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Myles Garrigan Oral History Interview Final Edited Transcript

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Myles Garrigan Oral History Interview Final Edited Transcript Myles Garrigan Page, U.S. House of Representatives (1941–1943) Oral History Interview Final Edited Transcript May 25, 2012 Office of the Historian U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. “I was 17. I was a senior in high school. I was president of my class . And I had some trepidations about going . It would be my first time away from home for any length of time. So I gave some serious thought, but I thought, at the end, it was the thing to do, to go to Washington, and be part of the political scene. [Mayor John Fitzpatrick] came up to me, and two weeks had gone by and he said, ‘Do you want to go to Washington?’ And I said, ‘Yes, I’d love to go.’ And I guess about here, people would usually say, ‘Boy Garrigan goes to Washington, and the rest is history.’” Myles Garrigan May 25, 2012 On May 5, 1941, House Pages joined Members of Congress at the Hotel Lee Sheraton for a banquet. Image courtesy of Myles Garrigan, provided by the Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives Myles Garrigan (front row, first from the left) and the Capitol Page School Class of 1941 pose on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol. Image courtesy of Myles Garrigan, provided by the Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives In 1941, Myles Garrigan (second from left) graduated from the Capitol Page School. Speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas addressed the class in the Cannon Caucus Room. Image courtesy of Myles Garrigan, provided by the Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives Myles Garrigan was the overseer of the House Republican Pages while attending George Washington University. Image courtesy of Myles Garrigan, provided by the Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives Myles Garrigan stands on the East Front plaza of the U.S. Capitol during a trip to Washington in April 1986. Image courtesy of Myles Garrigan, provided by the Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives A 1941 graduate of the Capitol Page School, Myles Garrigan remains standing at the 2012 Page reunion in Washington, D.C. as attendants sit down when their class year is called, making him the earliest-serving Page present. Image courtesy of Myles Garrigan, provided by the Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives Table of Contents Interview Abstract i Interviewee Biography ii Editing Practices iii Citation Information iv Interviewer Biography v Interview 1 Notes 27 Index 29 Abstract In his oral history interview, Myles Garrigan takes us through the halls of the House, the Capitol Page School, and Washington, D.C., as he recollects his time working at the House of Representatives. His description of the ordinary tasks of Pages (running errands) combined with more unusual assignments (buying boxing tickets for a Member) provides an intimate look at the role of Pages in the institution. An eyewitness to a series of historic events, like President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s historic “Day of Infamy” speech and Jeannette Rankin’s lone vote against World War II, Garrigan also describes a memorable visit to the White House to meet President Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Garrigan’s interview demonstrates the importance of the Page program on a personal level and offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the U.S. House of Representatives during the Second World War. i Biography Myles (Scotty) Garrigan was born on September 9, 1923, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to Mildred and Miles Garrigan. While a senior and president of his class at South River High School in New Jersey, Garrigan received a recommendation from local mayor and high school coach, John Fitzpatrick, to serve as a House Page. Appointed to his new position by New Jersey Representative William Halstead Sutphin, 17-year-old Garrigan reported to Washington for the start of the 77th Congress in January, 1941. During his time as a House Page, Garrigan delivered messages to and from the House Floor and ran errands for Representatives. After graduating from the Capitol Page School in June of 1941, Garrigan remained in Washington, D.C., serving as the Republican Page overseer. Garrigan balanced his new position with academic responsibilities, attending night school at George Washington University. As Page overseer, he witnessed “electrifying” moments of House history, such as the passage of a declaration of war against Japan after the surprise bombing of Pearl Harbor. His undergraduate studies were interrupted in 1943 when the draft age was lowered to 18 and he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces—the forerunner of the modern U.S. Air Force. After serving as an aviation cadet until 1945, Garrigan returned to Washington, D.C., where he resumed his studies, graduating from George Washington University in 1948. While pursuing a master’s degree at the Elliott School of International Affairs, at George Washington, he came back to the Hill in hopes of getting a job. With the help of Congressman James Auchincloss of New Jersey, he served as an elevator operator for six months before leaving school and becoming an officer for the Central Intelligence Agency. Garrigan later made animated, political TV commercials and worked as an account executive for an industrial film production company. Now retired, Garrigan currently resides in Springfield, Massachusetts. ii Editing Practices In preparing interview transcripts for publication, the editors sought to balance several priorities: • As a primary rule, the editors aimed for fidelity to the spoken word and the conversational style in accord with generally accepted oral history practices. • The editors made minor editorial changes to the transcripts in instances where they believed such changes would make interviews more accessible to readers. For instance, excessive false starts and filler words were removed when they did not materially affect the meaning of the ideas expressed by the interviewee. • In accord with standard oral history practices, interviewees were allowed to review their transcripts, although they were encouraged to avoid making substantial editorial revisions and deletions that would change the conversational style of the transcripts or the ideas expressed therein. • The editors welcomed additional notes, comments, or written observations that the interviewees wished to insert into the record and noted any substantial changes or redactions to the transcript. • Copy-editing of the transcripts was based on the standards set forth in The Chicago Manual of Style. The first reference to a Member of Congress (House or Senate) is underlined in the oral history transcript. For more information about individuals who served in the House or Senate, please refer to the online Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, http://bioguide.congress.gov and the “People Search” section of the History, Art & Archives website, http://history.house.gov. For more information about the U.S. House of Representatives oral history program contact the Office of the House Historian at (202) 226-1300, or via email at [email protected]. iii Citation Information When citing this oral history interview, please use the format below: “Myles Garrigan Oral History Interview,” Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives, [May 25, 2012]. iv Interviewer Biography Kathleen Johnson is the Manager of Oral History for the Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives. She earned a B.A. in history from Columbia University and holds two master’s degrees from North Carolina State University in education and public history. In 2004, she helped to create the House’s first oral history program, focusing on collecting the institutional memory of Members and staff. She co-authored two books: Women in Congress: 1917–2006 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 2006) and Black Americans in Congress: 1870–2007 (GPO, 2008). v — MYLES GARRIGAN— INTERVIEW JOHNSON: This is Kathleen Johnson, and I’m here today interviewing Myles Garrigan, who was a House Page from 1941 to 1943. We’re in the House Recording Studio [Rayburn House Office Building], and the date is May 25th, 2012. So, Mr. Garrigan, to start off today I wanted to thank you for coming. GARRIGAN: Well, it’s a pleasure being here. JOHNSON: Could you tell me how you first became a Page? GARRIGAN: Well, I was a senior in high school, South River High School, South River, New Jersey. And I was walking down the corridor one day, and the mayor of our town, John Fitzpatrick, was also the coach of the baseball team and the basketball team. Anyway, he stopped me and showed me a letter that he had received from Congressman William [Halstead] Sutphin. And he gave it to me, and I read it. And it said, in effect, that the House Patronage Committee had awarded him a Page job, and that if Mr. Fitzpatrick would pick a Page and send him to Washington, he would be very happy. So Coach—I called him Coach, he was Coach—he showed me the letter, and he said, “Would you like to go to Washington?” And I thought in my mind, I thought I would love to go. But I told him I needed a little time to think about it. And he said, “Well, I’ll give you two weeks. And at the end of that period of time, I’ll ask you if you want to go. And you can give me your answer.” JOHNSON: How old were you at the time? GARRIGAN: I was 17. I was a senior in high school. I was president of my class, by the way. And I had some trepidations about going. I lived with my aunt, and she http://history.house.gov/Oral-History/ 1 would be alone.
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