79th United States Congress

The 79th 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, 1945, to January 3, 1947, during the last months of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency, and the first two years of Harry Truman's presidency. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1940 United States census.

79th United States Congress
78th ←
→ 80th
United States Capitol (1956)
January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947
Members96 senators
435 representatives
4 non-voting delegates
Senate majorityDemocratic
Senate PresidentHenry A. Wallace (D)[lower-alpha 1]
(until January 20, 1945)
Harry S. Truman (D)[lower-alpha 2]
(Jan 20–Apr 12, 1945)
Vacant
(from April 12, 1945)
House majorityDemocratic
House SpeakerSam Rayburn (D)
Sessions
1st: January 3, 1945 – December 21, 1945
2nd: January 14, 1946 – August 2, 1946

Both chambers had a Democratic majority (including increasing their edge in the House). With the reelection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to a record fourth term, the Democrats maintained an overall federal government trifecta.[1]

Major events
See also: 1945 in the United States, 1946 in the United States, and 1947 in the United States

Major legislation
President Truman signs the Atomic Energy Act on August 1, 1946.
Main article: List of United States federal legislation § 79th United States Congress

Treaties ratified

Party summary

Senate
Party
(shading shows control)		 Total Vacant
Democratic
(D)		 Progressive
(P)		Republican
(R)
End of previous congress 56 1 39 96 0
Begin 57 1 38 96 0
End 53 42
Final voting share 55.2% 1.0% 43.8%
Beginning of next congress 45 0 51 96 0

House of Representatives
Party
(shading shows control)		 Total Vacant
Democratic
(D)		 Farmer–
Labor
(FL)		American
Labor
(AL)		Progressive
(P)		Republican
(R)
End of previous congress 212 1 1 2 210 426 9
Begin 242 0 1 1 190 434 1
End 236 191 4296
Final voting share 55.0% 0.0% 0.2% 0.2% 44.5%
Beginning of next congress 187 0 1 0 245 433 2

Leadership

Senate

House of Representatives

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, In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1946; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1948; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, facing re-election in 1950.

House of Representatives

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

Changes in membership

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

Senate


See also: List of special elections to the United States Senate
Senate changes
State
(class)		 Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
formal installation[lower-alpha 3]
Washington
(1)		 Monrad Wallgren (D) Resigned January 9, 1945, after being elected Governor of Washington.
Successor was appointed to serve until the next election.		 Hugh Mitchell (D) January 10, 1945
Connecticut
(1)		 Francis T. Maloney (D) Died January 16, 1945.
Successor was appointed to serve until a special election.		 Thomas C. Hart (R) February 15, 1945
Missouri
(1)		 Harry S. Truman (D) Resigned January 17, 1945, after being elected Vice President of the United States.
Successor was appointed to serve until the next election.		 Frank P. Briggs (D) January 18, 1945
North Dakota
(3)		 John Moses (D) Died March 3, 1945.
Successor was appointed to serve until a special election, which he subsequently won.		 Milton Young (R) March 12, 1945
Nevada
(1)		 James G. Scrugham (D) Died June 23, 1945.
Successor was appointed to serve until the next election.		 Edward P. Carville (D) July 25, 1945
California
(1)		 Hiram Johnson (R) Died August 6, 1945.
Successor was appointed to serve until a special election, which he subsequently won.		 William F. Knowland (R) August 26, 1945
Ohio
(1)		 Harold H. Burton (R) Resigned September 30, 1945, after being appointed an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Successor was appointed to serve until a special election.		 James W. Huffman (D) October 8, 1945
Kentucky
(2)		 Happy Chandler (D) Resigned November 1, 1945, after becoming Commissioner of Major League Baseball.
Successor was appointed to serve until a special election.		 William A. Stanfill (R) November 19, 1945
Idaho
(2)		 John Thomas (R) Died November 10, 1945.
Successor was appointed to serve until a special election, which he subsequently lost.		 Charles C. Gossett (D) November 17, 1945
Virginia
(2)		 Carter Glass (D) Died May 28, 1946.
Successor was appointed to serve until a special election.		 Thomas G. Burch (D) May 31, 1946
Alabama
(2)		 John H. Bankhead II (D) Died June 12, 1946.
Successor was appointed to serve until a special election.		 George R. Swift (D) June 15, 1946
Vermont
(1)		 Warren Austin (R) Resigned August 2, 1946, after being appointed United States representative on the United Nations Security Council.
Successor was appointed to serve until the next election.		 Ralph Flanders (R) November 1, 1946
Florida
(1)		 Charles O. Andrews (D) Died September 18, 1946.
Successor was elected to finish term.		 Spessard Holland (D) September 25, 1946
Alabama
(2)		 George R. Swift (D) Resigned November 5, 1946.
Successor was elected to finish term.		 John Sparkman (D) November 6, 1946
Connecticut
(1)		 Thomas C. Hart (R) Resigned November 5, 1946.
Successor was elected to finish term.		 Raymond E. Baldwin (R) December 27, 1946
Kentucky
(2)		 William A. Stanfill (R) Resigned November 5, 1946. Successor was elected to finish term John S. Cooper (R) November 6, 1946
Ohio
(1)		 James W. Huffman (D) Resigned November 5, 1946. Successor was elected to finish term. Kingsley A. Taft (R) November 6, 1946
Virginia
(2)		 Thomas G. Burch (D) Resigned November 5, 1946.
Successor was elected to finish term.		 Absalom W. Robertson (D) November 6, 1946
Idaho
(2)		 Charles C. Gossett (D) Resigned November 6, 1946.
Successor was elected to finish term.		 Henry Dworshak (R) November 6, 1946
North Carolina
(2)		 Josiah Bailey (D) Died December 15, 1946.
Successor was appointed to serve until a special election, which he subsequently lost.		 William B. Umstead (D) December 18, 1946
Washington
(1)		 Hugh Mitchell (D) Resigned December 25, 1946. Successor was appointed to finish the term already having to be elected the next term. Harry P. Cain (R) December 26, 1946

House of Representatives


See also: List of special elections to the United States House of Representatives
House changes
District Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
formal installation[lower-alpha 3]
Rhode Island 2nd Vacant John E. Fogarty resigned during the previous Congress. John E. Fogarty (D) February 7, 1945
Montana 2nd James F. O'Connor (D) Died January 15, 1945 Wesley A. D'Ewart (R) June 5, 1945
Virginia 3rd Dave E. Satterfield Jr. (D) Resigned February 15, 1945, to become general counsel and executive director of the Life Insurance Association of America J. Vaughan Gary (D) March 6, 1945
Illinois 24th James V. Heidinger (R) Died March 22, 1945 Roy Clippinger (R) November 6, 1945
New Mexico at-large Clinton P. Anderson (D) Resigned June 30, 1945, after being appointed Secretary of Agriculture Vacant Not filled this term
New Jersey 4th D. Lane Powers (R) Resigned August 30, 1945, to become a member of the Public Utilities Commission of New Jersey Frank A. Mathews Jr. (R) November 6, 1945
Oregon 1st James W. Mott (R) Died November 12, 1945 A. Walter Norblad (R) January 18, 1946
North Carolina 10th Joseph W. Ervin (D) Died December 25, 1945 Sam Ervin (D) January 22, 1946
New York 19th Samuel Dickstein (D) Resigned December 30, 1945 Arthur G. Klein (D) February 19, 1946
Virginia 6th Clifton A. Woodrum (D) Resigned December 31, 1945, to become president of the American Plant Food Council, Inc. J. Lindsay Almond (D) January 22, 1946
Georgia 5th Robert Ramspeck (D) Resigned December 31, 1945, to become executive vice-president of the Air Transport Association Helen D. Mankin (D) February 12, 1946
Pennsylvania 33rd Samuel A. Weiss (D) Resigned January 7, 1946, after being elected judge of Common Pleas in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Frank Buchanan (D) May 21, 1946
Pennsylvania 23rd J. Buell Snyder (D) Died February 24, 1946 Carl H. Hoffman (R) May 21, 1946
North Carolina 8th William O. Burgin (D) Died April 11, 1946 Eliza Jane Pratt (D) May 25, 1946
Virginia 5th Thomas G. Burch (D) Resigned May 31, 1946, after being appointed to the U.S. Senate Thomas B. Stanley (D) November 5, 1946
Texas 6th Luther A. Johnson (D) Resigned July 17, 1946, after becoming judge of the United States Tax Court Olin E. Teague (D) August 24, 1946
Pennsylvania 10th John W. Murphy (D) Resigned July 17, 1946, to become judge of the US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania James P. Scoblick (R) November 5, 1946
Minnesota 3rd William Gallagher (DFL) Died August 13, 1946 Vacant Not filled this term
Puerto Rico at-large Jesús T. Piñero (PPD) Resigned September 2, 1946, after being appointed Governor of Puerto Rico Antonio Fernós-Isern (PPD) September 11, 1946
New York 4th William B. Barry (D) Died October 20, 1946 Vacant Not filled this term
Alabama 8th John Sparkman (D) Resigned November 6, 1946, after being elected to the U.S. Senate Vacant Not filled this term
Idaho 2nd Henry Dworshak (R) Resigned November 5, 1946, after being elected to the U.S. Senate Vacant Not filled this term
Virginia 7th Absalom W. Robertson (D) Resigned November 5, 1946, after being elected to the U.S. Senate Burr Harrison (D) November 5, 1946
Wisconsin 2nd Robert K. Henry (R) Died November 20, 1946 Vacant Not filled this term

Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders for members of the House and Senate committees can be found through the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of this article. The directory after the pages of terms of service lists committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and, after that, House/Senate committee assignments. On the committees section of the House and Senate in the Official Congressional Directory, the committee's members on the first row on the left side shows the chairman of the committee and on the right side shows the ranking member of the committee.

Joint committees

Caucuses

Employees

Legislative branch agency directors

Senate

House of Representatives

See also

Notes
  1. U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace's term as President of the Senate ended at noon January 20, 1945, when Harry S. Truman's term began.
  2. U.S. Vice President Truman's term as President of the Senate ended on April 12, 1945 when he ascended to the presidency. President pro tempore Kenneth McKellar acted his duties as the president of the Senate.
  3. When seated or oath administered, not necessarily when service began.

References
  1. Riddick, Floyd M. (1946). "The First Session of the Seventy-Ninth Congress". American Political Science Review. 40 (2): 256–271. doi:10.2307/1950680. ISSN 0003-0554.
  2. "Senate archive on the Joint Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack". Retrieved October 18, 2015.
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