Overview
- The U.S. Capitol Historical Society confirmed the marble gavel will sit on the House rostrum during President Donald Trump’s address Tuesday night.
- The society coordinated with Speaker Mike Johnson and Potomac Lodge No. 5, which holds custody of the artifact.
- George Washington used the gavel in 1793 to lay the Capitol’s cornerstone before gifting it to lodge leader Valentine Reintzel.
- Potomac Lodge records note the gavel has been loaned for other cornerstone events, including at the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Cathedral.
- News accounts report this would be the first time a House speaker has displayed Washington’s gavel during a State of the Union.