continued… There was an exhibit about notable addresses to Congress that took place here in the Capitol. Interestingly, John Adams, who was president in 1800 when the Capitol opened, was the first and last president to speak to Congress in person in a joint session (meaning both the Senate and House legislators were in attendance) in the Capitol for over 100-years. Woodrow Wilson restarted that tradition of in-person communication in 1913. In the interim, the president simply addressed the legislators in writing.
The first foreign dignitary to address congress was the Marquis de Lafayette in 1824, though he addressed each chamber separately instead of having a joint session. The first foreign head of state to address Congress in a joint session was King Kalakaua of Hawaii in 1874. In 1939, King George VI became the first reigning British monarch to visit the US. His successor, Queen Elizabeth II of England, came to the Capitol several times, and the Pope came once in 2015. Other notable leaders were Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who came only six months after the collapse of the USSR and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who visited three times.
As previously mentioned, presidential inaugurations were conducted here. There was a display about how the exact location has changed over the centuries (going from inside to outside, then from the east side to the west side), the extensive logistics to prepare for the event, what they do in inclement weather, etc. What we didn’t know was that there was a luncheon held in Statutory Hall afterwards. With only 232-seats, It was the “the most exclusive event in Washington.” Only the legislators in leadership and on the inauguration planning committee, the vice president, former presidents, and special VIPs were invited. The tradition began in 1953 with Dwight Eisenhower.
