![]() ![]() Some call it the “John Nance Garner Liquor Cabinet”, because he invited visitors to “strike a blow for liberty” with its contents. The ornately carved rosewood cabinet dates from the late 19th century. Although various legends attribute the mirror's original ownership to Dolley Madison or John Adams, no documentation exists, and the mirror's origin remains a mystery. It was most likely transferred from the old Senate wing. The small gilded mirror has been displayed in the room since the completion of the Senate extension in 1859. As the chimes rang fifteen seconds before twelve, he stopped what he was doing and reached his seat precisely at noon. Vice President John Nance Garner used it to time his entrance into the Senate chamber. The Senate purchased the floor clock in 1898 from Washington jewelers Harris and Schafer for $600. In 1969, it was loaned to the White House as the Oval Office desk for Presidents Nixon and Ford. ![]() Every vice president from Hobart to Lyndon Johnson used it. ![]() The double-pedestal, mahogany desk in the room is called the Wilson desk, due to associations with President Woodrow Wilson and Vice President Henry Wilson. Senate vouchers detail his purchases of imported silk mohair carpeting, Neapolitan silk curtains, numerous Persian throw rugs, and “a silk velour slumber robe” made to order to match the velour cushions on his office sofa. Of all the 19th century vice presidents who occupied this room, none affected its style and decoration as significantly as Garret Augustus Hobart, who won election in 1896. Many of the room's present furnishings, such as the gilded mirror and the matching Victorian window cornices, date to the late 19th century. Few of those original pieces exist today, but the marble mantel and colorful Minton floor tiles manufactured in England are both part of the room's first decoration. The Vice President's Room was initially furnished in a modest style. For over 125 years, the room has provided an elegant and convenient setting for ceremonial functions, informal party caucuses, press briefings, and private meetings. The proximity of the Vice President's Room to the Senate chamber allows the vice president easy access to the members when the Senate is in session. When he arrived at the White House he learned that Franklin Roosevelt had died.ĭuring the 2021 attack on the United States Capitol, Vice President Mike Pence is reported to have taken shelter in the Vice President's Room. David McCullough wrote in Truman that the vice president "ran through the echoing old Crypt, past the Senate barber shop, then up a flight of stairs with brass banisters to his office-to get his hat." This marked Truman's last action as vice president. Truman was on the House side of the Capitol when he received a telephone call informing him to come immediately to the White House. On April 12, 1945, Vice President Harry S. Marshall signed the constitutional amendment bill that would grant nationwide suffrage to women once ratified by the states. Hayes, among those attending the ceremony. Six years later, following President James Garfield's assassination, Vice President Chester Arthur took the presidential oath of office here with two former presidents, Ulysses S. Grant's vice president, died in the room after suffering a stroke. Several notable events have occurred in the Vice President's Room over the years. Until the Russell Senate Office Building opened in 1909, this room was the only space in the city officially assigned to the vice president, and it served as the sole working office for many vice presidents including Hannibal Hamlin, Chester Arthur, and Theodore Roosevelt. Over the years, S–214 has provided a convenient place for the vice president to conduct business while at the Capitol. ![]() Breckinridge of Kentucky was the first to occupy the new Vice President's Room (S–214), after he gavelled the Senate into session in its new chamber in 1859. Following the 1850s extension of the building, the Senate formally set aside a room for the vice president's exclusive use. Due to lack of space in the Capitol's old Senate wing, early vice presidents often shared their room with the president. To carry out these duties, the vice president has long had an office in the Capitol Building, just outside the Senate chamber. The United States Constitution designates the vice president to serve as president of the Senate and to cast the tie-breaking vote in the case of a deadlock. The Vice President's Room is the vice president's office in the United States Capitol, added during the 1850s expansion. Room in the United States Capitol Vice President Dick Cheney talking with David Addington in his Senate office in the United States Capitol (2008) ![]()
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