The 81st 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, D.C. from January 3, 1949, to January 3, 1951, during the fifth and sixth years of Harry S. Truman's presidency.
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1940 United States census.
The Democrats won back the majority in both chambers, and with the election of President Harry S. Truman to his own full term in office, this gave the Democrats an overall federal government trifecta.
Major events
January 20, 1949: President Harry S. Truman began his second (only full) term. Alben W. Barkley began his term as Vice President, which had been vacant since 1945. August 16, 1949: Office of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff created January 21, 1950: Accused communist spy Alger Hiss was convicted of perjury January 31, 1950: President Truman ordered the development of the hydrogen bomb, in response to the detonation of the Soviet Union's first atomic bomb in 1949 June 1st, 1950: Senator Margaret Smith made the Declaration of Conscience speech as the first refutation of McCarthyism in the Senate. June 27, 1950: Korean War: President Truman ordered American military forces to aid in the defense of South Korea
Major legislation
June 20, 1949: Central Intelligence Agency Act, ch. 227, , October 25, 1949: Hospital Survey and Construction Amendments of 1949, ch. 722, , October 26, 1949: Fair Labor Standards Amendment, ch. 736, , , October 31, 1949: Agricultural Act of 1949, ch. 792, May 5, 1950: Uniform Code of Military Justice, ch. 169, May 10, 1950: National Science Foundation Act, ch. 171, , , August 15, 1950: Omnibus Medical Research Act, , (including Public Health Services Act Amendments, which established the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness) September 8, 1950: Defense Production Act of 1950, , September 12, 1950: Budget and Accounting Procedures Act of 1950, ch. 946, September 23, 1950: McCarran Internal Security Act (including Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950), ch. 1024, , September 30, 1950: Performance Rating Act, ch. 1123, December 29, 1950: Celler–Kefauver Act (Anti-Merger Act), ch. 1184, January 12, 1951: Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950, ch. 1228, (codified in 50 U.S.C. App., here )
Treaties July 21, 1949: North Atlantic Treaty ratified, establishing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Hearings
May 11, 1950: Kefauver Committee hearings into U.S. organized crime began
Party summary
Senate
House of Representatives
Leadership
Senate President: Vacant until January 20, 1949 Alben W. Barkley (D), from January 20, 1949 President pro tempore: Kenneth McKellar (D)
Majority (Democratic) leadership Majority Leader: Scott W. Lucas Majority Whip: Francis J. Myers Democratic Caucus Secretary: Brien McMahon Policy Committee Chairman: Scott W. Lucas
Minority (Republican) leadership Minority Leader: Kenneth S. Wherry Minority Whip: Leverett Saltonstall Republican Conference Chairman: Eugene Millikin Republican Conference Secretary: Milton Young National Senatorial Committee Chair: Styles Bridges Policy Committee Chairman: Robert A. Taft
House of Representatives Speaker: Sam Rayburn (D)
Majority (Democratic) leadership Majority Leader: John W. McCormack Majority Whip: Percy Priest Democratic Caucus Chairman: Francis E. Walter Democratic Caucus Secretary: Chase G. Woodhouse Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Michael J. Kirwan
Minority (Republican) leadership Minority Leader: Joseph W. Martin Jr. Minority Whip: Leslie C. Arends Republican Conference Chairman: Roy O. Woodruff Policy Committee Chairman: Joseph W. Martin Jr. Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: Leonard W. Hall
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. Senators are ordered first by state, and then by seniority. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election, In this Congress, Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1950; Class 1 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1952; and Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1954.
Alabama 2. John Sparkman (D) 3. J. Lister Hill (D)
Arizona 1. Ernest McFarland (D) 3. Carl Hayden (D)
Arkansas 2. John L. McClellan (D) 3. J. William Fulbright (D)
California 1. William Knowland (R) 3. Sheridan Downey (D), until November 30, 1950 Richard Nixon (R), from December 1, 1950
Colorado 2. Edwin C. Johnson (D) 3. Eugene Millikin (R)
Connecticut 1. Raymond E. Baldwin (R), until December 16, 1949 William Benton (D), from December 17, 1949 3. Brien McMahon (D)
Delaware 1. John J. Williams (R) 2. J. Allen Frear Jr. (D)
Florida 1. Spessard Holland (D) 3. Claude Pepper (D)
Georgia 2. Walter F. George (D) 3. Richard Russell Jr. (D)
Idaho 2. Bert H. Miller (D), until October 8, 1949 Henry Dworshak (R), from October 14, 1949 3. Glen H. Taylor (D)
Illinois 2. Paul Douglas (D) 3. Scott W. Lucas (D)
Indiana 1. William E. Jenner (R) 3. Homer E. Capehart (R)
Iowa 2. Guy Gillette (D) 3. Bourke B. Hickenlooper (R)
Kansas 2. Andrew Frank Schoeppel (R) 3. Clyde M. Reed (R), until November 8, 1949 Harry Darby (R), December 2, 1949 - November 28, 1950 Frank Carlson (R), from November 29, 1950
Kentucky 2. Virgil Chapman (D) 3. Alben W. Barkley (D), until January 19, 1949 Garrett Withers (D), January 20, 1949 - November 26, 1950 Earle Clements (D), from November 27, 1950
Louisiana 2. Allen J. Ellender (D) 3. Russell B. Long (D)
Maine 1. Owen Brewster (R) 2. Margaret Chase Smith (R)
Maryland 1. Herbert O'Conor (D) 3. Millard Tydings (D)
Massachusetts 1. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (R) 2. Leverett Saltonstall (R)
Michigan 1. Arthur Vandenberg (R) 2. Homer S. Ferguson (R)
Minnesota 1. Edward J. Thye (R) 2. Hubert Humphrey (DFL)
Mississippi 1. John C. Stennis (D) 2. James Eastland (D)
Missouri 1. James P. Kem (R) 3. Forrest C. Donnell (R)
Montana 1. Zales Ecton (R) 2. James E. Murray (D)
Nebraska 1. Hugh A. Butler (R) 2. Kenneth S. Wherry (R)
Nevada 1. George W. Malone (R) 3. Pat McCarran (D)
New Hampshire 2. Styles Bridges (R) 3. Charles W. Tobey (R)
New Jersey 1. H. Alexander Smith (R) 2. Robert C. Hendrickson (R)
New Mexico 1. Dennis Chávez (D) 2. Clinton Anderson (D)
New York 1. Irving Ives (R) 3. Robert F. Wagner (D), until June 28, 1949 John Foster Dulles (R), July 7, 1949 - November 8, 1949 Herbert H. Lehman (D), from November 9, 1949
North Carolina 2. J. Melville Broughton (D), until March 6, 1949 Frank Porter Graham (D), March 29, 1949 - November 26, 1950 Willis Smith (D), from November 27, 1950 3. Clyde R. Hoey (D)
North Dakota 1. William Langer (R-NPL) 3. Milton Young (R)
Ohio 1. John W. Bricker (R) 3. Robert A. Taft (R)
Oklahoma 2. Robert S. Kerr (D) 3. Elmer Thomas (D)
Oregon 2. Guy Cordon (R) 3. Wayne Morse (R)
Pennsylvania 1. Edward Martin (R) 3. Francis J. Myers (D)
Rhode Island 1. J. Howard McGrath (D), until August 23, 1949 Edward L. Leahy (D), August 24, 1949 - December 18, 1950 John Pastore (D), from December 19, 1950 2. Theodore F. Green (D)
South Carolina 2. Burnet R. Maybank (D) 3. Olin D. Johnston (D)
South Dakota 2. Karl Mundt (R) 3. Chan Gurney (R)
Tennessee 1. Kenneth McKellar (D) 2. Estes Kefauver (D)
Texas 1. Tom Connally (D) 2. Lyndon B. Johnson (D)
Utah 1. Arthur V. Watkins (R) 3. Elbert D. Thomas (D)
Vermont 1. Ralph Flanders (R) 3. George Aiken (R)
Virginia 1. Harry F. Byrd (D) 2. A. Willis Robertson (D)
Washington 1. Harry P. Cain (R) 3. Warren Magnuson (D)
West Virginia 1. Harley M. Kilgore (D) 2. Matthew M. Neely (D)
Wisconsin 1. Joseph McCarthy (R) 3. Alexander Wiley (R)
Wyoming 1. Joseph C. O'Mahoney (D) 2. Lester C. Hunt (D)
House of Representatives
Alabama . Frank W. Boykin (D) . George M. Grant (D) . George W. Andrews (D) . Sam Hobbs (D) . Albert Rains (D) . Edward deGraffenried (D) . Carl Elliott (D) . Robert E. Jones Jr. (D) . Laurie C. Battle (D)
Arizona . John R. Murdock (D) . Harold Patten (D)
Arkansas . Ezekiel C. Gathings (D) . Wilbur Mills (D) . James William Trimble (D) . Boyd Anderson Tackett (D) . Brooks Hays (D) . William F. Norrell (D) . Oren Harris (D)
California . Hubert B. Scudder (R) . Clair Engle (D) . J. Leroy Johnson (R) . Franck R. Havenner (D) . Richard J. Welch (R), until September 10, 1949 John F. Shelley (D), from November 8, 1949 . George P. Miller (D) . John J. Allen Jr. (R) . Jack Z. Anderson (R) . Cecil F. White (D) . Thomas H. Werdel (R) . Ernest K. Bramblett (R) . Richard Nixon (R), until November 30, 1950 . Norris Poulson (R) . Helen Gahagan Douglas (D) . Gordon L. McDonough (R) . Donald L. Jackson (R) . Cecil R. King (D) . Clyde Doyle (D) . Chester E. Holifield (D) . John Carl Hinshaw (R) . Harry R. Sheppard (D) . John R. Phillips (R) . Clinton D. McKinnon (D)
Colorado . John A. Carroll (D) . William S. Hill (R) . John H. Marsalis (D) . Wayne N. Aspinall (D)
Connecticut . Abraham Ribicoff (D) . Chase G. Woodhouse (D) . John A. McGuire (D) . John Davis Lodge (R) . James T. Patterson (R) . Antoni Sadlak (R)
Delaware . J. Caleb Boggs (R)
Florida . J. Hardin Peterson (D) . Charles E. Bennett (D) . Robert L. F. Sikes (D) . George Smathers (D) . Syd Herlong (D) . Dwight L. Rogers (D)
Georgia . Prince Preston (D) . E. Eugene Cox (D) . Stephen Pace (D) . Albert Sidney Camp (D) . James C. Davis (D) . Carl Vinson (D) . Henderson Lovelace Lanham (D) . William McDonald Wheeler (D) . John S. Wood (D) . Paul Brown (D)
Idaho . Compton I. White (D) . John C. Sanborn (R)
Illinois . William L. Dawson (D) . Barratt O'Hara (D) . Neil J. Linehan (D) . James V. Buckley (D) . Martin Gorski (D), until December 4, 1949 . Thomas J. O'Brien (D) . Adolph J. Sabath (D) . Thomas S. Gordon (D) . Sidney R. Yates (D) . Richard W. Hoffman (R) . Chester A. Chesney (D) . Edgar A. Jonas (R) . Ralph E. Church (R), until March 21, 1950 . Chauncey W. Reed (R) . Noah M. Mason (R) . Leo E. Allen (R) . Leslie C. Arends (R) . Harold H. Velde (R) . Robert B. Chiperfield (R) . Sid Simpson (R) . Peter F. Mack Jr. (D) . Rolla C. McMillen (R) . Edward H. Jenison (R) . Charles W. Vursell (R) . Melvin Price (D) . C. W. Bishop (R)
Indiana . Ray Madden (D) . Charles A. Halleck (R) . Thurman C. Crook (D) . Edward H. Kruse (D) . John R. Walsh (D) . Cecil M. Harden (R) . James Ellsworth Noland (D) . Winfield K. Denton (D) . Earl Wilson (R) . Ralph Harvey (R) . Andrew Jacobs Sr. (D)
Iowa . Thomas E. Martin (R) . Henry O. Talle (R) . H. R. Gross (R) . Karl M. LeCompte (R) . Paul H. Cunningham (R) . James I. Dolliver (R) . Ben F. Jensen (R) . Charles B. Hoeven (R)
Kansas . Albert M. Cole (R) . Errett P. Scrivner (R) . Herbert Alton Meyer (R), until October 2, 1950 Myron V. George (R), from November 7, 1950 . Edward Herbert Rees (R) . Clifford R. Hope (R) . Wint Smith (R)
Kentucky . Noble J. Gregory (D) . John A. Whitaker (D) . Thruston Ballard Morton (R) . Frank Chelf (D) . Brent Spence (D) . Thomas R. Underwood (D) . Carl D. Perkins (D) . Joe B. Bates (D) . James S. Golden (R)
Louisiana . F. Edward Hébert (D) . Hale Boggs (D) . Edwin E. Willis (D) . Overton Brooks (D) . Otto Passman (D) . James H. Morrison (D) . Henry D. Larcade Jr. (D) . A. Leonard Allen (D)
Maine