Description
The 1965 Speaker’s gavel from John W. McCormack, inscribed and presented to Illinois Congressman Dan Rostenkowski. Awarded to Rostenkowski after the passage of a $15.3 billion defense spending authorization bill.
The wood gavel measures 13 x 4 inches. Previously mounted, with glue remnant along bottom of handle.
Inscribed on the head of the gavel: “To Hon. Dan Rostenkowski / from / John W. McCormack / Speaker / 5/5/65.” Additionally signed down the handle: “$15 Billion – May ’65.” From the collection of Illinois Congressman Dan Rostenkowski. McCormack served as Speaker of the House from 1962 to 1971. Rostenkowski chaired the House Democratic Caucus during McCormack’s speakership and later became chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
(Provenance: Estate of Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, Lot 14 Auctions, 2018)
House Authorization H.R. 7657 authorized $15.3 billion for fiscal year 1966 for military aircraft, missiles, naval vessels, and defense research. House Armed Services Committee Chairman L. Mendel Rivers introduced it on April 27, 1965. The House passed it unanimously, 396-0, on May 5. Representative Dan Rostenkowski of Illinois served as chairman of the Committee of the Whole during its floor consideration, giving him a procedural role in the bill’s passage. The House language was later substituted into Senate Bill 800 and signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson as Public Law 89-37 on June 11, 1965.
