William Tyler Page

William Tyler Page (1868 – October 19, 1942) was an American public servant. He worked on the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. for 61 years, first as a page boy and later as a clerk of the United States House of Representatives. He was the author of American Creed.

William Tyler Page
Born	1868 Frederick, Maryland, U.S.
Died	October 19, 1942 Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting place	Oak Hill Cemetery
Relatives	Carter Braxton (great-great-grandfather)

Early life

Page was born in 1868 in Frederick, Frederick County, Maryland.[1][2] He was the great-great-grandson of Carter Braxton, (1736–1797), a member of the House of Burgesses of the Province of Virginia.[2] He was also a descendant of President John Tyler.[2]

Page began working "twelve hours a day in a printing shop and a paper-bag factory" at the age of 10.[2]

Career

Page began working as a page boy for the United States House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. on December 19, 1881//www.newspapers.com/image/10924005/?terms=%22William%2BTyler%2BPage%22 |accessdate=February 2, 2019 |work=The Bee |location=Danville, Virginia |date=October 20, 1942|page=6|via=Newspapers.com|url-access=registration }}</ref>

In 1917, at 49, Page wrote "The American's Creed," as a submission to a nationwide patriotic contest suggested by Henry Sterling Chapin, of New York, which was inspired by a fervor at the beginning of the American entry into the First World War. The goal was to have a concise but complete statement of American political faith. Inspired by thoughts on his way home from church in May 1917, having just recited the Apostles' Creed used in most Christian churches as a statement of belief, Page drew on a wide variety of historical documents and speeches, including the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the US Constitution, Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, a speech made by Daniel Webster, and text from Edward Everett Hale's 1863 patriotic short story of a military officer condemned to exile, "The Man Without a Country." He proceeded to craft a simple but moving expression of American patriotism.

His submission was chosen in March 1918 over more than 3000 other entries. On April 3, 1918,[3] it was accepted by the House Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the US Commissioner of Education (then part of the US Department of the Interior) on behalf of the American people, according to the "Congressional Record", No. 102, April 13, 1918. A prize of $1000 was also awarded by Mayor James H. Preston on behalf of the City of Baltimore, which was the birthplace of the National Anthem. Page used it to purchase Liberty Bonds for the war effort and donated them to his church. Today, it also often comprises part of the naturalization ceremony to swear in new American citizens, along with other patriotic symbols, such as the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag and the singing of various songs and anthems.

Clerk of House of Representatives

In 1919, the year after the war ended, Page was elected Clerk of the House of Representatives from the 66th United States Congress to the 71st Congress ended in 1931. The majority in power in the 1920s was the Republican Party.[4] Later, he was Emeritus Minority Clerk, for the remainder of his life. He was highly respected by members of both major parties throughout his service, as a principled gentleman whose patriotism was inspirational and whose love of America was unquestioned.

Page died 11 years later, during the first year of America's involvement in the Second World War, on October 19, 1942, after serving his country his entire adult life humbly but always proudly. The House of Representatives adjourned the following day in his honor.

For many years, Page had also served as the President General of the United States Flag Association. The night before his death, he gave an address to the women's lineage society, the Daughters of the American Revolution on the Golden (50th) Anniversary of the writing of the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag (1892).

American's Creed

The American's Creed is as follows:

I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.

I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.[5][3]

The American's Creed, original text handwritten by Page.

Page once said:

The American's Creed is a summing up, in one hundred words, of the basic principles of American political faith. It is not an expression of individual opinion upon the obligations and duties of American citizenship or with respect to its rights and privileges. It is a summary of the fundamental principles of American political faith as set forth in its greatest documents, its worthiest traditions and by its greatest leaders.

Personal life, death and legacy

Page resided in Friendship Heights, Maryland (in Montgomery County).[2] He died of heart disease on October 19, 1942 in Washington, D.C., at age 74.[1][6] He was buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery.[2] In 1955, the Daughters of the American Revolution added a bronze plaque on his grave at Oak Hill Cemetery.[2]

William Tyler Page Elementary School is located at 13400 Tamarack Road in Silver Spring, MD and it is part of Montgomery County Public Schools.

See also

• American Flag
• Flag Day (United States)
• Sons of the American Revolution

References

1. "William Tyler Page, House Clerk, Dies". The Pittsburgh Press. October 20, 1942. p. 1. Retrieved February 2, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "DAR To Dedicate Bronze Tablet To America's Creed Author". The Rocky Mountain Telegram. Rocky Mountain, North Carolina. September 30, 1955. p. 6. Retrieved February 2, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "American Education Week". The Journal of Education. 96 (18 (2404)): 488. 1922. JSTOR 42769915. In preparation for American Education Week, which will be held throughout the country December 3-9, every child should memorize the following creed which was compiled by William Tyler Page and which was officially adopted by the United States Congress, April 13, 1918
4. "Art & History - Clerks". Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved 2011-06-14.
   66th (1919-21) William Tyler Page MD May 19, 1919
   66th (1919-21) William Tyler Page MD May 19, 1919
   67th (1921-23) William Tyler Page MD Apr 11, 1921
   68th (1923-25) William Tyler Page MD Dec 05, 1923
   69th (1925-27) William Tyler Page MD Dec 07, 1925
   70th (1927-29) William Tyler Page MD Dec 05, 1927
   71st (1929-31) William Tyler Page MD Apr 15, 1929
5. "The American's Creed". The Journal of Education. 91 (22): 609. 1920. JSTOR 42805256.
6. "Employee of House 61 Years Passes". The Bee. Danville, Virginia. October 20, 1942. p. 6. Retrieved February 2, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• William Tyler Page (National Society Daughters of the American Revolution)
• History of the American's Creed (rootsweb.com)
• The American's Creed (USFlag.org)