WASHINGTON – Wednesday, May 21, 2025 – The United States Capitol Historical Society mourns the passing of U.S. Representative Gerald E. “Gerry” Connolly, who had served as a member of the organization’s Board of Trustees and Congressional Advisory Group since 2018. An erstwhile seminarian, Connolly led a life dedicated to public service as a congressional staffer, nongovernmental organization executive, Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and ultimately as the Ranking Member of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
“Congressman Connolly headlined my first event with the Society,” reflected President/CEO Jane L. Campbell. “I remember the zeal with which he recounted the story of the statue of Freedom, which graces the top of the Capitol Dome, and how the enslaved laborers forging the bronze attained their own freedom while the statue was still in progress. He had such a passion for the Congress as an institution, and the Capitol as a symbol of our democracy. His commitment to Capitol History will be deeply missed. We will keep the Connolly family in our thoughts and prayers in this difficult time.”
