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For nearly 200 years, Pages served the House of Representatives by assisting Members of the House with their legislative duties. Over time, their principal tasks—carrying documents, messages, and letters between various congressional offices—passed from older messengers to teenage boys and (much later) girls. Their responsibilities also changed with the times, as Pages were required to go to school beginning in the first half of the 20th century.
In recent times, Pages were high school juniors with strong academic records who served for a fall, spring, or summer appointment. While serving the House, Pages lived in Washington D.C., at the Page Residence Hall, a few blocks away from the U.S. Capitol, and fall and spring Pages attended classes at the House Page School. Pages were selected by the Majority and Minority Leadership and sponsored by individual Members.
In August 2011, Speaker of the House John Boehner and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi directed the Clerk of the House and other House officials to initiate the closing of the House Page Program. They cited advances in technology that reduced the need for services traditionally provided by Pages, as well as the high cost of the program.
The Office of the Clerk website offers more information on the history of the Page Program.
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First female House Page Felda Looper featured with the Speaker of the House Carl Albert in 1973
- The first messengers and errand-runners known as “Pages” served during the 20th Congress (1827–1829).
- The Capitol Page School opened in 1925.
- Gene Cox served in her father's office for the opening day of the 76th Congress (1939). Girls permanently joined the House Page ranks in May 1973, when former Speaker Carl Albert appointed Felda Looper.
- The first African American House Page, Frank Mitchell, received full admittance to the Page Program in April 1965.
- Pages began living in the current Residence Hall in 2001.
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First African American House Page, Frank Mitchell, featured with Congressman Paul Findley of Illinois, Minority Leader and future President Gerald Ford of Michigan, and Republican Whip Leslie Arends of Illinois in 1965
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