The House Page Program
For nearly 200 years, Pages served the House of Representatives by assisting Members of the House with their legislative duties. Over time, their principal tasks—carrying documents, messages, and letters between various congressional offices—passed from older messengers to teenage boys and (much later) girls. Their responsibilities also changed with the times, as Pages were required to go to school beginning in the first half of the 20th century.
A Day in the Life of a Modern Page
In more modern days, Pages were sponsored by the Member of Congress from their district. They lived at the Page Residence Hall, a few blocks from the Capitol, and attended junior-year classes at the House Page School in the attic of the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress.
When the House was in session, Pages assisted Members with their legislative duties—delivering correspondence within the congressional complex, answering phones in the Member cloakrooms, and preparing the House Floor for sessions. View the "A Day in the Life of a Page" slideshow to see the schedule for what was a typical day as a House Page.