The House Beauty Shop Committee (officially known as the House Select Committee on the Beauty Shop) was a

special committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

which existed from 1967 to 1979. It was initially established pursuant to and introduced by Representative

Martha Griffiths Martha Wright Griffiths (January 29, 1912 – April 22, 2003) was an American lawyer and judge before being elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1954. Griffiths was the first woman to serve on the House Committee on Ways and M ...

, a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

representing Michigan's 17th district. Griffiths, along with

Edith Green Edith Louise Starrett Green (January 17, 1910 – April 21, 1987) was an American politician and educator from Oregon. She was the second Oregonian woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served a total of ten terms, fro ...

(a Democrat from Oregon's 3rd district) and Catherine May (a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

from Washington's 4th district), became the first members of the committee. It was formed to oversee and modernize the operations of the House Beauty Shop, a beauty salon located in the

Cannon House Office Building The Cannon House Office Building, often called the "Old House Office Building," completed in 1908, is the oldest congressional office building as well as a significant example of the Beaux-Arts style of architecture. It occupies a site south of t ...

in the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

. At the time of its establishment, the House Beauty Shop Committee was the smallest and least known of the House of Representatives' 57 committees. It was also the first committee to be co-chaired by two women. In the late 1970s, the committee was absorbed into the

United States House Committee on House Administration The United States House Committee on House Administration deals with the general administration matters of the United States House of Representatives. History The Committee on House Administration was created by the Legislative Reorganization A ...

History

The House Beauty Shop originated as a privately owned and independently operated beauty salon located in the

Longworth House Office Building The Longworth House Office Building (LHOB) is one of five office buildings used by the United States House of Representatives. The building is located south of the Capitol, bounded by Independence Avenue, New Jersey Avenue, C Street S.E., and Sou ...

, one of three main office buildings on the Capitol devoted to the House of Representatives. Established in 1932 by beautician Mabel Solomon, it primarily served the women of Capitol Hill, including members of Congress, their wives, as well as Congressional staffers. By the 1960s, the shop was estimated to have earned nearly $150,000 annually. It benefited from the fact that the House of Representatives provided space and utilities for free. By 1967, however, Solomon's health complications led to frequent absences. Even prior to her departure, some House members had been concerned about the lax oversight over the beauty shop's operations. To address these concerns, then- House Speaker

John W. McCormack John William McCormack (December 21, 1891 – November 22, 1980) was an American politician from Boston, Massachusetts. An attorney and a Democrat, McCormack served in the United States Army during World War I, and afterwards won terms in both th ...

ordered an investigation into the beauty shop, which was led by Griffiths and May. In response to the scrutiny, Solomon abruptly retired, closing the shop and packing up thousands of dollars worth of equipment. McCormack then decided to form the House Beauty Shop Committee to investigate the situation further and provide recommendations on how to restore the beauty shop. He named Griffiths, May, and Rep. Edith Green to the committee and provided $15,000 from the contingency fund as a bridge loan. The House Beauty Shop Committee hired a new manager to run the shop, who in turn hired 18 beauticians and manicurists and relocated the shop from the Longworth building to the much larger Cannon Building. Within a few years, the beauty shop had been revitalized; it repaid the $15,000 loan and was soon turning a profit. In 1975, Yvonne Burke, a Democrat representing California's 28th district, succeeded Griffiths as chair of the House Beauty Shop Committee. Under her leadership, the committee successfully secured pay and benefits parity with other House staffers for the beauty shop's employees. Burke's proposal, H. Res 315, was introduced in 1977. It abolished the House Beauty Shop Committee, folding its responsibilities into the

; it also ensured that House Beauty Shop employees were treated like other House employees. It was enacted by the House of Representatives as part of the 1979 appropriations bill. As part of the House Speaker

Newt Gingrich Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U ...

's "

Contract with America The Contract with America was a legislative agenda advocated for by the Republican Party during the 1994 congressional election campaign. Written by Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey, and in part using text from former President Ronald Reagan's 1 ...

", the House of Representatives privatized the House Beauty Salon in 1995. Under the new approach, the House of Representatives' Chief Administrative Officer awards a three-year renewable contract to a private contractor, who in turn pays the House monthly rent and manages the operations of the beauty shop. Though it still caters to House members and staffers, the beauty salon is available to members of the general public.

Committee chairs

Historical members

(Michigan) (Chair) (1967–1975) *

Yvonne Brathwaite Burke Yvonne Pearl Burke (née Watson, later Brathwaite; born October 5, 1932) is an American politician and lawyer from California. She was the first African-American woman to represent the West Coast in Congress. She served in the U.S. Congress from ...

(California) (Chair) (1975–defunct) *

(Oregon) * Catherine May (Washington state) (1967–1970) *

Margaret Heckler Margaret Mary Heckler (née O'Shaughnessy; June 21, 1931 – August 6, 2018) was an American politician and diplomat who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1967 until 1983. A member of the Republican Party, she als ...

(Massachusetts) (1970–1979)

External links

House Resolution 1000
– the House Resolution which established the select committee

References

{{United States congressional committees 1967 establishments in Washington, D.C.

Beauty Shop ''Beauty Shop'' is a 2005 American comedy film directed by Bille Woodruff. The film serves as a Spin-off (media), spin-off of the ''Barbershop (film), Barbershop'' film franchise, and stars Queen Latifah as Gina, a character first introduced in t ...

1979 disestablishments in Washington, D.C. House Beauty Shop