1918: House bars visitors in wake of flu pandemic

October 14, 2010

House bars visitors in wake of flu pandemic, October 7, 1918

By ANDREW GLASS | 10/7/10 4:33 AM EDT

On this day in 1918, the public galleries ringing the floor above the U.S. House

were closed in response to the " Spanish " influenza pandemic that was sweeping

the globe.

An estimated 50 million people, about 3 percent of the world's population, died

of the disease — about 500,000 in the United States alone. Some 500 million, or

fully a third of the people in the world, were infected but survived.

Washington, swelled by an influx of government workers during World War I, was

particularly hard-hit, and its medical facilities stretched beyond capacity.

About 400 deaths were reported in the District of Columbia during the second

week of October; 730 the week after.

During an abbreviated session on Oct. 7, with many lawmakers absent because of

sickness, Democratic Rep. Henry Rainey of Illinois addressed the House. The

nine-term congressman — and future speaker — argued that the galleries should be

closed to prevent the spread of the disease.

" Mr. Speaker, it is a matter of common knowledge that an epidemic of alarming

proportions is prevailing throughout the country, " Rainey said. " Out of an

abundant precaution, the Senate has ordered the galleries closed, which action,

I understand, meets with the approval of the medical authorities. And so I ask

unanimous consent that the speaker be instructed to close the galleries of this

House. "

No one objected. Congress continued to operate, but on a restricted schedule.

Until mid-October, both chambers often were in recess, punctuated by brief pro

forma sessions that lacked quorums needed to conduct business.

Closure of the House and Senate galleries, an extraordinary step, lasted an

unusually long time. They reopened on Nov. 4 — after the flu had largely run its

course in the nation's capital.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF HISTORY AND PRESERVATION, CLERK OF THE U.S. HOUSE

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