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The Way We Worked

Connecting Calls for Congress

Harriott G. Daley became the first Capitol switchboard operator in 1898. She was the sole operator in charge of 50 extensions, answering fewer than 200 calls per day. By the time this photo was taken in 1928, Daley was overseeing 25 operators who handled 30,000 calls daily for more than 1,000 extensions. Daley retired in 1945, having spent 47 years connecting calls. Today, the Capitol switchboard is computerized to help operators field the many calls.

PHOTO from the Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives, courtesy of Clerk of the House’s Office of Art and Archives, in collaboration with the Society for History in the Federal Government (SHFG), bringing together government professionals, academics, consultants, students and citizens interested in understanding federal history work and the historical development of the federal government. To join, visit www.shfg.org. DID YOU KNOW?

After the 1950s, members of Congress needed to dial telephone numbers to be connected, a change called “very time-consuming, unsatisfactory, and a perfect waste of our time.”

Learn more at www.narfe.org/ switchboard.

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