80th United States Congress
| 80th United States Congress | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 S. 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 Taft–Hartley Act, but it opposed most of Truman's Fair Deal bills.Template:1961 con act 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 had at the end of the 79th Congress.
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 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, 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, 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, Pub.L. 80–557, 62 Stat. 274
- June 17, 1948: Reed-Bulwinkle Act
- June 25, 1948: Title 3 of the United States Code, 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, Pub.L. 80–896, 62 Stat. 1240
- 1948: Agricultural Act of 1948
Constitutional provisions
- March 21, 1947: Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution proposed
Party summary
Senate
From the beginning to the end of this Congress, there was no net change in party power.
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democratic | Progressive | Vacant | ||
| End of previous Congress | 38 | 57 | 1 | 96 | 0 |
| Begin | 51 | 45 | 0 | 96 | 0 |
| End | |||||
| Final voting share | 53.1% | 46.9% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of the next Congress | 42 | 54 | 0 | 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
Minority (Democratic) leadership
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
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.
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.
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 to finish term. |
John Stennis (D) | November 17, 1947 |
| Louisiana (3) |
John Holmes Overton (D) | Died May 14, 1948. Successor was appointed to serve until a special election. |
William C. Feazel (D) | May 18, 1948 |
| South Dakota (2) |
Harlan Bushfield (R) | Died September 27, 1948. Successor was appointed to serve until a special election. |
Vera Bushfield (R) | October 6, 1948 |
| South Dakota (2) |
Vera Bushfield (R) | Resigned December 26, 1948. Successor was elected to finish term. |
Karl Earl Mundt (R) | December 31, 1948 |
| Louisiana (3) |
William C. Feazel (D) | Resigned December 30, 1948. Successor was elected to finish term. |
Russell B. Long (D) | December 31, 1948 |
| North Carolina (2) |
William Umstead (D) | Appointee lost special election to finish the term as well as general election to the next term. Resigned December 30, 1948. Successor was elected to finish term. |
Melville Broughton (D) | Won mid-term election and seated December 31, 1948 |
House of Representatives
There were 9 deaths and 7 resignations.
| District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Employees
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
- Sergeant at Arms: William F. Russell
| |||||||||||||||||||