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78th United States Congress

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78th United States Congress
77th ←
→ 79th

January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945
Members96 senators
435 representatives
4 non-voting delegates
Senate majorityDemocratic
Senate PresidentHenry A. Wallace
House majorityDemocratic
House SpeakerSam Rayburn
Sessions
1st: January 6, 1943 – December 21, 1943
2nd: January 10, 1944 – December 19, 1944

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.

Major events

Major legislation

Party summary

Senate

Party
(shading shows control)
Total Vacant
Democratic
(D)
Progressive
(P)
Republican
(R)
Other
End of previous congress 64 1 28 3 96 0
Begin 58 1 36 0 95 1
End 57 38 960
Final voting share 59.4% 1.0% 39.6% 0.0%
Beginning of next congress 57 1 38 0 96 0

House of Representatives

TOTAL members: 435

Leaders

Section contents: Senate: Majority (D), Minority (R)House: Majority (D), Minority (R)

Senate

Majority (Democratic) leadership

Minority (Republican) leadership

  • Minority Leader: Charles L. McNary, until 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]

House of Representatives

Majority (Democratic) leadership

Minority (Republican) leadership

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 are preceded by their district numbers.

Changes in membership

Senate

Template:Ordinal US Congress Senate

|- | Iowa (2) | Vacant | style="font-size:80%" | Seat remained vacant until Senator-elect completed his term as Governor of Iowa | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" nowrap | George A. Wilson (R) | January 14, 1943

|- | New Jersey (1) | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" nowrap | William Warren Barbour (R) | style="font-size:80%" | Died November 22, 1943.
Successor was appointed until an election. | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" nowrap | Arthur Walsh (D) | November 26, 1943

|- | Indiana (3) | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" nowrap | Frederick Van Nuys (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Died January 25, 1944.
Successor was appointed until an election. | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" nowrap | Samuel D. Jackson (D) | January 28, 1944

|- | Massachusetts (2) | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" nowrap | Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. (R) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned February 3, 1944 to go on active duty in the US Army.
Success was appointed until a special election. | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" nowrap | Sinclair Weeks (R) | February 8, 1944

|- | Oregon (2) | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" nowrap | Charles L. McNary (R) | style="font-size:80%" | Died February 25, 1944.
Successor was appointed and subsequently won special election | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" nowrap | Guy Cordon (R) | March 4, 1944

|- | Washington (3) | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" nowrap | Homer Bone (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned November 13, 1944 to become Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.
Successor was appointed to finish the term, having just been elected to the next term. | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" nowrap | Warren Magnuson (D) | December 14, 1944

|- | Indiana (3) | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" nowrap | Samuel D. Jackson (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned November 14, 1944 after successor was elected | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" nowrap | William E. Jenner (R) | November 7, 1944

|- | South Carolina (3) | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" nowrap | Ellison Durant Smith (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Died November 17, 1944. | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" nowrap | Wilton E. Hall (D) | November 20, 1944

|- | New Jersey (1) | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" nowrap | Arthur Walsh (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned December 7, 1944 after a successor was elected | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" nowrap | H. Alexander Smith (R) | December 7, 1944

|- | Massachusetts (2) | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" nowrap | Sinclair Weeks (R) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned December 19, 1944 after a successor was elected. | colspan=2 | 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.

|}

House of Representatives

Template:Ordinal US Congress Rep

|- | Missouri 6th | Vacant | style="font-size:80%" | Rep. Philip A. Bennett died in previous Congress | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" | Marion T. Bennett (R) | January 12, 1943 |- | California 2nd | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" | Harry L. Englebright (R) | style="font-size:80%" | Died May 13, 1943 | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | Clair Engle (D) | August 31, 1943 |- | Kansas 2nd | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" | Ulysses S. Guyer (R) | style="font-size:80%" | Died June 5, 1943 | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" | Errett P. Scrivner (R) | September 14, 1943 |- | Oklahoma 2nd | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | John C. Nichols (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned July 3, 1943 to become vice-president of Transcontinental and Western Air. | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | William G. Stigler (D) | March 28, 1944 |- | New York 32nd | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" | Francis D. Culkin (R) | style="font-size:80%" | Died August 4, 1943 | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" | Hadwen C. Fuller (R) | November 2, 1943 |- | Pennsylvania 23rd | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" | James E. Van Zandt (R) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned September 24, 1943 after being called to active duty in the US Armed Forces. | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" | D. Emmert Brumbaugh (R) | November 2, 1943 |- | Kentucky 4th | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | Edward W. Creal (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Died October 13, 1943 | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" | Chester O. Carrier (R) | November 30, 1943 |- | Pennsylvania 2nd | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | James P. McGranery (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned November 17, 1943 after being appointed an Assistant Attorney General | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" | Joseph Marmaduke Pratt (R) | January 18, 1944 |- | Pennsylvania 17th | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" | J. William Ditter (R) | style="font-size:80%" | Died November 21, 1943 | colspan=2 | Vacant until the next Congress |- | Alabama 3rd | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | Henry B. Steagall (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Died November 22, 1943 | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | George W. Andrews (D) | March 14, 1944 |- | Colorado 1st | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | Lawrence Lewis (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Died December 9, 1943 | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" | Dean M. Gillespie (R) | March 7, 1944 |- | New York 21st | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | Joseph A. Gavagan (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned December 30, 1943 after being elected a justice of the New York Supreme Court | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | James H. Torrens (D) | February 29, 1944 |- | Illinois 19th | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" | William H. Wheat (R) | style="font-size:80%" | Died January 16, 1944 | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" | Rolla C. McMillen (R) | June 13, 1944 |- | Illinois 7th | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | Leonard W. Schuetz (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Died February 13, 1944 | colspan=2 | Vacant until the next Congress |- | New York 4th | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | Thomas H. Cullen (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Died March 1, 1944 | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | John J. Rooney (D) | June 6, 1944 |- | New York 11th | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | James A. O'Leary (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Died March 16, 1944 | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" | Ellsworth B. Buck (R) | June 6, 1944 |- | Louisiana 3rd | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | James Domengeaux (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned April 15, 1944 to join US Armed Forces | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | James Domengeaux (D) | Re-elected to fill his own vacancy November 7, 1944 |- | California 16th | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | Will Rogers, Jr. (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned May 23, 1944 to enter the US Army | colspan=2 | Vacant until the next Congress |- | Philippines At-large | Joaquín Miguel Elizalde | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned August 9, 1944 to become a member of the war cabinet of President Manuel L. Quezon | Carlos P. Romulo | August 10, 1944 |- | Virginia 2nd | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | Winder R. Harris (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned September 15, 1944 | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | Ralph Hunter Daughton (D) | November 7, 1944 |- | Florida 3rd | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | Robert L. F. Sikes (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned October 19, 1944 to enter the US Army | colspan=2 | Vacant until the next Congress |- | South Carolina 2nd | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | Hampton P. Fulmer (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Died October 19, 1944 | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" | Willa L. Fulmer (R) | November 7, 1944 |- | Florida At-large | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | Robert A. Green (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned November 25, 1944 to enter the United States Navy | colspan=2 | Vacant until the next Congress |- | Tennessee 4th | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | Albert Gore, Sr. (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned December 4, 1944 to enter the United States Army | colspan=2 | Vacant until the next Congress |- | Rhode Island 2nd | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | John E. Fogarty (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned December 7, 1944 to enter the United States Navy | colspan=2 | Vacant until the next Congress |- | Washington 1st | style="background-color:#B0CEFF" | Warren Magnuson (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned December 14, 1944 when appointed U.S. Senator | colspan=2 | Vacant until the next Congress |- | Pennsylvania At-large | style="background-color:#FFB6B6" | William I. Troutman (R) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned January 2, 1945 | colspan=2 | Vacant until the next Congress |}

Employees

Senate

House of Representatives

References

  1. ^ "Party Whips". Senate.gov.