During its consideration in the House of Representatives on February 24, 1936, the bill proposing a commemorative half dollar for the 150th Anniversary of Columbia, SC being designated as South Carolina's capital was pushed by Hampton Fitts Fulmer (D-SC) for immediate action due to the quickly approaching dates on which SC was planning to celebrate its capital city; Columbia's Celebration was planned for March 22 through 26, 1936.
For a discussion of Columbia's Celebration (and the delivery schedule for the half dollar), see:
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1936 Columbia, SC Sesquicentennial - The Celebration And Its CoinsThe principals involved in the House's consideration:
- Hampton Fitts Fulmer (D-SC), the Sponsor of the Columbia, SC half dollar bill.
- Bertrand Hollis Snell (R-NY), twelve-term (1915-1939) Representative from New York.
- LLoyd Thurston (R-IA), seven-term (1925-1939) Representative from Iowa.
- Jesse Paine Wolcott (R-MI), thirteen-term Representative from Michigan(1031-1957)
And the debate/discussion...
"Mr. FULMER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H. R. 8886) to authorize the coinage of 50-cent pieces in commemoration of the sesquicentennial anniversary of the founding of the city of Columbia, S. C., for immediate consideration.
"Mr. SNELL. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, what committee did this come from, the Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures?
"Mr. FULMER. Yes; and I would like to say to the gentleman from New York that the reason I am making this request now is that the sesquicentennial is to be held during the last part of March, and unless the House passes the bill promptly so it may be passed by the Senate and signed by the President, it will be too late.
"Mr. SNELL. Some time ago I tried to get a measure of this kind passed for some people in my section, but the Treasury Department told me it was against their policy.
"Mr. FULMER. I may say to the gentleman from New York that there has been some complaining in the Treasury Department about coining these commemorative half dollars, but it ls a regular procedure every session. During this session already there have been reported several bills. As I say, the only reason I am asking consideration at this time is because the celebration will be held the last of March, arid that is not very far away.
"Mr. THURSTON. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, and I shall not object, I wish to say in fairness to the gentleman from South Carolina that several other bills of a similar character were favorably reported by the Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures, and I take it they will be called up in due course.
"Mr. SNELL. Why not bring them all up at one time and see if we are able to pass them or not?
"Mr. FULMER. That would be satisfactory to me, except if this bill is not passed promptly it wlll be too late.
"Mr. SNELL. It is my understanding that the Treasury Department would not favorably recommend any more of these bills. If they have changed their policy, l have no objection.
"Mr. WOLCOTT. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
"Mr. FULMER. I yield.
"Mr. WOLCO'IT. I may say, in addition to what the minority leader has said, that last year an application was made by certain members of the Michigan Delegation to have 50-cent pieces struck off in commemoration of the centennial of the admission of the State of Michigan into the Union, and we were turned down fiat.
"We were informed that it was not the policy of the Treasury Department to issue any more of these commemorative 50-cent pieces, that they would not approve them; and that the President would veto the bill if it was passed. For these reasons, and these reasons only, we did not press the matter.
"Mr. O'BRIEN. Mr. Speaker, I demand the regular order.
"The SPEAKER. The regular order is, Is there objection to the present consideration of the bill?"There being no objection, the Clerk read the bill...
After the bill was read, the amendments recommended by the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures were read and approved. (The primary amendment was to increase the authorized mintage from ten to twenty-five thousand.)
With the Committee amendments agreed to, the bill was "ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read the third time, and passed."
With that, the bill moved on to the Senate and eventual passage. The coins, however, were not struck or delivered in time for Columbia's anniversary celebrations in March 1936. Representative Fulmer shouldn't be blamed for the need for "emergency" consideration of the Columbia, SC coin bill in February 1936, however, as he introduced the legislation in July 1935!
1936 Columbia, SC Sesquicentennial Half Dollar
Note: The Michigan Statehood coin effort referenced (above) by Representative Snell did not result in the introduction of a bill in Congress in 1934 or 1935, the concept apparently ended with informal conversations with the US Treasury Department. The introduction/success of subsequent commemorative coin bills, however, renewed Michigan's efforts and bills were introduced in May 1936 and February 1937 (the 74th and 75th Congresses, respectively). See: What If? 1937 Michigan Statehood Half DollarFor more of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including others about the Columbia, SC half dollar, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 10/24/2024 08:36 am
