LOOKING BACKA Pastor for the House

BY ANITA CIRULIS

UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL

Dr. Bernard Braskamp, a 1903 graduate of Northwestern Classical Academy, opens a session of the House of Representatives with prayer in his role as the legislative body’s first full-time chaplain.

Residents of the community of Alton, Iowa, located just east of Orange City, took pride in native son Bernard Braskamp—and justifiably so.

“Ben,” as he was known in his youth, graduated from Northwestern Classical Academy in 1903 at the age of 16. Despite having to walk four miles to school, he was never late for the 8 a.m. chapel services. More degrees followed: an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan; master’s degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and Princeton University; and an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Hanover College.

As the forerunner of Northwestern College, the Northwestern Classical Academy was established to prepare students for the ministry, and Braskamp was arguably one of its most illustrious alumni. Ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1911, he spent nearly 40 years as a pastor in Washington, D.C., initially serving the congregation of what later became known as the National Presbyterian Church before reaching what the Alton Democrat newspaper called “the pinnacle of his profession.”

In 1950, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously elected Braskamp as its chaplain—the first full-time chaplain in either the House or Senate. For the next 16 years until his death, he served as pastor, counselor and friend not only to the legislators and their families, but to all House employees in the Capitol. His brief prayers given each day to open the sessions of the House contained “the essence of greatness,” said Rep. Albert Ullman at the time. “They never fail to bring us close to the Divine, and to inspire in each of us a renewed dedication to the sacredness of public trust.”

Those many prayers included one that opened the session that passed the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964. Another was given in memory of assassinated President John F. Kennedy. Yet another was said for Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon B. Johnson.

Despite the serious nature of his call, Braskamp maintained a keen sense of humor, once remarking, “I always look out over the House of Representatives and then I pray for the country.”

Those prayers were appreciated by those under his care, who described him as their spiritual guide and a man of deep faith. Braskamp’s prayers have been compiled in a book spanning the 85th and 86th Congresses that is available in Northwestern’s archives.

In ordering the chaplain’s prayers to be published, the late Sam Rayburn, speaker of the House, said, “There is no one who enjoys in such a notable degree the respect and affection of the entire membership of the House as does Dr. Braskamp. To the membership of the House of Representatives, he is counselor, friend and brother. Free from any suggestion of sectarian bias, his daily ministrations were helpful and inspiring, lifting all who heard him to a deeper realization of their need for divine guidance.”