The United States Semiquincentennial Commission had 33 members when it was sworn in at Independence Hall on November 16, 2018.
The original body combined several kinds of representatives. It included 16 private citizens, eight members of Congress, and nine federal officials. The arrangement was designed to bring political, civic, and governmental perspectives into national anniversary planning.
Independence Hall was chosen for the inaugural ceremony because it was the site where delegates deliberated over and adopted both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The commission then began its long-term planning work for the 2026 anniversary.
The membership total later changed. A 2020 amendment increased the number of nonvoting ex officio federal officials, bringing the overall body to 36. Therefore, 33 is the correct figure for the original 2018 swearing-in, not the later membership total.