically assigned to the most junior Senators.

The Cherokee Strip

A term describing the back row of seats on the minority side of the aisle that must be occupied by the majority party when they have supermajority numbers.

Candy Desk

A Senate tradition started in the $1960s$ by George Murphy, located in the back row on the Republican side and stocked with sweets for members.

Journal Clerk

The rostrum official responsible for recording the daily activities of the Senate as mandated by the Constitution.

Parliamentarian

The Senate's chief expert on the $44$ standing rules and the thousands of precedents used to govern chamber procedure.

Legislative Clerk

The rostrum official who records roll call votes and tallies the final results.

Bas Reliefs

Three plaster sculptures in the chamber designed by Lee Oscar Lawrie depicting Patriotism (Zeus), Wisdom (Athena), and Courage (Hercules).

E Pluribus Unum

A Latin phrase in the Senate chamber translating to Out of Many, One.

Novus Ordo Seclorum

A Latin phrase inscribed in the chamber roughly translating to A New Order for the Ages.

Annuit Coeptis

A Latin phrase in the chamber translating to Fortune, Providence, or God favors our undertakings.