66th United States Congress
| 66th United States Congress | |
|---|---|
65th ← → 67th | |
 United States Capitol (1906) | |
March 4, 1919 – March 4, 1921 | |
| Members | 96 senators 435 representatives 5 non-voting delegates |
| Senate majority | Republican |
| Senate President | Thomas R. Marshall |
| House majority | Republican |
| House Speaker | Frederick H. Gillett |
| Sessions | |
| 1st: May 19, 1919 – November 19, 1919 2nd: December 1, 1919 – June 5, 1920 3rd: December 6, 1920 – March 3, 1921 | |
The Sixty-sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1919 to March 4, 1921, during the last two years of Woodrow Wilson's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Thirteenth Census of the United States in 1910. Both chambers had a Republican majority.
Major Legislation
- June 30, 1919: Navy Appropriations Act of 1919
- June 30, 1919: Hastings Amendment
- July 11, 1919: Anti-Lobbying Act of 1919
- July 11, 1919: Army Appropriations Act of 1919
- July 19, 1919: Sundry Civil Expenses Appropriations Act
- October 18, 1919: National Prohibition Act (Volstead Act), ch. 85, 41 Stat. 305
- October 22, 1919: Underground Water Act of 1919
- October 29, 1919: National Motor Vehicle Theft Act (Dyer Act)
- November 4, 1919: Deficiency Act of 1919
- November 6, 1919: Indian Soldier Act of 1919
- December 24, 1919: Edge Act of 1919
- February 25, 1920: Oil Leasing Act of 1920
- February 25, 1920: Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (Smoot-Sinnot Act), ch. 85, 41 Stat. 437
- February 25, 1920: Pipeline Rights-of-Way Act
- February 25, 1920: Sale of Water For Miscellaneous Purposes Act
- February 28, 1920: Esch-Cummins Act, Pub. L. 66–152, 41 Stat. 456
- March 9, 1920: Suits in Admiralty Act of 1920
- March 15, 1920: Military Surplus Act of 1920 (Kahn-Wadsworth Act)
- March 30, 1920: Death on the High Seas Act of 1920
- April 13, 1920: Phelan Act of 1920
- May 1, 1920: Fuller Act of 1920
- May 10, 1920: Deportation Act of 1920
- May 18, 1920: Kinkaid Act of 1920
- May 20, 1920: Sale of Surplus Improved Public Lands Act
- May 22, 1920: Civil Service Retirement Act of 1920
- May 29, 1920: Independent Treasury Act of 1920
- June 2, 1920: Industry Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1920 (Smith-Bankhead Act)
- June 2, 1920: Civilian Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1920 (Smith-Fess Act)
- June 2, 1920: National Park Criminal Jurisdiction Act
- June 4, 1920: National Defense Act of 1920 (Kahn Act)
- June 5, 1920: Sills Act of 1920
- June 5, 1920: Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (Jones Act)
- June 5, 1920: Women's Bureau Act of 1920
- June 5, 1920: Ship Mortgage Act of 1920
- June 5, 1920: River and Harbors Act of 1920
- June 5, 1920: Federal Water Power Act of 1920 (Esch Act)
- January 4, 1921: War Finance Corporation Act of 1921
- March 3, 1921: Patent Act of 1921 (Nolan Act)
- March 3, 1921: Federal Water Power Act Amendment (Jones-Esch Act)
Major events
A brief special session was called by President Wilson in March 1919, because of a filibuster that had successfully blocked appropriations bills needed to fund day-to-day government operations.[1]
- April 30, 1919: First wave of the 1919 United States anarchist bombings.
- June 2, 1919: The home of Attorney General Palmer was bombed in the second wave of anarchist bombings.
- June 15, 1919: Pancho Villa attacked Ciudad Juárez. When the bullets begin to fly to the U.S. side of the border, 2 units of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment crossed the border and repulse Villa's forces.
- July 19–23, 1919: Race riot in Washington, D.C.
- August 31, 1919: American Communist Party was established
- September 9, 1919: Boston Police Strike
- September 22, 1919: Steel strike of 1919
- October 2, 1919: President Woodrow Wilson suffered a massive stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed
- November 1, 1919: Coal Strike of 1919
- November 7, 1919: First of the Palmer Raids during the First Red Scare
- January 2, 1920: Second of the Palmer Raids during the First Red Scare
- March 1, 1920: United States Railroad Administration returned control of American railroads to its constituent railroad companies
- May 7–8, 1920: Louis Freeland Post appeared before the House Committee on Rules, effectively ending Attorney General Palmer's presidential aspirations.
- November 2, 1920: Warren G. Harding defeated James M. Cox in the U.S. presidential election, 1920
Constitutional amendments
- January 16, 1920: 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution (prohibition) went into effect.
- June 4, 1919: 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution (women's suffrage) was passed by Congress.
- August 18, 1920: 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution (women's suffrage) was ratified.
Treaties
- March 19, 1920: Senate refused to ratify Treaty of Versailles
Party summary
Senate
| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Republican (R) | |||
| End of previous congress | 53 | 43 | 96 | 0 |
| Begin | 46 | 49 | 95 | 1 |
| End | 50 | 96 | 0 | |
| Final voting share | 47.9% | 52.1% | ||
| Beginning of next congress | 37 | 59 | 96 | 0 |
House of Representatives
- Democratic (D): 192
- Republican (R): 240 (majority)
- Prohibition (Proh.): 1
- Farmer-Labor (F-L): 1
TOTAL members: 435
Leadership
Senate
Majority (Republican) leadership
Minority (Democratic) leadership
House of Representatives
Majority (Republican) leadership
Minority (Democratic) leadership
- Minority Leader: Champ Clark
- Minority Whip: vacant
Members
Senate
Because of the 17th Amendment, from 1914 onward U.S. Senators were elected directly, instead of by state legislatures.
House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
Employees
Senate
- Chaplain: F.J. Prettyman (Methodist)
- John J. Muir (Baptist), from January 21, 1921.
- Secretary: James M. Baker
- George A. Sanderson, from May 19, 1919.
- Sergeant at Arms: Charles P. Higgins
- David S. Barry, from May 19, 1919.
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: Henry N. Couden (Universalist)
- Clerk: William T. Page
- Doorkeeper: Bert W. Kennedy
- Clerk at the Speaker’s Table: Clarence A. Cannon
- Postmaster: Frank W. Collier
- Sergeant at Arms: Joseph G. Rodgers
References
- ^ The official Senate website provides the full story of this filibuster as part of a biography of Charles P. Higgins[1], the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms who was the only Democrat to fill that office in a space of almost forty years.
- Gould, Lewis L. (2005). The Most Exclusive Club. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books Group. ISBN 0-465-02778-4.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Remini, Robert V. (2006). The House. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-06-088434-7.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - U.S. Congress (2005). "Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress". Archived from the original on 1 June 2006. Retrieved 2006-06-01.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - U.S. House of Representatives (2006). "Congressional History". Archived from the original on 1 June 2006. Retrieved 2006-06-01.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) [dead link] - U.S. Senate (2006). "Statistics and Lists". Archived from the original on 1 June 2006. Retrieved 2006-06-01.
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