80th United States Congress
80th United States Congress | |
---|---|
79th ← → 81st | |
United States Capitol (1956) | |
January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 | |
Senate President | Vacant |
Senate Pres. pro tem | Arthur H. Vandenberg (R) |
House Speaker | Joseph William Martin, Jr. (R) |
Members | 96 senators 435 representatives 3 non-voting delegates |
Senate Majority | Republican |
House Majority | Republican |
Sessions | |
1st: January 3, 1947 – December 19, 1947 Special: November 17, 1947 – December 19, 1947 2nd: January 6, 1948 – December 31, 1948 Special: July 26, 1948 – August 7, 1948 |
The Eightieth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1947, to January 3, 1949, during the third and fourth years of Harry Truman's presidency. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Sixteenth Census of the United States in 1940. Republicans gained a majority in both chambers for this Congress having gained thirteen Senate seats and fifty-seven House seats. Although the 80th Congress passed a total of 906 public bills,[1] President Truman nicknamed it the "Do Nothing Congress" and, during the 1948 election, campaigned as much against it as against his formal opponent, Thomas Dewey. The 80th Congress passed several significant pro-business bills, most famously the Marshall Plan and the Taft–Hartley Act, but it opposed most of Truman's Fair Deal bills. Truman's campaign strategy worked, and the Republicans lost nine Senate seats and seventy-three seats in the House, allowing the Democrats to begin the 81st Congress with twenty-one more seats than they had at the end of the 79th Congress. It also allowed Truman to win a term of his own right as President, having become President after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945.
Contents
1 Major events
2 Major legislation
3 Constitutional amendments
4 Party summary
4.1 Senate
4.2 House of Representatives
5 Leadership
5.1 Senate
5.1.1 Majority (Republican) leadership
5.1.2 Minority (Democratic) leadership
5.2 House of Representatives
5.2.1 Majority (Republican) leadership
5.2.2 Minority (Democratic) leadership
6 Caucuses
7 Members
7.1 Senate
7.1.1 Alabama
7.1.2 Arizona
7.1.3 Arkansas
7.1.4 California
7.1.5 Colorado
7.1.6 Connecticut
7.1.7 Delaware
7.1.8 Florida
7.1.9 Georgia
7.1.10 Idaho
7.1.11 Illinois
7.1.12 Indiana
7.1.13 Iowa
7.1.14 Kansas
7.1.15 Kentucky
7.1.16 Louisiana
7.1.17 Maine
7.1.18 Maryland
7.1.19 Massachusetts
7.1.20 Michigan
7.1.21 Minnesota
7.1.22 Mississippi
7.1.23 Missouri
7.1.24 Montana
7.1.25 Nebraska
7.1.26 Nevada
7.1.27 New Hampshire
7.1.28 New Jersey
7.1.29 New Mexico
7.1.30 New York
7.1.31 North Carolina
7.1.32 North Dakota
7.1.33 Ohio
7.1.34 Oklahoma
7.1.35 Oregon
7.1.36 Pennsylvania
7.1.37 Rhode Island
7.1.38 South Carolina
7.1.39 South Dakota
7.1.40 Tennessee
7.1.41 Texas
7.1.42 Utah
7.1.43 Vermont
7.1.44 Virginia
7.1.45 Washington
7.1.46 West Virginia
7.1.47 Wisconsin
7.1.48 Wyoming
7.2 House of Representatives
7.2.1 Alabama
7.2.2 Arizona
7.2.3 Arkansas
7.2.4 California
7.2.5 Colorado
7.2.6 Connecticut
7.2.7 Delaware
7.2.8 Florida
7.2.9 Georgia
7.2.10 Idaho
7.2.11 Illinois
7.2.12 Indiana
7.2.13 Iowa
7.2.14 Kansas
7.2.15 Kentucky
7.2.16 Louisiana
7.2.17 Maine
7.2.18 Maryland
7.2.19 Massachusetts
7.2.20 Michigan
7.2.21 Minnesota
7.2.22 Mississippi
7.2.23 Missouri
7.2.24 Montana
7.2.25 Nebraska
7.2.26 Nevada
7.2.27 New Hampshire
7.2.28 New Jersey
7.2.29 New Mexico
7.2.30 New York
7.2.31 North Carolina
7.2.32 North Dakota
7.2.33 Ohio
7.2.34 Oklahoma
7.2.35 Oregon
7.2.36 Pennsylvania
7.2.37 Rhode Island
7.2.38 South Carolina
7.2.39 South Dakota
7.2.40 Tennessee
7.2.41 Texas
7.2.42 Utah
7.2.43 Vermont
7.2.44 Virginia
7.2.45 Washington
7.2.46 West Virginia
7.2.47 Wisconsin
7.2.48 Wyoming
7.2.49 Non-voting members
8 Changes in membership
8.1 Senate
8.2 House of Representatives
9 Committees
9.1 Senate
9.2 House of Representatives
9.3 Joint committees
10 Employees
10.1 Legislative branch agency directors
10.2 Senate
10.3 House of Representatives
11 See also
12 External links
Major events
- January 3, 1947: Proceedings of Congress were televised for the first time.
- March 12, 1947: In a Joint Session of Congress, President Truman proclaimed the Truman Doctrine.
- July 18, 1947: The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands entered into a trusteeship with the United Nations and administered by the United States.
- July 20, 1947: President Truman issued the second peacetime military draft in the United States amid increasing tensions with the Soviet Union.
- November 24, 1947: The House of Representatives approved citations of contempt of Congress against the so-called Hollywood 10.
- July 26, 1948: President Truman signed Executive Order 9981, ending racial segregation in the United States Armed Forces.
- August 25, 1948: House Un-American Activities Committee held the first-ever televised congressional hearing: "Confrontation Day" between Whittaker Chambers and Alger Hiss.
- November 2, 1948: United States general elections, 1948:
Presidential election: Harry Truman defeated Thomas Dewey, Henry A. Wallace, and Strom Thurmond;- Democrats regained control of the Senate and the House of Representatives
Major legislation
- May 22, 1947: Assistance to Greece and Turkey Act (Truman Doctrine), Sess. 1, ch. 81, Pub.L. 80–75, 61 Stat. 103
- June 23, 1947: Taft–Hartley Act, Sess. 1, ch. 120, Pub.L. 80–101, 61 Stat. 136
- July 18, 1947: Presidential Succession Act of 1947, Sess. 1, ch. 264, Pub.L. 80–199, 61 Stat. 380
- July 26, 1947: National Security Act of 1947, Sess. 1, ch. 343, Pub.L. 80–253, 61 Stat. 495
- August 7, 1947: Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands, Sess. 1, ch. 513, Pub.L. 80–382, 61 Stat. 913
- January 27, 1948: United States Information and Educational Exchange Act, Sess. 2, ch. 36, Pub.L. 80–402, 62 Stat. 6
- April 3, 1948: Foreign Assistance Act (Marshall Plan), Pub.L. 80–472, Sess. 2, ch. 169, 62 Stat. 137
- April 3, 1948: Greek-Turkish Assistance Act of 1948 (Marshall Plan), Sess. 2, ch. 169, Pub.L. 80–472, Title III, 62 Stat. 157
- May 26, 1948: Civil Air Patrol Act, Sess. 2, ch. 349, Pub.L. 80–557, 62 Stat. 274
- June 12, 1948: Women's Armed Services Integration Act, Sess. 2, ch. 449, Pub.L. 80–625, 62 Stat. 356
- June 17, 1948: Reed-Bulwinkle Act, Sess. 2, ch. 491, Pub.L. 80–662, 62 Stat. 472
- June 25, 1948: Codify and enact into law Title 3 of the United States Code – The President, Sess. 2, ch. 644, Pub.L. 80–771, 62 Stat. 672
- June 28, 1948: Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act of 1948, Pub.L. 80–806, 62 Stat. 1070
- June 30, 1948: Federal Water Pollution Control Act, Sess. 2, ch. 758, Pub.L. 80–845, 62 Stat. 1155
- July 3, 1948: War Claims Act of 1948, Sess. 2, ch. 826, Pub.L. 80–896, 62 Stat. 1240
- July 3, 1948: Agricultural Act of 1948, Sess. 2, ch. 827, Pub.L. 80–897, 62 Stat. 1247
Constitutional amendments
- March 21, 1947: Approved an amendment to the United States Constitution setting a term limit for election and overall time of service to the office of President of the United States, and submitted it to the state legislatures for ratification
- Amendment was later ratified on February 27, 1951, becoming the Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution
- Amendment was later ratified on February 27, 1951, becoming the Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution
Party summary
Senate
Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (D) | Progressive (P) | Republican (R) | |||
End of the previous congress | 57 | 1 | 38 | 96 | 0 |
Begin | 45 | 0 | 51 | 96 | 0 |
End | |||||
Final voting share | 7001469000000000000♠46.9% | 5000000000000000000♠0.0% | 7001531000000000000♠53.1% | ||
Beginning of the next congress | 54 | 0 | 42 | 96 | 0 |
House of Representatives
From the beginning to the end of this Congress, there was no net change in party power. The Democrats lost one seat, which remained vacant until the next Congress.
Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Democratic | American Labor | Progressive | Vacant | ||
End of previous Congress | 191 | 242 | 1 | 1 | 435 | 0 |
Begin | 248 | 185 | 1 | 0 | 434 | 1 |
End | 244 | 184 | 2 | 430 | 5 | |
Final voting share | 56.7% | 43.1% | 0.2% | 0.0% | ||
Beginning of the next Congress | 171 | 263 | 1 | 0 | 435 | 0 |
Leadership
Section contents: Senate: Majority (R), Minority (D) • House: Majority (R), Minority (D)
Senate
President: Vacant
President pro tempore: Arthur Vandenberg (R)
Majority (Republican) leadership
Majority leader: Wallace White
Majority whip: Kenneth Wherry
Conference Chairman: Eugene Millikin
Republican Conference Secretary: Milton Young
Policy Committee Chairman: Robert A. Taft
Minority (Democratic) leadership
Minority leader: Alben Barkley
Minority whip: Scott Lucas
Caucus Secretary: Brien McMahon
House of Representatives
Speaker: Joseph Martin (R)
Majority (Republican) leadership
Majority Leader: Charles Halleck
Republican Whip: Leslie Arends
Republican Conference Chairman: Roy O. Woodruff
Minority (Democratic) leadership
Minority Leader: Sam Rayburn
Democratic Whip: John McCormack
Democratic Caucus Chairman: Aime Forand
Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Michael J. Kirwan
Caucuses
- House Democratic Caucus
- Senate Democratic Caucus
Members
Senate
Senators are popularly elected statewide every two years, with one-third beginning new six-year terms with each Congress. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election, In this Congress, Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1948; Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1950; and Class 1 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1952.
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House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide at-large, are preceded by an "At-Large," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.
The congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.
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Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress
Senate
There were 3 deaths, 2 resignations, and one lost mid-term election.
State (class) | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mississippi (1) | Theodore Bilbo (D) | Died August 21, 1947. Successor was elected November 17, 1947. | John Stennis (D) | November 17, 1947 |
Louisiana (3) | John Holmes Overton (D) | Died May 14, 1948. Successor was appointed to continue the term. | William C. Feazel (D) | May 18, 1948 |
South Dakota (2) | Harlan Bushfield (R) | Died September 27, 1948. Successor was appointed to finish the term. | Vera Bushfield (R) | October 6, 1948 |
South Dakota (2) | Vera Bushfield (R) | Interim appointee resigned December 26, 1948. Successor was appointed to finish the term. | Karl Earl Mundt (R) | December 31, 1948 |
Louisiana (3) | William C. Feazel (D) | Interim appointee retired when successor elected. Successor was elected December 31, 1948. | Russell B. Long (D) | December 31, 1948 |
North Carolina (2) | William Umstead (D) | Interim appointee lost election to finish the term. Successor was elected December 31, 1948. | Melville Broughton (D) | December 31, 1948 |
House of Representatives
There were 9 deaths and 7 resignations.
District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama 8th | Vacant | John Sparkman resigned in previous Congress after being elected to the US Senate | Robert E. Jones, Jr. (D) | Seated January 28, 1947 |
Wisconsin 2nd | Vacant | Robert K. Henry died during previous Congress | Glenn R. Davis (R) | Seated April 22, 1947 |
Washington 3rd | Fred Norman (R) | Died April 18, 1947 | Russell Mack (R) | Seated June 7, 1947 |
Pennsylvania 8th | Charles Gerlach (R) | Died May 5, 1947 | Franklin Lichtenwalter (R) | Seated September 9, 1947 |
Maryland 3rd | Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr. (D) | Resigned May 16, 1947, after being elected Mayor of Baltimore | Edward Garmatz (D) | Seated July 15, 1947 |
Michigan 11th | Fred Bradley (R) | Died May 24, 1947 | Charles Potter (R) | Seated August 26, 1947 |
Texas 9th | Joseph J. Mansfield (D) | Died July 12, 1947 | Clark W. Thompson (D) | Seated August 23, 1947 |
Texas 16th | R. Ewing Thomason (D) | Resigned July 31, 1947, after being appointed as a judge of the US District Court for the Western District of Texas | Kenneth M. Regan (D) | Seated August 23, 1947 |
Massachusetts 9th | Charles Gifford (R) | Died August 23, 1947 | Donald Nicholson (R) | Seated November 18, 1947 |
Indiana 10th | Raymond S. Springer (R) | Died August 28, 1947 | Ralph Harvey (R) | Seated November 4, 1947 |
Ohio 4th | Robert Franklin Jones (R) | Resigned September 2, 1947, to become a member of the Federal Communications Commission | William M. McCulloch (R) | Seated November 4, 1947 |
New York 14th | Leo Rayfiel (D) | Resigned September 13, 1947, having been appointed a judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York | Abraham Multer (D) | Seated November 4, 1947 |
Illinois 21st | George E. Howell (R) | Resigned October 5, 1947, after being appointed judge of the US Court of Claims | Vacant until next Congress | |
Virginia 4th | Patrick Drewry (D) | Died December 21, 1947 | Watkins Abbitt (D) | Seated February 17, 1948 |
New York 24th | Benjamin J. Rabin (D) | Resigned December 31, 1947 | Leo Isacson (AL) | Seated February 17, 1948 |
Kentucky 2nd | Earle Clements (D) | Resigned January 6, 1948, to become Governor of Kentucky | John Whitaker (D) | Seated April 17, 1948 |
Kentucky 9th | John Robsion (R) | Died February 17, 1948 | William Lewis (R) | Seated April 24, 1948 |
Missouri 10th | Orville Zimmerman (D) | Died April 7, 1948 | Paul Jones (D) | Seated November 2, 1948 |
Virginia 6th | Lindsay Almond (D) | Resigned April 17, 1948, having been elected Attorney General of Virginia | Clarence Burton (D) | Seated November 2, 1948 |
Illinois 7th | Thomas L. Owens (R) | Died June 7, 1948 | Vacant until next Congress | |
Indiana 6th | Noble J. Johnson (R) | Resigned July 1, 1948, after being appointed as judge of US Court of Customs & Patent Appeals | Vacant until next Congress | |
Texas 15th | Milton H. West (D) | Died October 28, 1948 | Lloyd Bentsen (D) | Seated December 4, 1948 |
New York 7th | John Delaney (D) | Died November 18, 1948 | Vacant until next Congress | |
South Dakota 1st | Karl E. Mundt (R) | Resigned December 30, 1948, after being appointed to the U.S. Senate | Vacant until next Congress |
Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders, for members (House and Senate) of the committees and their assignments, go into the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of the article and click on the link (4 links), in the directory after the pages of terms of service, you will see the committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and after the committee pages, you will see the House/Senate committee assignments in the directory, on the committees section of the House and Senate in the Official Congressional Directory, the committee's members on the first row on the left side shows the chairman of the committee and on the right side shows the ranking member of the committee.
Senate
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Appropriations
- Banking and Currency
- District of Columbia
- Expenditures in Executive Departments
- Finance
- Foreign Relations
- Interior and Insular Affairs
- Interstate Commerce
Investigate the National Defense Program (Special)- Judiciary
- Labor and Public Welfare
Petroleum Resources (Special)- Post Office and Civil Service
- Public Lands
- Public Works
Remodeling the Senate Chamber (Special)
Small Business Enterprises (Special)- Whole
House of Representatives
- Agriculture
- Appropriations
- Banking and Currency
- District of Columbia
- Education and Labor
- Expenditures in the Executive Departments
- Foreign Affairs
- House Administration
- Merchant Marine and Fisheries
- Post Office and Civil Service
- Public Lands
- Public Works
- Rules
Small Business (Select)- Standards of Official Conduct
- Un-American Activities
- Veterans' Affairs
- Ways and Means
- Whole
Joint committees
- Atomic Energy
Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)- Economic
- Disposition of Executive Papers
- Foreign Economic Cooperation
- Housing
- Labor Management Relations
- Legislative Budget
- The Library
- To Study Pacific Islands
- Printing
- Reduction of Nonessential Federal Expenditures
- Selective Service Deferments
- Taxation
Employees
Legislative branch agency directors
Architect of the Capitol: David Lynn
Attending Physician of the United States Congress: George Calver
Comptroller General of the United States: Lindsay C. Warren
Librarian of Congress: Luther H. Evans
Public Printer of the United States: Augustus E. Giegengack (until 1948), John J. Deviny (starting 1948)
Senate
Chaplain: Peter Marshall
Parliamentarian: Charles Watkins
Secretary: Carl A. Loeffler
Sergeant at Arms: Edward F. McGinnis
House of Representatives
Chaplain: James Shera Montgomery (Methodist)
Clerk: John Andrews
Doorkeeper: M. L. Meletio
Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler
Postmaster: Frank W. Collier
Reading Clerks: N/A (R) and N/A (D)
Sergeant at Arms: William F. Russell
See also
United States elections, 1946 (elections leading to this Congress)- United States Senate elections, 1946
- United States House of Representatives elections, 1946
United States elections, 1948 (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)- United States presidential election, 1948
- United States Senate elections, 1948
- United States House of Representatives elections, 1948
External links
House of Representatives Session Calendar for the 80th Congress (PDF)..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
Official Congressional Directory for the 80th Congress, 1st Session.
Official Congressional Directory for the 80th Congress, 1st Session (Revision).
Official Congressional Directory for the 80th Congress, 2nd Session.
Official Congressional Directory for the 80th Congress, 2nd Session (Revision).
^ https://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/80res.pdf