The 70th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1927, to March 4, 1929, during the last two years of Calvin Coolidge's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1910 United States census.
Both chambers had a Republican majority - albeit reduced from the previous Congress - and along with President Coolidge, the Republicans maintained an overall federal government trifecta.
Major events
November 6, 1928: U.S. Senate elections and U.S. House elections
This was the last Congress to be exclusively white and the last to not have a single black member of Congress in either chamber.
Major legislation
March 10, 1928: Settlement of War Claims Act May 15, 1928: Flood Control Act of 1928 (Jones–Reid Act) May 22, 1928: Merchant Marine Act of 1928 (Jones–White Act) May 22, 1928: Forest Research Act (McSweeney–McNary Act) May 22, 1928: Capper–Ketcham Act May 28, 1928: Welsh Act May 29, 1928: Revenue Act of 1928, ch. 852, May 29, 1928: Reed–Jenkins Act December 21, 1928: Boulder Canyon Project Act (Hoover Dam) December 22, 1928: Color of Title Act January 19, 1929: Hawes–Cooper Act February 18, 1929: Migratory Bird Conservation Act (Norbeck–Anderson Act), ch. 257, February 25, 1929: Mount Rushmore National Memorial Act (Norbeck-Williamson Act of 1929) March 2, 1929: Increased Penalties Act (Jones–Stalker Act)
Party summary
The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress, and includes members from vacancies and newly admitted states, when they were first seated. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.
Senate At the end of the first month of the first session of Congress, Republicans gained control of the Senate through a VP-tie-breaking majority.
Affiliation Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) Total Democratic Farmer-Labor Republican Vacant End of previous Congress 42 1 52 95 1 Begin 47 1 46 94 2 December 20, 1927 46 93 3 December 29, 1927 47 94 2 March 23, 192845 93 3 March 30, 1928 46 92 4 March 31, 1928 47 93 3 April 4, 192846 94 2 June 24, 1928 46 93 3 June 30, 1928 47 94 2 December 3, 1928 48 95 1 December 9, 1928 47 94 2 December 10, 1928 48 95 1 December 15, 1928 45 49 95 1 Final voting share 47.4% 1.1% 51.6% Beginning of the next Congress 39 1 54 94 2
House of Representatives
Leadership
Senate President: Charles G. Dawes (R) President pro tempore: George H. Moses (R)
Majority (Republican) leadership Majority Leader: Charles Curtis Majority Whip: Wesley L. Jones Republican Conference Secretary: Frederick Hale National Senatorial Committee Chair: Jesse H. Metcalf
Minority (Democratic) leadership Minority leader: Joseph T. Robinson Minority whip: Peter G. Gerry Democratic Caucus Secretary: Hugo Black
House of Representatives Speaker: Nicholas Longworth (R)
Majority (Republican) leadership Majority Leader: John Q. Tilson Majority Whip: Albert Vestal Republican Conference Chairman: Willis C. Hawley Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: William R. Wood
Minority (Democratic) leadership Minority Leader: Finis J. Garrett Minority Whip: William Allan Oldfield Democratic Caucus Chairman: Arthur H. Greenwood Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Joseph W. Byrns Sr.
Members This list is arranged by chamber, then by state.
Senate
Senators are listed by class. They were elected 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, requiring re-election in 1928; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1930; and Class 3 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1932.
Alabama 2. J. Thomas Heflin (D) 3. Hugo Black (D)
Arizona 1. Henry F. Ashurst (D) 3. Carl Hayden (D)
Arkansas 2. Joseph Taylor Robinson (D) 3. Thaddeus H. Caraway (D)
California 1. Hiram W. Johnson (R) 3. Samuel M. Shortridge (R)
Colorado 2. Lawrence C. Phipps (R) 3. Charles W. Waterman (R)
Connecticut 1. George P. McLean (R) 3. Hiram Bingham III (R)
Delaware 1. Thomas F. Bayard Jr. (D) 2. T. Coleman du Pont (R), until December 9, 1928 Daniel O. Hastings (R), from December 10, 1928
Florida 1. Park Trammell (D) 3. Duncan U. Fletcher (D)
Georgia 2. William J. Harris (D) 3. Walter F. George (D)
Idaho 2. William E. Borah (R) 3. Frank R. Gooding (R), until June 24, 1928 John Thomas (R), from June 30, 1928
Illinois 2. Charles S. Deneen (R) 3. Vacant until December 3, 1928 Otis F. Glenn (R), from December 3, 1928
Indiana 1. Arthur R. Robinson (R) 3. James E. Watson (R)
Iowa 2. Daniel F. Steck (D) 3. Smith W. Brookhart (R)
Kansas 2. Arthur Capper (R) 3. Charles Curtis (R)
Kentucky 2. Frederic M. Sackett (R) 3. Alben W. Barkley (D)
Louisiana 2. Joseph E. Ransdell (D) 3. Edwin S. Broussard (D)
Maine 1. Frederick Hale (R) 2. Arthur R. Gould (R)
Maryland 1. William Cabell Bruce (D) 3. Millard Tydings (D)
Massachusetts 1. David I. Walsh (D) 2. Frederick H. Gillett (R)
Michigan 1. Woodbridge N. Ferris (D), until March 23, 1928 Arthur H. Vandenberg (R), from March 31, 1928 2. James J. Couzens (R)
Minnesota 1. Henrik Shipstead (FL) 2. Thomas D. Schall (R)
Mississippi 1. Hubert D. Stephens (D) 2. Pat Harrison (D)
Missouri 1. James A. Reed (D) 3. Harry B. Hawes (D)
Montana 1. Burton K. Wheeler (D) 2. Thomas J. Walsh (D)
Nebraska 1. Robert B. Howell (R) 2. George W. Norris (R)
Nevada 1. Key Pittman (D) 3. Tasker Oddie (R)
New Hampshire 2. Henry W. Keyes (R) 3. George H. Moses (R)
New Jersey 1. Edward I. Edwards (D) 2. Walter E. Edge (R)
New Mexico 1. Andrieus A. Jones (D), until December 20, 1927 Bronson M. Cutting (R), from December 29, 1927, until December 6, 1928 Octaviano A. Larrazolo (R), from December 7, 1928 2. Sam G. Bratton (D)
New York 1. Royal S. Copeland (D) 3. Robert F. Wagner (D)
North Carolina 2. Furnifold M. Simmons (D) 3. Lee S. Overman (D)
North Dakota 1. Lynn Frazier (R-NPL) 3. Gerald Nye (R)
Ohio 1. Simeon D. Fess (R) 3. Frank B. Willis (R), until March 30, 1928 Cyrus Locher (D), from April 4, 1928, until December 14, 1928 Theodore E. Burton (R), from December 15, 1928
Oklahoma 2. William B. Pine (R) 3. Elmer Thomas (D)
Oregon 2. Charles L. McNary (R) 3. Frederick Steiwer (R)
Pennsylvania 1. David A. Reed (R) 3. Vacant
Rhode Island 1. Peter G. Gerry (D) 2. Jesse H. Metcalf (R)
South Carolina 2. Coleman L. Blease (D) 3. Ellison D. Smith (D)
South Dakota 2. William H. McMaster (R) 3. Peter Norbeck (R)
Tennessee 1. Kenneth D. McKellar(D) 2. Lawrence Tyson (D)
Texas 1. Earle B. Mayfield (D) 2. Morris Sheppard (D)
Utah 1. William H. King (D) 3. Reed Smoot (R)
Vermont 1. Frank L. Greene (R) 3. Porter H. Dale (R)
Virginia 1. Claude A. Swanson (D) 2. Carter Glass (D)
Washington 1. Clarence Cleveland Dill (D) 3. Wesley L. Jones (R)
West Virginia 1. Matthew M. Neely (D) 2. Guy D. Goff (R)
Wisconsin 1. Robert M. La Follette Jr. (R) 3. John J. Blaine (R)
Wyoming 1. John B. Kendrick (D) 2. Francis E. Warren (R)
House of Representatives
Representatives are listed by district.
Alabama . John McDuffie (D) . J. Lister Hill (D) . Henry B. Steagall (D) . Lamar Jeffers (D) . William B. Bowling (D), until August 16, 1928 LaFayette L. Patterson (D), from November 6, 1928 . William B. Oliver (D) . Miles C. Allgood (D) . Edward B. Almon (D) . George Huddleston (D) . William B. Bankhead (D)
Arizona . Lewis W. Douglas (D)
Arkansas . William J. Driver (D) . William A. Oldfield (D), until November 19, 1928 Pearl Peden Oldfield (D), from January 9, 1929 . John N. Tillman (D) . Otis Wingo (D) . Heartsill Ragon (D) . James B. Reed (D) . Tilman B. Parks (D)
California . Clarence F. Lea (D) . Harry L. Englebright (R) . Charles F. Curry (R) . Florence P. Kahn (R) . Richard J. Welch (R) . Albert E. Carter (R) . Henry E. Barbour (R) . Arthur M. Free (R) . William E. Evans (R) . Joe Crail (R) . Philip D. Swing (R)
Colorado . William N. Vaile (R), until July 2, 1927 S. Harrison White (D), from November 15, 1927 . Charles Bateman Timberlake (R) . Guy U. Hardy (R) . Edward T. Taylor (D)
Connecticut . E. Hart Fenn (R) . Richard P. Freeman (R) . John Q. Tilson (R) . Schuyler Merritt (R) . James P. Glynn (R)
Delaware . Robert G. Houston (R)
Florida . Herbert J. Drane (D) . Robert A. Green (D) . Tom A. Yon (D) . William J. Sears (D)
Georgia . Charles G. Edwards (D) . Edward E. Cox (D) . Charles R. Crisp (D) . William C. Wright (D) . Leslie J. Steele (D) . Samuel Rutherford (D) . Malcolm C. Tarver (D) . Charles H. Brand (D) . Thomas Montgomery Bell (D) . Carl Vinson (D) . William C. Lankford (D) . William W. Larsen (D)
Idaho . Burton L. French (R) . Addison T. Smith (R)
Illinois . Martin B. Madden (R), until April 27, 1928 . Morton D. Hull (R) . Elliott W. Sproul (R) . Thomas A. Doyle (D) . Adolph J. Sabath (D) . James T. Igoe (D) . M. Alfred Michaelson (R) . Stanley H. Kunz (D) . Frederick A. Britten (R) . Carl R. Chindblom (R) . Frank R. Reid (R) . John T. Buckbee (R) . William R. Johnson (R) . John C. Allen (R) . Edward J. King (R), until February 17, 1929 . William E. Hull (R) . Homer W. Hall (R) . William P. Holaday (R) . Charles Adkins (R) . Henry T. Rainey (D) . J. Earl Major (D) . Edward M. Irwin (R) . William W. Arnold (D) . Thomas S. Williams (R) . Edward E. Denison (R) . Henry R. Rathbone (R), until July 15, 1928 . Richard Yates Jr. (R)
Indiana . Harry E. Rowbottom (R) . Arthur H. Greenwood (D) . Frank Gardner (D) . Harry C. Canfield (D) . Noble J. Johnson (R) . Richard N. Elliott (R) . Ralph E. Updike (R) . Albert H. Vestal (R) . Fred S. Purnell (R) . William R. Wood (R) . Albert R. Hall (R) . David Hogg (R) . Andrew J. Hickey (R)
Iowa . William F. Kopp (R) . F. Dickinson Letts (R) . Thomas J. B. Robinson (R) . Gilbert N. Haugen (R) . Cyrenus Cole (R) . C. William Ramseyer (R) . Cassius C. Dowell (R) . Lloyd Thurston (R) . William R. Green (R), until March 31, 1928 Earl W. Vincent (R), from June 4, 1928 . Lester J. Dickinson (R) . William D. Boies (R)
Kansas . Daniel Read Anthony Jr. (R) . Ulysses S. Guyer (R) . William H. Sproul (R) . Homer Hoch (R) . James G. Strong (R) . Hays B. White (R) . Clifford R. Hope (R) . William A. Ayres (D)
Kentucky . William V. Gregory (D) . David Hayes Kincheloe (D) . John W. Moore (D) . Henry D. Moorman (D) . Maurice H. Thatcher (R) . Orie S. Ware (D) . Virgil Chapman (D) . Ralph W. E. Gilbert (D) . Fred M. Vinson (D) . Katherine G. Langley (R) . John M. Robsion (R)
Louisiana . James O'Connor (D) . J. Zach Spearing (D) . Whitmell P. Martin (D) . John N. Sandlin (D) . Riley Joseph Wilson (D) . Bolivar E. Kemp (D) . Ladislas Lazaro (D), until March 30, 1927 René L. De Rouen (D), from August 23, 1927 . James Benjamin Aswell (D)
Maine . Carroll L. Beedy (R) . Wallace H. White Jr. (R) . John E. Nelson (R) . Ira G. Hersey (R)
Maryland . T. Alan Goldsborough (D) . William P. Cole Jr. (D) . Vincent L. Palmisano (D) . J. Charles Linthicum (D) . Stephen W. Gambrill (D) . Frederick N. Zihlman (R)
Massachusetts . Allen T. Treadway (R) . Henry L. Bowles (R) . Frank H. Foss (R) . George R. Stobbs (R) . Edith Nourse Rogers (R) . A. Piatt Andrew Jr. (R) . William P. Connery Jr. (D)