History of House Page Program
For more than 180 years, messengers known as Pages served the United States House of Representatives. Pages were high school juniors and had to be at least 16 years of age. Several incumbent and former Members of Congress as well as other prominent Americans served as Congressional Pages.
Pages in the House enjoyed an unparalleled opportunity to observe and participate in the legislative process in “the People’s House.” The expectations and experiences of House Pages, regardless of when they served, have been linked by certain commonalities—witnessing history, interacting with Representatives, and taking away lifelong inspiration to participate in civic life.
On August 8, 2011, the House of Representatives decided to shutter the House Page Program and with that, the era of Pages came to a close.
Additional information and videos can be found on the House of Representatives website:
History of the House Page Program
Representatives as Role Models and Mentors
Breaking Down Racial and Gender Barriers
Pages and the Communications Revolution
