Senate Seniority Board

The Senate Seniority Board is one of the Upper Chamber’s oldest treasures. The names of sitting senators are displayed on the lower section by seniority (determined by date of appointment) and are added or removed when senators join or retire from the Chamber.

The Senate Speaker’s name is identified in calligraphy in the crimson Speaker’s Arch at the top. The arch is also updated when a new Speaker is appointed; for decades, the new name was simply painted over the old one.

Until recently, the wooden plaque’s age was a longtime mystery. During recent conservation work, experts peeled back the layers of the Speaker’s Arch, uncovering a 125-year record of Senate history. They got as far back as John J. Ross, appointed Speaker in 1891.

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