Michael Conrad Stenger (July 11, 1950 – June 27, 2022) was an American law enforcement officer who served as the 41st
Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate
The Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the United States Senate (originally known as the Doorkeeper of the Senate from April 7, 1789 – 1798) is the protocol officer, executive officer, and highest-ranking federal law enforcement officer of the ...
from April 16, 2018, to January 7, 2021.
Early life and career
Stenger was a native of
Wood-Ridge, New Jersey
Wood-Ridge is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough's population was 10,137, reflecting an increase of 2,511 (32.9%) from the 7,626 counted in the 2010 Census
Wood-Ridge was in ...
. He graduated from
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...
with a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
degree and was a
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...
before joining the
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security, Department of Homeland Security charged with co ...
.
Career
Stenger spent 35 years in the Secret Service and served stints as Assistant Director for the Office of Investigations and the Assistant Director of the Office of Protective Research. In 2008, he became Assistant Director for the USSS Office of Government and Public Affairs, which coordinated with groups that included the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washi ...
. In 2011, he joined the office of the
Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate
The Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the United States Senate (originally known as the Doorkeeper of the Senate from April 7, 1789 – 1798) is the protocol officer, executive officer, and highest-ranking federal law enforcement officer of the ...
as Assistant Sergeant at Arms for the Office of Protective Services and Continuity, became Deputy Sergeant at Arms in May 2014, and Chief of Staff for the Sergeant at Arms in January 2015.
On April 16, 2018, after Sergeant at Arms
Frank J. Larkin
Francis J. "Frank" Larkin III (born May 9, 1955) served as the 40th Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate after his nomination by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on January 6, 2015, succeeding Andrew B. Willison. Larkin assumed his ...
retired, Michael C. Stenger was nominated as the 41st Sergeant at Arms under Senate Resolution 465, put forth by Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell
Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky and the Senate minority leader since 2021. Currently in his seventh term, McConn ...
. This resolution was submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by unanimous consent.
U.S. National Guard
The National Guard is a state-based military force that becomes part of the reserve components of the United States Army and the United States Air Force when activated for federal missions. with his deputy
Jennifer Hemingway
Jennifer A. Hemingway is an American federal law enforcement officer and former political advisor who briefly served as the acting Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate and acting chairwoman of the Capitol Police Board. After being passed ...
taking over on an interim basis. The two other top Capitol security officials—House sergeant-at-arms
Paul D. Irving
Paul Douglas Irving (born August 1957) is an American former law enforcement officer who served as the Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives from January 17, 2012, until January 7, 2021, succeeding Wilson Livingood in tha ...
and
United States Capitol Police
The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States with nationwide jurisdiction charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia and throughout the United States an ...
chief
Steven Sund
Steven A. Sund is a retired American police officer who served as the tenth chief of the United States Capitol Police from 2019 to 2021. Sund was chief during the storming of the U.S. Capitol in January 2021, after which he resigned.
Educa ...
—also resigned on the same day, amid bipartisan shock and outrage over security lapses that led to the mob's breach and occupation of the Capitol.
Personal life and death
Stenger was married to the former Janet Oechsner, and they had two children. He died from natural causes on June 27, 2022, at the age of 71.