The 79th 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, 1945, to January 3, 1947, during the last months of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency, and the first two years of Harry Truman's presidency. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1940 United States census.
Both chambers had a Democratic majority (including increasing their edge in the House). With the reelection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to a record fourth term, the Democrats maintained an overall federal government trifecta.
Major events
January 20, 1945: President Franklin D. Roosevelt began his fourth term. April 12, 1945: President Roosevelt died, Vice President Harry S. Truman became President of the United States. September 2, 1945: World War II ended. September 11, 1945 – June 20, 1946: Joint Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack conducted its investigation and issued a report. November 6, 1946: 1946 United States Senate elections, 1946 United States House of Representatives elections: Republicans gained control of both houses. January 3, 1947: Proceedings of the U.S. Congress were televised for the first time.
Major legislation
March 9, 1945: McCarran-Ferguson Act July 31, 1945: Bretton Woods Agreements Act, July 31, 1945: Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 December 20, 1945: United Nations Participation Act, December 28, 1945: War Brides Act February 18, 1946: Rescission Act of 1946, February 20, 1946: Employment Act, , ch. 33, May 13, 1946: Federal Airport Act of 1946, June 4, 1946: Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, ch. 281, June 11, 1946: Administrative Procedure Act, ch. 324, , July 2, 1946: Luce–Celler Act of 1946, July 3, 1946: Hobbs Anti-Racketeering Act, ch. 537, , July 5, 1946: Lanham Trademark Act of 1946, August 1, 1946: United States Atomic Energy Act of 1946, ch. 724, , August 2, 1946: Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, , including Title III: Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946, Title IV: Federal Tort Claims Act, and Title V: General Bridge Act August 13, 1946: Foreign Service Act, ch. 957, titles I–X, August 13, 1946: Hospital Survey and Construction Act (Hill-Burton Act), , ch. 958,
Treaties ratified July 28, 1945: Senate ratified the Charter of the United Nations by a vote of 892.Carroll, Mitchell B. “Further Action on United Nations Charter.” American Bar Association Journal, vol. 31, no. 9, 1945, pp. 457–58. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25715332. Accessed 4 July 2024.Gillette, Guy M., et al. “UNITED NATIONS CHARTER REVIEW.” Proceedings of the American Society of International Law at Its Annual Meeting (1921-1969), vol. 48, 1954, pp. 191–211. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25657319. Accessed 4 July 2024. July 4, 1946: Senate ratified the Treaty of Manila, which gave independence to the Philippines.
Party summary
Senate
House of Representatives
Leadership
Senate President: Henry A. Wallace (D), until January 20, 1945 Harry S. Truman (D), January 20, 1945 – April 12, 1945; thereafter vacant President Pro Tempore: Kenneth McKellar (D) Majority leader: Alben W. Barkley (D) Minority leader: Wallace H. White Jr. (R, acting) Majority whip: J. Lister Hill (D) Minority whip: Kenneth S. Wherry (R), elected 1944
House of Representatives Speaker: Sam Rayburn (D) Majority leader: John W. McCormack (D) Minority leader: Joseph W. Martin Jr. (R) Majority whip: John Sparkman (D) Minority whip: Leslie C. Arends (R)
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 1 meant their term ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1946; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1948; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, facing re-election in 1950.
Alabama 2. John H. Bankhead II (D), until June 12, 1946 George R. Swift (D), June 15, 1946 – November 5, 1946 John Sparkman (D), from November 6, 1946 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. Hiram Johnson (R), until August 6, 1945 William Knowland (R), from August 26, 1945 3. Sheridan Downey (D)
Colorado 2. Edwin C. Johnson (D) 3. Eugene Millikin (R)
Connecticut 1. Francis T. Maloney (D), until January 16, 1945 Thomas C. Hart (R), February 15, 1945 – November 5, 1946 Raymond E. Baldwin (R), from December 27, 1946 3. Brien McMahon (D)
Delaware 1. James M. Tunnell (D) 2. C. Douglass Buck (R)
Florida 1. Charles O. Andrews (D), until September 18, 1946 Spessard Holland (D), from September 25, 1946 3. Claude Pepper (D)
Georgia 2. Richard Russell Jr. (D) 3. Walter F. George (D)
Idaho 2. John Thomas (R), until November 10, 1945 Charles C. Gossett (D), November 17, 1945 – November 6, 1946 Henry Dworshak (R), from November 6, 1946 3. Glen H. Taylor (D)
Illinois 2. C. Wayland Brooks (R) 3. Scott W. Lucas (D)
Indiana 1. Raymond E. Willis (R) 3. Homer E. Capehart (R)
Iowa 2. George A. Wilson (R) 3. Bourke B. Hickenlooper (R)
Kansas 2. Arthur Capper (R) 3. Clyde M. Reed (R)
Kentucky 2. Happy Chandler (D), until November 1, 1945 William A. Stanfill (R), November 19, 1945 – November 5, 1946 John Sherman Cooper (R), from November 6, 1946 3. Alben W. Barkley (D)
Louisiana 2. Allen J. Ellender (D) 3. John H. Overton (D)
Maine 1. Owen Brewster (R) 2. Wallace H. White (R)
Maryland 1. George L. P. Radcliffe (D) 3. Millard Tydings (D)
Massachusetts 1. David I. Walsh (D) 2. Leverett Saltonstall (R)
Michigan 1. Arthur Vandenberg (R) 2. Homer S. Ferguson (R)
Minnesota 1. Henrik Shipstead (R) 2. Joseph H. Ball (R)
Mississippi 1. Theodore G. Bilbo (D) 2. James Eastland (D)
Missouri 1. Harry S. Truman (D), until January 17, 1945 Frank P. Briggs (D), from January 18, 1945 3. Forrest C. Donnell (R)
Montana 1. Burton K. Wheeler (D) 2. James E. Murray (D)
Nebraska 1. Hugh A. Butler (R) 2. Kenneth S. Wherry (R)
Nevada 1. James G. Scrugham (D), until June 23, 1945 Edward P. Carville (D), from July 25, 1945 3. Pat McCarran (D)
New Hampshire 2. Styles Bridges (R) 3. Charles W. Tobey (R)
New Jersey 1. H. Alexander Smith (R) 2. Albert W. Hawkes (R)
New Mexico 1. Dennis Chávez (D) 2. Carl Hatch (D)
New York 1. James M. Mead (D) 3. Robert F. Wagner (D)
North Carolina 2. Josiah Bailey (D), until December 15, 1946 William B. Umstead (D), from December 18, 1946 3. Clyde R. Hoey (D)
North Dakota 1. William Langer (R-NPL) 3. John Moses (D), until March 3, 1945 Milton Young (R), from March 12, 1945
Ohio 1. Harold H. Burton (R), until September 30, 1945 James W. Huffman (D), October 8, 1945 – November 5, 1946 Kingsley A. Taft (R), from November 6, 1946 3. Robert A. Taft (R)
Oklahoma 2. Edward H. Moore (R) 3. Elmer Thomas (D)
Oregon 2. Guy Cordon (R) 3. Wayne Morse (R)
Pennsylvania 1. Joseph F. Guffey (D) 3. Francis J. Myers (D)
Rhode Island 1. Peter G. Gerry (D) 2. Theodore F. Green (D)
South Carolina 2. Burnet R. Maybank (D) 3. Olin D. Johnston (D)
South Dakota 2. Harlan J. Bushfield (R) 3. Chan Gurney (R)
Tennessee 1. Kenneth McKellar (D) 2. Tom Stewart (D)
Texas 1. Tom Connally (D) 2. W. Lee O'Daniel (D)
Utah 1. Abe Murdock (D) 3. Elbert D. Thomas (D)
Vermont 1. Warren Austin (R), until August 2, 1946 Ralph Flanders (R), from November 1, 1946 3. George Aiken (R)
Virginia 1. Harry F. Byrd (D) 2. Carter Glass (D), until May 28, 1946 Thomas G. Burch (D), May 31, 1946 – November 5, 1946 A. Willis Robertson (D), from November 6, 1946
Washington 1. Monrad Wallgren (D), until January 9, 1945 Hugh Mitchell (D), January 10, 1945 – December 25, 1946 Harry P. Cain (R), from December 26, 1946 3. Warren Magnuson (D)
West Virginia 1. Harley M. Kilgore (D) 2. Chapman Revercomb (R)
Wisconsin 1. Robert M. La Follette Jr. (P) 3. Alexander Wiley (R)
Wyoming 1. Joseph C. O'Mahoney (D) 2. Edward V. Robertson (R)
House of Representatives
The names of representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
Alabama . Frank W. Boykin (D) . George M. Grant (D) . George W. Andrews (D) . Sam Hobbs (D) . Albert Rains (D) . Pete Jarman (D) . Carter Manasco (D) . John Sparkman (D), until November 6, 1946, vacant thereafter . Luther Patrick (D)
Arizona . John R. Murdock (D) . Richard F. Harless (D)
Arkansas . Ezekiel C. Gathings (D) . Wilbur Mills (D) . James William Trimble (D) . William Fadjo Cravens (D) . Brooks Hays (D) . William F. Norrell (D) . Oren Harris (D)
California . Clarence F. Lea (D) . Clair Engle (D) . J. Leroy Johnson (R) . Franck R. Havenner (D) . Richard J. Welch (R) . George P. Miller (D) . John H. Tolan (D) . Jack Z. Anderson (R) . Bertrand W. Gearhart (R) . Alfred J. Elliott (D) . George E. Outland (D) . Jerry Voorhis (D) . Ned R. Healy (D) . Helen Gahagan Douglas (D) . Gordon L. McDonough (R) . Ellis E. Patterson (D) . Cecil R. King (D) . Clyde Doyle (D) . Chet Holifield (D) . Carl Hinshaw (R) . Harry R. Sheppard (D) . John R. Phillips (R) . Edouard Izac (D)
Colorado . Dean M. Gillespie (R) . William S. Hill (R) . John Chenoweth (R) . Robert F. Rockwell (R)
Connecticut . Herman P. Kopplemann (D) . Chase G. Woodhouse (D) . James P. Geelan (D) . Clare Boothe Luce (R) . Joseph E. Talbot (R) . Joseph F. Ryter (D)
Delaware . Philip A. Traynor (D)
Florida . J. Hardin Peterson (D) . Emory H. Price (D) . Bob Sikes (D) . Pat Cannon (D) . Joe Hendricks (D) . Dwight L. Rogers (D)
Georgia . Hugh Peterson (D) . E. Eugene Cox (D) . Stephen Pace (D) . A. Sidney Camp (D) . Robert Ramspeck (D), until December 31, 1945 Helen Douglas Mankin (D), from February 12, 1946 . Carl Vinson (D) . Malcolm C. Tarver (D) . John S. Gibson (D) . John Stephens Wood (D) . Paul Brown (D)
Idaho . Compton I. White (D) . Henry Dworshak (R), until November 5, 1946, vacant thereafter
Illinois . William L. Dawson (D) . William A. Rowan (D) . Edward A. Kelly (D) . Martin Gorski (D) . Adolph J. Sabath (D) . Thomas J. O'Brien (D) . William W. Link (D) . Thomas S. Gordon (D) . Alexander J. Resa (D) . Ralph E. Church (R) . Chauncey W. Reed (R) . Noah M. Mason (R) . Leo E. Allen (R) . Anton J. Johnson (R) . Robert B. Chiperfield (R) . Everett Dirksen (R) . Leslie C. Arends (R) . Jessie Sumner (R) . Rolla C. McMillen (R) . Sid Simpson (R) . George Evan Howell (R) . Melvin Price (D) . Charles W. Vursell (R) . James V. Heidinger (R), until March 22, 1945 Roy Clippinger (R), from November 6, 1945 . C. W. Bishop (R) . Emily Taft Douglas (D)
Indiana . Ray Madden (D) . Charles A. Halleck (R) . Robert A. Grant (R) . George W. Gillie (R) . Forest Harness (R) . Noble J. Johnson (R) . Gerald W. Landis (R) . Charles M. La Follette (R) . Earl Wilson (R) . Raymond S. Springer (R) . Louis Ludlow (D)
Iowa . Thomas E. Martin (R) . Henry O. Talle (R) . John W. Gwynne (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) . Thomas Daniel Winter (R) . Edward Herbert Rees (R) . Clifford R. Hope (R) . Frank Carlson (R)
Kentucky . Noble J. Gregory (D) . Earle C. Clements (D) . Emmet O'Neal (D) . Frank Chelf (D) . Brent Spence (D) . Virgil Chapman (D) . Andrew J. May (D) . Joe B. Bates (D) . John M. Robsion (R)