78th United States Congress
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| 78th United States Congress | |||
 United States Capitol (1956) |
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| Duration: January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945 | |||
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| President of the Senate: | Henry A. Wallace | ||
| President pro tempore: | Carter Glass | ||
| Speaker of the House: | Sam Rayburn | ||
| Members: | 96 Senators 435 Representatives 4 Non-voting members |
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| Senate Majority: | Democratic | ||
| House Majority: | Democratic | ||
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| Sessions | |||
| 1st: January 6, 1943 – December 21, 1943 2nd: January 10, 1944 – December 19, 1944 |
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The Seventy-eighth 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, 1943 to January 3, 1945, during the last two years of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Sixteenth Census of the United States in 1940. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.
[edit] Major events
- World War II continued (1941–1945)
- June 6, 1944: Battle of Normandy
- November 7, 1944: General elections:
- President Roosevelt was re-elected to a fourth term.
- Senate Democrats kept their majority despite 1-seat net loss.
- House Democrats increased their majority with a 20-seat net gain.
[edit] Major legislation
- December 17, 1943: Magnuson Act (Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act of 1943), Sess. 1, ch. 344, 57 Stat. 600
- February 3, 1944: Mustering-out Payment Act, Sess. 2, Pub.L. 78-225, 58 Stat. 8
- June 6, 1944: Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (G.I. Bill), Sess. 2, ch. 268, Pub.L. 78-345, 58 Stat. 284
- June 27, 1944: Veterans' Preference Act, Sess. 2, ch. 287, Pub.L. 78-359, 58 Stat. 387
- July 1, 1944: Public Health Service Act, Sess. 2, ch. 373, 58 Stat. 682
- December 22, 1944: Pick-Sloan Flood Control Act, Sess. 2, ch. 665, Pub.L. 78-534, 58 Stat. 887
[edit] Party summary
[edit] Senate
- Democratic (D): 58 (majority)
- Republican (R): 37
- Progressive (P): 1
TOTAL members: 96
[edit] House of Representatives
- Democratic (D): 222 (majority)
- Republican (R): 209
- Progressive (P): 2
- Labor (AL): 1
- Farmer-Labor (F-L): 1
TOTAL members: 435
[edit] Leaders
[edit] Senate
[edit] Majority (Democratic) leadership
[edit] Minority (Republican) leadership
- Minority Leader:
- Charles L. McNary, until February 25, 1944
- Wallace H. White, Jr., after February 25, 1944
- Minority whip: No Republican whips were appointed from 1935 to 1944 since only 17 Republicans were in the Senate following the landslide reelection of President Franklin Roosevelt in 1936. Accordingly, the minutes of the Republican Conference for the period state: "On motion of Senator Hastings, duly seconded and carried, it was agreed that no Assistant Leader or Whip be elected but that the chairman be authorized to appoint Senators from time to time to assist him in taking charge of the interests of the minority." A note attached to the conference minutes added: "The chairman of the conference, Senator McNary, apparently appointed Senator Austin of Vermont as assistant leader in 1943 and 1944, until the conference adopted Rules of Organization."[1]
[edit] House of Representatives
- Speaker: Sam Rayburn (D)
[edit] Majority (Democratic) leadership
[edit] Minority (Republican) leadership
- Minority Leader: Joseph William Martin, Jr.
- Minority whip:
- Harry Lane Englebright, until May 13, 1943
- Leslie C. Arends, after May 13, 1943
[edit] Members
[edit] 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.
[edit] House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
[edit] Changes in membership
[edit] Senate
| Date seat became vacant |
State (class) |
Previous | Reason for change | Subsequent | Date of successor's taking seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 22, 1943 | New Jersey (1) |
William Warren Barbour (R) |
Died. A successor was appointed until an election. | Arthur Walsh (D) |
November 26, 1943 |
| January 25, 1944 | Indiana (3) |
Frederick Van Nuys (D) |
Died. A successor was appointed until an election. | Samuel D. Jackson (D) |
January 28, 1944 |
| February 3, 1944 | Massachusetts (2) |
Henry Cabot Lodge (R) |
Resigned | Sinclair Weeks (R) |
February 8, 1944 |
| February 25, 1944 | Oregon (2) |
Charles L. McNary (R) |
Died February 25, 1944. Successor was appointed and subsequently won special election | Guy Cordon (R) |
March 4, 1944 |
| November 13, 1944 | Washington (3) |
Homer Bone (D) |
Resigned to become Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit | Warren Magnuson (D) |
December 14, 1944 |
| November 14, 1944 | Indiana (3) |
Samuel D. Jackson (D) |
Successor elected | William E. Jenner (R) |
November 7, 1944 |
| November 17, 1944 | South Carolina (3) |
Ellison Durant Smith (D) |
Died | Wilton E. Hall (D) |
November 20, 1944 |
| December 7, 1944 | New Jersey (1) |
Arthur Walsh (D) |
A successor was elected | H. Alexander Smith (R) |
December 7, 1944 |
| December 19, 1944 | Massachusetts (2) |
Sinclair Weeks (R) |
Resigned, a successor having been elected | Vacant until the next Congress. Senator-elect, Leverett Saltonstall, did not take office until January 4, 1945, after completion of his term as Governor of Massachusetts. |
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[edit] House of Representatives
| District | Vacator | Reason for Vacancy | Successor | Date of successor's taking office |
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| Missouri 6th | Vacant | Rep. Philip A. Bennett died in previous Congress | Marion T. Bennett (R) | January 12, 1943 |
| California 2nd | Harry L. Englebright (R) | Died May 13, 1943 | Clair Engle (D) | August 31, 1943 |
| New York 32nd | Francis D. Culkin (R) | Died August 4, 1943 | Hadwen C. Fuller (R) | November 2, 1943 |
| Pennsylvania 23rd | James E. Van Zandt (R) | Resigned September 24, 1943 | D. Emmert Brumbaugh (R) | November 2, 1943 |
| Kentucky 4th | Edward W. Creal (D) | Died October 13, 1943 | Chester O. Carrier (R) | November 30, 1943 |
| Pennsylvania 2nd | James P. McGranery (D) | Resigned November 17, 1943 | Joseph Marmaduke Pratt (R) | January 18, 1944 |
| Pennsylvania 17th | J. William Ditter (R) | Died November 21, 1943 | Vacant until the next Congress | |
| Alabama 3rd | Henry B. Steagall (D) | Died November 22, 1943 | George W. Andrews (D) | March 14, 1944 |
| Colorado 1st | Lawrence Lewis (D) | Died December 9, 1943 | Dean M. Gillespie (R) | March 7, 1944 |
| New York 21st | Joseph A. Gavagan (D) | Resigned December 30, 1943 | James H. Torrens (D) | February 29, 1944 |
| Illinois 19th | William H. Wheat (R) | Died January 16, 1944 | Rolla C. McMillen (R) | June 13, 1944 |
| Illinois 7th | Leonard W. Schuetz (D) | Died February 13, 1944 | Vacant until the next Congress | |
| New York 4th | Thomas H. Cullen (D) | Died March 1, 1944 | John J. Rooney (D) | June 6, 1944 |
| New York 11th | James A. O'Leary (D) | Died March 16, 1944 | Ellsworth B. Buck (R) | June 6, 1944 |
| Louisiana 3rd | James Domengeaux (D) | Resigned April 15, 1944 to join US Armed Forces | James Domengeaux (D) | Re-elected to fill his own vacancy November 7, 1944 |
| Virginia 2nd | Winder R. Harris (D) | Resigned September 15, 1944 | Ralph Hunter Daughton (D) | November 7, 1944 |
| South Carolina 2nd | Hampton P. Fulmer (D) | Died October 19, 1944 | Willa L. Fulmer (R) | November 7, 1944 |
| Tennessee 4th | Albert Gore, Sr. (D) | Resigned December 4, 1944 to enter the United States Army | Vacant until the next Congress | |
| Washington 1st | Warren Magnuson (D) | Resigned December 14, 1944 when appointed U.S. Senator | Vacant until the next Congress | |
| Pennsylvania At-large | William I. Troutman (R) | Resigned January 2, 1945 | Vacant until the next Congress | |
[edit] Employees
[edit] Senate
- Chaplain: Frederick Brown Harris (Methodist)
- Parliamentarian: Data unknown or missing. (You can help!)
- Secretary: Edwin A. Halsey
- Sergeant at Arms: Wall Doxey
[edit] House of Representatives
- Chaplain: James Shera Montgomery (Methodist)
- Clerk: South Trimble
- Doorkeeper: Robert R. Roberts
- Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler
- Sergeant at Arms: Kenneth Romney
[edit] References
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