The U.S. Capitol Historical Society last night unveiled the official portrait of House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04).  Chairman Hastings, first elected to Congress in 1994, was selected by his colleagues at the beginning of the 111^th Congress to serve as the top Republican on the House Committee on Natural Resources and served as Chairman of the Committee during the 112^th and 113^th Congresses.

Chairman Hastings’s wife Claire, their three children and spouses, their eight grandchildren, and two of his brothers helped unveil the portrait.  The reception, emceed by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, featured remarks from Speaker John Boehner - who accepted the portrait into the House collection, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Peter Defazio. 

Chairman Hastings and his wife selected Michele Rushworth of Washington state to paint the portrait.  The portrait features items of personal significance to the Chairman including: a bust of President Ronald Reagan, for whom he was a delegate to the 1976 Republican National Convention; the “Contract with America” ring commemorates his first election in the historic 1994 elections that resulted in the first Republican Majority in the House since 1954; and the handmade gavel that was presented to him by his staff upon becoming Chairman in 2011.

Michele Rushworth has been a professional artist for over 25 years.  Her commissions include the official portrait of Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz, Coast Guard Commandants Thad Allen and Robert Papp, five federal judges, and the official portraits of nine state governors.

The portrait will hang in the House Natural Resources Committee hearing room in the Longworth House Office Building.  

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