For decades, the Society has hosted this biennial program to share important and inspiring stories from Capitol history with Members of Congress, their staff, and esteemed guests. This year’s program holds particular significance as we honor the late civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis. February 2025 marks the 85th anniversary of his birth, while July 2025 commemorates the fifth anniversary of his passing.
Given the convergence of these Lewis anniversaries with the convening of the 119th Congress in January 2025, the Society hosted an evening program featuring a keynote address by Dr. David Greenberg, a Professor of History at Rutgers University and author of the acclaimed new biography John Lewis: A Life. Longtime ABC journalist Kathleen Matthews moderated a talkback panel with the Honorable Cheryl L. Johnson, 36th Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives and recipient of the Society’s 2023 Freedom Award, Congressman Marlin Stutzman (R-IN), and former Congressman Tom Reed (R-NY), both of whom drew great inspiration from the late Congressman Lewis during their shared tenure in the House. Both freshman class presidents for the 119th Congress, Representatives Brandon Gill (R-TX 26) and Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ 3), were unable to participate in the program but expressed their appreciation for the commemoration.
The program was open to the congressional community, members, and supporters of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society by invitation only. C-SPAN’s American History TV recorded the program for later broadcast. We will share a link to the recording here after it airs.
Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie
Program
Presentation of the Colors and Pledge of Allegiance
U.S. Capitol Police Ceremonial Unit
Welcoming Remarks
The Honorable Jane L. Campbell, U.S. Capitol Historical Society
Brian Smith, Wells Fargo
Keynote Remarks
Dr. David Greenberg, author of John Lewis: A Life
Talkback Discussion
Kathleen Matthews, International Broadcasting Advisory Board
The Honorable Marlin Stutzman, U.S. Representative (R-IN)
The Honorable Cheryl Johnson, 36th Clerk of the U.S. House
The Honorable Tom Reed, former U.S. Representative (R-NY)
Closing Remarks
Dr. Robert Traynham, Faith and Politics Institute
The Honorable Jane L. Campbell, U.S. Capitol Historical Society
The U.S. Capitol Historical Society is grateful to our presenting partner, Wells Fargo.
The U.S. Capitol Historical Society is also grateful to the additional supporters who made this event possible:
Program Speakers
The Honorable Jane L. Campbell
The Honorable Jane L. Campbell is the fourth President/CEO of the United States Capitol Historical Society. Before joining the Society in February 2019, Ms. Campbell served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and as Staff Director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Ms. Campbell held elected office as an Ohio state legislator, a Cuyahoga County Commissioner, and as Mayor of Cleveland (the first, and to date only, woman to serve in this position). Ms. Campbell has also run a small business, led the Washington office of a national community development organization, and led a significant women’s political advocacy group. Ms. Campbell earned a Master of Science in Urban Studies from Cleveland State University, a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Michigan, and held a Fellowship in the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Institute of Politics. She is the proud mother of a medical doctor and a minister. and a grandmother of two.
Brian Smith
Brian Smith is the Executive Vice President, Head of Government Relations & Public Policy for Wells Fargo.
Dr. David Greenberg
David Greenberg is a professor of History and of Journalism & Media Studies at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, and a frequent commentator in the national news media on contemporary politics and public affairs. He specializes in American political and cultural history. His most recent book, "John Lewis: A Life" (Simon & Schuster, 2024), a biography of the civil rights hero and congressman, has been called “panoramic and richly insightful” by Brent Staples in the New York Times Book Review, and a book that “sets a new standard” for political biography. To read more of Dr. Greenberg's biography, click his photograph to visit his Rutgers website.
Kathleen Matthews
Kathleen Matthews is a member of the International Broadcasting Advisory Board. Matthews is also an award-winning broadcast news journalist, global communications executive, non-profit board member and Democratic Party activist, who has worked in the nation’s capital and the state of Maryland for nearly 50 years. Growing up in Los Altos, California, Matthews graduated with honors in Communications from Stanford University in 1975, and moved to Washington, D.C. to pursue a career in journalism. For 30 years, she worked as a producer, reporter and news anchor for WJLA-TV, winning multiple Emmy Awards, the Edward R. Murrow and George Foster Peabody awards, and Washingtonian of the Year for her journalism and contributions to the local community. In 2006, she joined the senior executive team of Marriott International, based in Bethesda, Maryland, as Executive Vice President for Global Communications and Public Affairs. In that global role, she oversaw the company’s internal and corporate communications, brand public relations, and government affairs and social impact programs, including sustainability and diversity relations. In 2015, she left Marriott to run for Congress as a Democrat in an open seat for Maryland’s 8th congressional district, where she and her husband have lived for 30 years. Matthews was elected as Maryland Democratic Party Chair and served in that role for two years. She is active in her state and national party, serves on the boards of five non-profits, including the Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital, and Emerge, which recruits and trains Democratic women to run for public office. She and her husband, author and political commentator Chris Matthews, have 3 grown children and 2 grandchildren.
The Honorable Marlin Stutzman
Marlin Stutzman is the U.S. Representative for Indiana's Third Congressional District. A fourth-generation farmer, Stutzman previously represented Indiana's Third District from 2010 to 2017. He and his wife, former Indiana State Representative Christy Stutzman, live in Howe, IN, with their two sons.
The Honorable Cheryl L. Johnson
Cheryl L. Johnson presided over the U.S. House of Representatives during the weeklong Speaker vote series at the beginning of the 118th Congress. She was sworn in as Clerk of the House for the 117th Congress by Speaker Nancy Pelosi on January 3, 2021, and reappointed by Speaker Kevin McCarthy to serve as Clerk in the 118th Congress on January 7, 2023. Ms. Johnson is the 36th individual to serve as Clerk and previously served during the 116th Congress. Before becoming Clerk, Ms. Johnson worked for nearly 20 years in the House followed by 10 years at the Smithsonian Institution. Most recently, Ms. Johnson served as Director of the Smithsonian’s Office of Government Relations. In that role, she worked with Smithsonian leadership and the Board of Regents to build and maintain strong relationships with Congress, specifically with the congressional committees with jurisdiction over Smithsonian programs and appropriations. She also developed strategic legislative objectives, policies, and funding opportunities for the Smithsonian. In her time on Capitol Hill, Ms. Johnson was the Chief Education and Investigative Counsel for the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, where she served as a principal policy advisor and spokesperson for the Committee. Ms. Johnson also served as Director and Counsel for the Committee on House Administration’s Subcommittee on Libraries and Memorials. In this capacity, she worked with the Subcommittee chair to exercise oversight and legislative responsibility over the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian. Ms. Johnson earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Iowa and her law degree from Howard University. She is also a graduate of the senior management program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Born in New Orleans, she lives with her husband in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
The Honorable Tom Reed
Tom Reed was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010 to serve the 29th and eventually the 23rd Congressional Districts of New York. He was a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee and founded the Problem Solvers Caucus – a group of 28 Republicans and 28 Democrats who meet weekly to solve the most contentious issues facing the nation. Tom always put people and progress before party and asked that his fellow members of Congress do the same. He retired from congressional service in 2022. Prior to representing western New York, Tom created and ran a series of different businesses: his own law firm, a property development company, and a realtor firm. He served as the mayor of Corning, NY from 2008 to 2009 before his run for Congress. The youngest of 12, Tom was raised by a single mother on his father’s military death benefits and his mom’s social security check as a result of his father, a decorated veteran of World War II and the Korean War, passing when he was only two. A former All-American swimmer, Tom graduated from Alfred University in 1993 and from Ohio Northern University College of Law in 1996. He is married to his wife Jean; together they have raised two adult children, Autumn and Will.
Dr. Robert Traynham
Robert Traynham is the President and CEO of the Faith and Politics Institute, effective February 17, 2025. Previously, Traynham served as the Global Spokesperson for Meta, as well as Head of External Affairs and Head of Global Public Affairs for Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus. The respected political veteran and communications expert has been on the forefront of designing and executing impactful communications, marketing and external campaigns for elected leaders, political organizations, non-profits and Fortune 50 companies such as Walmart, Comcast and Facebook for more than 25 years. Traynham was an MSNBC political analyst, moderator for the public affairs program “Newsmakers” and co-host of the radio talk show about elections and campaigns, “The Flacks.” In addition, Traynham authored a weekly column for the Philadelphia Tribune. He is a professor at Georgetown University and a Georgetown University Fellow. Prior to his career in media, Traynham was a senior congressional staff member for the Senate Republican Conference, serving as a chief of staff and communications director. During his tenure in the Senate, Traynham served as the highest-ranking African American Republican in Congress. Before his roles in the leadership offices, Traynham served for many years as a senior aide and press secretary for Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA). Traynham holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Cheyney University, a master’s degree in political communications from George Mason University, and a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Aberdeen (Aberdeen, Scotland).
Advice to New Members of Congress
As all new Members of Congress learn, everyone and every organization has advice they are eager to share.
The U.S. Capitol Historical Society shares advice, in a variety of forms, culled over time, from some of your predecessors.
Clearly, some pieces of advice have withstood the test of time better than others.
TIP O’NEILL’S POLITICAL CHECKLIST
Vote your conscience, your country, your district, the leadership, in that order.
Never question the honesty or integrity of a colleague.
It’s a round world – what goes around, comes around.
You can accomplish anything if you’re willing to let someone else take the credit.
Never lose your idealism.
Lead by consent, not demand.
The bigger the crowd, the lower the vote.
Learn to say, “I don’t know but I will find out.”
K.I.S.S. – Keep it simple, stupid.
Don’t stay mad–there’s always tomorrow. Today’s enemy is tomorrow’s ally.
Never speak of yourself in the third person.
Tell the truth the first time and you don’t have to remember what you said.
The horse that runs fast early fades in the stretch.
RAYBURN’S RULES
To get along, go along.
Any new member who wants to stay here a long time must keep in mind that he has two constituencies: the people who sent him here and the colleagues with whom he must serve.
One of the wisest things ever said was, “wait a minute.”
You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow too.
A man doesn’t have to be brilliant to make a success here. All you need is a reasonable amount of intelligence and the willpower to tend to your own business.
I found out early in life that I never have to explain anything I haven’t said.
The fellow who jabbers all the time gets no attention. If he gives the House some meat when he speaks, the members will quiet down and listen.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S WORDS OF WISDOM
Truth is generally the best vindication against slander.
The loss of enemies does not compensate for the loss of friends.
Quarrel not at all. . . Better give your path to a dog than be bitten by him in contesting for the right.
Even killing the dog would not cure the bite.
You must not wait to be brought forward by the older men.
Let everyone play the part he can play best – some speak, some sing and all holler.
Towering genius disdains a beaten path.
It seeks regions hitherto unexplored.
Important principles may, and must, be inflexible.
The leading rule for the lawyer, as for the man of every other calling, is diligence.
Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.
When you have got an elephant by the hind legs, and he is trying to run away, it’s best to let him run.
JAMES A. GARFIELD’S RULES FOR LIVING
Never be idle.
Make few promises.
Always speak the truth.
Live within your income.
Keep good company or none.
Never speak games of chance.
Live up to your engagements.
Drink no intoxicating drinks.
Keep your own secrets if you have any.
Good character is above everything else.
Never borrow if you can possibly help it.
When you speak to a person, look into his eyes.
Do not marry until you are able to support a wife.
Save when you are young, to spend when you are old.
Never run into debt unless you see a way out again.
Good company and good conversation are the sinews of virtue.
Your character cannot be essentially injured except by your own acts.
If anybody speaks evil of you, let your life be so that no one believes him.
If your hands cannot be usefully employed, attend to the culture of your mind.
When you retire at night, think over what you have done during the day.
Read the above carefully and thoughtfully at least once a week.
THE WISDOM AND WICKET WIT OF THOMAS BRACKETT REED
The right of the minority is to draw its salaries, and its function is to make a quorum.
Your friends sometimes go to sleep, your enemies never do.
The best system is to have one party govern and the other party watch, and on general principles I think it would be best for us to govern and the Democrats watch.
One, with God, is always a majority, but many a martyr has been burned at the stake while the votes were being counted.
One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils of this world can be cured by legislation. I am happy in the belief that the solution of the great difficulties of life and government is in better hands even than those of this body.
A statesman is a successful politician who is dead.
FROM ALBERT J. BEVERIDGE
Partisanship should only be a method of patriotism. He who is a partisan merely for the sake of spoils is a buccaneer. He who is a partisan merely for the sake of a party name is a ghost of the past among living events. He who is merely the partisan of an ordinary organization is only a pebble in the sling of a boss. But he who is the partisan of principle is a prince of citizenship.
EUGENE McCARTHY’S TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR NEW MEMBERS
- Vote against anything introduced with a “re” in it, especially reforms, reorganizations, and recodifications. This usually means going back to something that failed once and is likely to do so again.
- Do not have a perfect attendance record. Any attendance record above 80 percent is evidence that you have been wasting time answering roll calls and quorum calls.
- Do not master the rules of procedure. The Senate rules are simple enough to be learned, but they are seldom honored in practice. The House rules are usually applied, but they are too complicated to be mastered. Use the parliamentarian.
- Honor seniority. You may have it before you want it. Having a member with seniority assume a position of power makes no reasonable sense, but as G.K. Chesterton said of the practice of having the oldest son of a king succeed his father on the throne, “It saves a lot of trouble.”
- Never trust a staff member who regularly gets to the office before you do and who stays after you leave.
- In evaluating your colleagues, remember that politics is much like coaching professional football. Those who are most successful are smart enough to understand the game but not smart enough to lose interest.
- Never be the only one, or one of a few, who are right on an issue (like a war) that will not go away. It is difficult to say to fellow members of Congress, “I am sorry I was right. Please forgive me.” They won’t.
- Do not respond to an appeal to act in the name of “party loyalty.”
- Remember that the worst accidents occur in the middle of the road.
- As Ed Lahey, noted reporter for the Chicago Daily News, said to me soon after I came to Congress 30 years ago: “Never trust the press.”
MO UDALL ON POLITICS & HUMOR
Politics is a people business – and people crave laughter.
Used adroitly, wit is something more than oratorical ornament; rather, it is a gentle pry bar with which to open the minds of your constituents and colleagues.
There is a lot to be said for inconsistency. As a politician you must be willing to change your mind as circumstances change or you may endanger your career.
The United States is the world’s oldest democracy; and we should all treasure the fact that we live in a country where public figures and a free press can laugh together.
Throughout our history, political jokes have served to humanize our democratic process and to reaffirm our common heritage.
Once a politician has been elected, humor becomes one of the most formidable tools he or she can wield in pursuit of legislative goals.
A savvy pol can use humor to disarm his enemies, to rally his allies, to inform, rebut, educate, console, and convince.
ADVICE FROM THE PRESIDENTS
JOHN ADAMS
Patience. Patience. Patience! The first, and last, and the middle virtue of a politician.
WOODROW WILSON
If you think too much about being re-elected, it is very difficult to be worth re-electing.
CALVIN COOLIDGE
Character is the only secure foundation of the state.
HARRY S. TRUMAN
I remember when I first came to Washington. For the first six months you wonder how the hell you ever got here. For the next six months you wonder how the hell the rest of them ever got here.
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
The qualities of a great man are vision, integrity, courage, understanding, the power of articulation and profundity of character.
GERALD FORD
Truth is the glue that holds governments together. Compromise is the oil that makes governments go.
