[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 3, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 3CFR7622]

Proc. 7622

Proclamation 7622 of November 5, 2002

In Celebration of the Centennial of the West Wing of the White House, 2002

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

          For 100 years, the West Wing of the White House has served as 
          the workplace of the President of the United States and his 
          staff. Now housing the Oval Office, the Roosevelt Room, 
          Cabinet Room, offices of the President's senior staff, and the 
          James C. Brady Press Briefing Room, the West Wing has become 
          the center of executive branch operation.
          Prior to 1902, the President and his staff worked out of 
          offices housed in the White House Residence, causing crowded 
          staff conditions and a lack of privacy for the President's 
          family. This overcrowding prompted planning for the 
          construction of a new wing to serve as offices for the 
          President and his staff. While plans were reviewed during 
          several Administrations, construction did not begin until 
          Theodore Roosevelt's presidency. The wing was completed in 
          1902, and the Presidential Offices were then moved from the 
          Residence to the new addition. The wing underwent a major 
          expansion in 1909, doubling its size, and further renovations 
          were done in 1929, 1934, and 1969.
          Following a Christmas Eve fire in 1929, renovations and 
          restoration displaced Herbert Hoover for several months while 
          new and improved facilities were built. In 1934 the Oval 
          Office was moved to its current location on the southeast 
          corner, over looking the Rose Garden. In the 1940's, the 
          building became known as the ``West Wing.''
          For a century, the West Wing has served as the headquarters of 
          White House staff members who work to address national and 
          international concerns, advance democracy, and secure a future 
          of opportunity for all. Government and military leaders, 
          Olympic athletes, college champions, artists, entertainers, 
          and citizens from around the world have been welcomed to the 
          West Wing to attend briefings, meetings, bill signing 
          ceremonies, and

[[Page 174]]

          countless activities that have contributed to the prosperity 
          and security of our Nation and the world. As we celebrate its 
          100th anniversary, I encourage all Americans to recognize the 
          vital role the West Wing has played in the ongoing work to 
          ensure that the United States of America remains a beacon of 
          freedom, and symbol of hope.
          NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United 
          States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by 
          the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby 
          proclaim Wednesday, November 6, 2002, as West Wing Centennial 
          Day. I encourage all Americans to commemorate this occasion 
          with appropriate programs and activities, thereby celebrating 
          this important part of our American heritage and the values it 
          represents and upholds for our Nation and the world.
          IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day 
          of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand two, and of 
          the Independence of the United States of America the two 
          hundred and twenty-seventh.

GEORGE W. BUSH