The Sergeant at Arms can also compel the … House names sergeant-at-arms: May 12, 1789.

It is a task that wins him no friends, as he must unearth the scandals of some of the richest and most powerful men in the country. Upon his return to Tennessee, Mathers discovered Blount was now serving as Speaker of the Tennessee House. Word didn’t travel fast back then. The Sergeant at Arms of the Senate or originally known as the Doorkeeper of the Senate from the First Congress until the Eighth Congress (April 7, 1789 – March 3, 1803) is the highest-ranking federal law enforcement officer in the Senate of the United States.One of the chief roles of the sergeant at arms is to hold the gavel used at every session. The Senate even dispatched Senate Sergeant at Arms James Mathers to Knoxville, TN to serve a summons to Blount to appear in Washington at his Senate trial. As Otis and his assistants were keeping the financial accounts and legislative records, Mathers and his one aide tended the chamber door, maintained the Senate's two horses, and purchased the firewood. 1 History of the Senate Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper The first elected officer of the Senate was James Mathers, who was elected Doorkeeper on April 6, 1789. In that war's earliest days, Mathers joined the Continental Army and served throughout the conflict, suffering a … The position of Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper began in the First Congress when James Mathers became the first elected officer of the Senate. As the Senate prepared for its first impeachment trial, on February 5 it formally granted to the doorkeeper, James Mathers, the new title of sergeant at arms, thus empowering him to carry out the Senate's orders.

The position of Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper began in the First Congress when James Mathers became the first elected officer of the Senate. Senate Doorkeeper April 7, 1789 James Mathers did not know exactly how old he was in 1789, but he guessed that he was close to 45. He became assistant doorkeeper for the Confederation Congress in 1785 and was promoted to doorkeeper in 1788. Blount refused to leave his home state, and ultimately the Senate dropped the case. ... the Senate elected James Mathers as its sergeant-at-arms. Several weeks earlier, Mathers had tripped and fallen down his cellar stairs, breaking an ankle. Word didn’t travel fast back then. It was determined that a “civil Officer” is someone subject to presidential appointment and Senate confirmation – like a cabinet official or a federal judge. So the first Senate Sergeant at Arms, James Mathers, had to track down the fugitive.

That’s why the House has impeached various federal judges over the years, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase (who bore the nickname “Old Bacon Face”) and Secretary of War William Belknap. Complications from that accident proved fatal. The Senate even dispatched Senate Sergeant at Arms James Mathers to Knoxville, TN to serve a summons to Blount to appear in Washington at his Senate trial. In other words, House members and senators aren’t … As the Senate's principal officers, Mathers and Otis took on duties similar to those of the Continental Congress' doorkeeper and secretary. LS, DNA: RG 46, First Congress, Records of Legislative Proceedings, Petitions and Memorials, Resolutions of State Legislatures, and Related Documents.. James Mathers (1750–1811), a native of Dublin, Ireland, came to America before the Revolution and settled in New York City. 1 History of the Senate Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper The first elected officer of the Senate was James Mathers, who was elected Doorkeeper on April 6, 1789. Blount refused to leave his home state, and ultimately the Senate dropped the case. Senator Jacob Martin most reluctantly becomes involved, along with the Senate Doorman James Mathers, in trying to discover who really killed her. No one, including Mathers, knew exactly how old he was. While the subject of this sketch was a mere youth, his parents removed to Lost Creek Valley, in what is now Juniata County.