82nd United States Congress

82nd United States Congress
81st   83rd

United States Capitol (1956)

Duration: January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1953

Senate President: Alben W. Barkley (D)
Senate Pres. pro tem: Kenneth McKellar (D)
House Speaker: Sam Rayburn (D)
Members: 96 Senators
435 Representatives
3 Non-voting members
Senate Majority: Democratic
House Majority: Democratic

Sessions
1st: January 3, 1951 – October 20, 1951
2nd: January 8, 1952 – July 7, 1952

The Eighty-second 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, 1951 to January 3, 1953, during the last two years of the second administration of U.S. President Harry S. Truman.

The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Sixteenth Census of the United States in 1940. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.

Major events

Major legislation

Treaties

Members of the Japanese delegation signing the Treaty of San Francisco.

Party summary

Senate

Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total Vacant
Democratic Independent Republican
End of previous Congress 53 0 43 96 0
Begin 47 0 49 96 0
March 8, 1951 46 95 1
March 19, 1951 47 96 0
April 18, 1951 48 95 1
April 23, 1951 48 96 0
November 29, 1951 47 95 1
December 10, 1951 48 48 96 0
July 28, 1952 47 48 95 1
August 29, 1952 49 96 0
November 5, 1952 45 51
December 31, 1952 50 95 1
Latest voting share 47% 0% 53%
Beginning of the next Congress 47 1 48 96 0

House of Representatives

TOTAL: 435

Leadership

Senate

Majority (Democratic) party

Minority (Republican) party

House of Representatives

Majority (Democratic) party

Minority (Republican) party

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.

Alabama

  • 2. John J. Sparkman (D)
  • 3. Joseph Lister Hill (D)

Arizona

Arkansas

California

  • 1. William F. Knowland (R)
  • 3. Richard M. Nixon (R), until January 1, 1953
    • Thomas H. Kuchel (R), from January 2, 1953

Colorado

  • 3. Eugene D. Millikin (R)
  • 2. Edwin Carl Johnson (D)

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

  • 2. Walter Franklin George (D)
  • 3. Richard Brevard Russell (D)

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

  • 2. James Edward Murray (D)
  • 1. Zales N. Ecton (R)

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

  • 1. Kenneth D. McKellar (D)
  • 2. C. Estes Kefauver (D)

Texas

  • 1. Thomas Terry Connally (D)
  • 2. Lyndon Johnson (D)

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

House of Representatives

The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.

Alabama

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

  • 1. Charles Earl Merrow (R)
  • 2. Norris H. Cotton (R)

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

  • 1. Harold O. Lovre (R)
  • 2. E. Y. Berry (R)

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Non-voting members

House seats by party holding plurality in state
  80.1–100% Democratic
  80.1–100% Republican
  60.1–80% Democratic
  60.1–80% Republican
  Up to 60% Democratic
  Up to 60% Republican

Changes in membership

The count below reflects changes from the beginning of this Congress.

Senate

State
(class)
Vacator Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
formal installation
Kentucky
(2)
Virgil Chapman (D) Died March 8, 1951 Thomas R. Underwood (D) March 19, 1951
Michigan
(1)
Arthur H. Vandenberg (R) Died April 18, 1951. Blair Moody (D) April 23, 1951
Nebraska
(2)
Kenneth S. Wherry (R) Died November 29, 1951 Fred A. Seaton (R) December 10, 1951
Connecticut
(3)
Brien McMahon (D) Died July 28, 1952. William A. Purtell (R) August 29, 1952
Connecticut
(3)
William A. Purtell (R) Successor elected November 4, 1952 Prescott Bush (R) November 5, 1952
Kentucky
(2)
Thomas R. Underwood (D) Successor elected November 4, 1952. Lost special election to fill seat. John S. Cooper (R) November 5, 1952
Michigan
(1)
Blair Moody (D) Successor elected November 4, 1952. Lost special election to fill seat. Charles E. Potter (R) November 5, 1952
Nebraska
(2)
Fred A. Seaton (R) Successor elected November 4, 1952 Dwight Griswold (R) November 5, 1952
Maine
(1)
Owen Brewster (R) Resigned December 31, 1952 Vacant Not filled this term
California
(3)
Richard Nixon (R) Resigned January 1, 1953 after being elected Vice President of the United States Thomas Kuchel (R) January 2, 1953

House of Representatives

District Vacator Reason for change Successor Date successor
seated
Missouri 11th John B. Sullivan (D) Died January 29, 1951 Claude I. Bakewell (R) March 9, 1951
Kentucky 6th Thomas R. Underwood (D) Resigned March 17, 1951 after being appointed to the US Senate John C. Watts (D) April 4, 1951
Pennsylvania 33rd Frank Buchanan (D) Died April 27, 1951 Vera Buchanan (D) July 24, 1951
West Virginia 5th John Kee (D) Died May 8, 1951 Elizabeth Kee (D) July 17, 1951
Texas 13th Ed Gossett (D) Resigned July 31, 1951 Frank N. Ikard (D) September 8, 1951
Pennsylvania 14th Wilson D. Gillette (R) Died August 7, 1951 Joseph L. Carrigg (R) November 6, 1951
Maine 3rd Frank Fellows (R) Died August 27, 1951 Clifford McIntire (R) October 22, 1951
Pennsylvania 8th Albert C. Vaughn (R) Died September 1, 1951 Karl C. King (R) November 6, 1951
New Jersey 9th Harry L. Towe (R) Resigned September 7, 1951 after becoming Asst. Attorney General of New Jersey Frank C. Osmers, Jr. (R) November 6, 1951
Ohio 3rd Edward G. Breen (D) Resigned October 1, 1951 due to ill health Paul F. Schenck (R) November 6, 1951
Nebraska 3rd Karl Stefan (R) Died October 2, 1951 Robert D. Harrison (R) December 4, 1951
Kentucky 2nd John A. Whitaker (D) Died December 15, 1951 Garrett L. Withers (D) August 2, 1952
New York 5th T. Vincent Quinn (D) Resigned December 30, 1951 after becoming District Attorney of Queens County Robert T. Ross (R) February 19, 1952
New York 32nd William T. Byrne (D) Died January 27, 1952 Leo W. O'Brien (D) April 1, 1952
Oklahoma 1st George B. Schwabe (R) Died April 2, 1952 Vacant Not filled this term
Wisconsin 7th Reid F. Murray (R) Died April 29, 1952 Vacant Not filled this term
Texas 7th Tom Pickett (D) Resigned June 30, 1952 after becoming Vice-President of the National Coal Association John Dowdy (D) September 23, 1952
Oklahoma 2nd William G. Stigler (D) Died August 21, 1952 Vacant Not filled this term
Massachusetts 2nd Foster Furcolo (D) Resigned September 30, 1952 after becoming Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts Vacant Not filled this term
Michigan 11th Charles E. Potter (R) Resigned November 4, 1952 after being elected to the US Senate Vacant Not filled this term
Illinois 7th Adolph J. Sabath (D) Died November 6, 1952 Vacant Not filled this term
Georgia 2nd Edward E. Cox (D) Died December 24, 1953 Vacant Not filled this term
New York 2nd Leonard W. Hall (R) Resigned December 31, 1952 Vacant Not filled this term

Employees

House of Representatives

See also

References