[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E531]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING THE DACOR BACON HOUSE BICENTENNIAL DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONALD S. BEYER, JR.

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 5, 2025

  Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize June 10th as the DACOR 
Bacon House Bicentennial Day. With its rich history, the DACOR Bacon 
House stands as a powerful symbol of our Nation's commitment to 
diplomacy and the rule of law.
  The House was built on land previously owned by David Burnes, a 
Revolutionary War veteran whose other real estate holdings were used 
for key national landmarks, including the White House and National 
Mall.
  The House's site was acquired in 1815 by Tobias Lear V, George 
Washington's personal secretary and subsequent U.S. Consul General to 
Algiers. He was also the only person to hear President Washington's 
final words. ``Tis well.''
  The current structure was completed in 1825 by Tench Ringgold, U.S. 
Marshal and Keeper of the Keys to the Capitol, using enslaved labor. 
Ringgold helped lead President James Madison and several members of his 
Cabinet to safety during the British burning of the White House years 
earlier during the War of 1812.
  Former Maryland Governor Samuel Sprigg purchased the property for his 
daughter and nephew William Thomas Carroll, Clerk of the Supreme Court 
and member of the prominent Carroll family. William Thomas Carroll 
provided President Abraham Lincoln with the Bible that was used for his 
first inauguration, which has since become known as the ``Lincoln 
Bible.''
  The House flourished under the ownership of the Carroll Family, 
during which time they entertained numerous dignitaries.
  The House later served as the official residence of numerous 
prominent foreign and domestic figures in the United States, including 
Russian Imperial Minister Nikolai Shishkin from 1875 to 1878 while he 
was dispatched to Washington, D.C. as his country's top diplomatic 
representative to the United States. Chief Justice Melville Fuller and 
his family resided at the House from 1896 to 1910, during which time 
the House remained a fixture in Washington, D.C. high society and 
hosted President Grover Cleveland, President Theodore Roosevelt, and 
Secretary of War William Howard Taft. Illinois Senator Medill McCormick 
and his wife, the future Congresswoman Ruth Hanna McCormick, resided in 
the House during the 1920's when they entertained lawmakers and their 
spouses.
  In 1973, the House was added to the National Register of Historic 
Places, paying homage to its nearly 150 years of contributions to 
American history and society. Virginia Murray Bacon then established 
the Bacon House Foundation which worked hand in hand with the 
Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired (DACOR) Education and Welfare 
Foundation to establish the DACOR Bacon House Foundation which was 
tasked with caring for the historic House in perpetuity.
  On May 23, 1986, Secretary of State George P. Shultz attended the 
dedication ceremony marking the DACOR Bacon House Foundation's new 
ownership of the building and charged those present to ``protect and 
advance the interests and ideals of America.''
  Since such time the DACOR Bacon House has served as the headquarters 
of DACOR, a premier organization of foreign affairs professionals, 
whose members include ambassadors, Foreign Service Officers, military 
and intelligence officials, political appointees from both major 
parties, Members of Congress and their staffs, Peace Corps and 
International Monetary Fund officials, global business leaders, and 
other professionals dedicated to promoting American interests and 
diplomatic relations.
  Through DACOR and the DACOR Bacon House Foundation, which host 
regular educational discussions, policy programs, leadership 
development opportunities, and musical events, the House continues to 
be a vibrant center of cultural and diplomatic exchange, a museum of 
American life, and the home of the foreign affairs community.
  Two hundred years after its construction, the DACOR Bacon House 
remains a pillar of strength in the President's Neighborhood, pays 
tribute to the legacy of its prior owners, enslaved workers, and 
distinguished guests, and serves as a unique prism for understanding 
the history of both the District of Columbia and the United States of 
America.
  I therefore ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join 
me in recognizing the historic importance of the DACOR Bacon House to 
the history of American diplomacy, the Supreme Court, and Congress. I 
also wish to recognize both the DACOR Bacon House Foundation and the 
Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired (DACOR) organization for 
their decades-long efforts to preserve this unique gem located in the 
heart of our Nation's Capital.

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