Rossell G O'Brien
The Irishman who Originated the Custom
of Standing Head Uncovered for the National Anthem
Plaque on the Hotel Bostwick, near the Pantages Theatre in Tacoma, WA.Rossell G. O’Brien is honored with the plaque above on the Hotel Bostwick, across the street from the Pantages Theatre in Tacoma. In January 1973 in the US House of Representatives, House Resolution 137 stated, “… the late Rossell G. O’Brien, former mayor of Olympia, Washington, is hereby recognized and honored for originating the custom of rising and standing with head uncovered during a rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States.”
Rossell O’Brien was born in Dublin in 1846 and as a 16-year-old fought in the US Civil War with the Union Army’s 134th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. In 1870, he moved to Washington Territory where he served as clerk of the Supreme Court and as United States commissioner. In 1882 he organized the first National Guard in Washington Territory and was its first Commander. He served on the Olympia City Council starting in 1883 and was elected Mayor in 1891.
He was also involved in the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, an organization of Civil War veterans. At a meeting in Tacoma’s Bostwick Hotel October 18 1893, he proposed a motion that all should stand and remove their hats during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner. The motion was unanimously adopted, and within two years, had also been adopted nationally by the Loyal Legion which promoted the custom nationwide. O’Brien died in 1914 and is buried in Oakland, California.
Rossell G O'Brien
O'Brien Grave in Oakland, CA