76th United States Congress
76th United States Congress | |
---|---|
75th โ โ 77th | |
January 3, 1939 โ January 3, 1941 | |
Members | 96 senators 435 representatives 5 non-voting delegates |
Senate majority | Democratic |
Senate President | John N. Garner (D) |
House majority | Democratic |
House Speaker | William B. Bankhead (D) (until September 15, 1940) Sam Rayburn (D) (from September 16, 1940) |
Sessions | |
1st: January 3, 1939 โ August 5, 1939 2nd: September 21, 1939 โ November 3, 1939 3rd: January 3, 1940 โ January 3, 1941 |
The 76th 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.[1][2] It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 1939, to January 3, 1941, during the seventh and eighth years of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1930 United States census.
Both chambers had a
The 76th is also the most recent Congress to have held a third session.
Major events
- April 9, 1939: African-American singer District of Columbia.
- August 2, 1939: atomic bomb using uranium. This led to the creation of the Manhattan Project.
- September 5, 1939: World War II: The United States declares its neutrality in the war.
- November 4, 1939: World War II: Neutrality Act of 1939, allowing cash-and-carry purchases of weaponsto non-belligerent nations.
- November 15, 1939: President Roosevelt laid the cornerstone of the Jefferson Memorial.
- April 1, 1940: 16th U.S. Census.
- May 16, 1940: World War II: President Roosevelt, addressed a joint session of Congress, asking for an extraordinary credit of approximately $900 million to finance construction of at least 50,000 airplanes per year.
- June 5, 1940: World War II: The United States Senate passes bill S4025 which allows the Department of Defense to sell outdated equipment to belligerents in wartime. In practice this allows the Roosevelt administration to sell certain navy vessels to Great Britain. The vote is watched closely by both the United Kingdom and Nazi Germany. The Nazis hope that the bill does not pass, the British hope that it will. The bill passes 67-18 in the United States Senate.[3]
- June 10, 1940: World War II: President Roosevelt denounced Italy's actions with his "Stab in the Back" speech during the graduation ceremonies of the University of Virginia.
- July 10, 1940: World War II: The United States Senate votes to confirm Frank Knox as Secretary of the Navy. The British hope he will be confirmed as he was openly sympathetic to them. Islationist Senators such as Burton K. Wheeler and Ellison D. Smith vote against the confirmation.[4]
- August 4, 1940: World War II: Gen. isolationist rally at Soldier Field in Chicago.
- September, 1940: The Ft. Sill and Louisiana, prior to serving in World War II.
- September 2, 1940: World War II: An agreement between America and North Atlantic, West Indies and Bermuda.
- September 26, 1940: World War II: The United States imposed a total embargo on all scrap metal shipments to Japan.
- October 16, 1940: The draft registration of approximately 16 million men began in the United States.
- October 29, 1940: The Selective Service System lottery was held in Washington, D.C.
- November 5, 1940: Republican challenger Wendell Willkieand became the United States's first and only third-term president.
- November 12, 1940: Case of restrictive covenantto be lifted.
- December 17, 1940: President Roosevelt, at his regular press conference, first outlined his plan to send aid to Great Britain that will become known as Lend-Lease.
- December 29, 1940: fireside chatto the nation, declared that the United States must become "the great arsenal of democracy."
- January 13, 1941: All persons born in Puerto Rico after this day were declared U.S. citizens by birth, through federal law 8 U.S.C. ยง 1402.
- January 20, 1941: Chief Justice swore in President Rooseveltfor a third term.
- January 27, 1941: World War II: U.S. Ambassador to Japan Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
- February 4, 1941: World War II: The United Service Organization(USO) was created to entertain American troops.
Hearings
- January 23, 1941: Aviator neutrality pact with Adolf Hitler.
Major legislation
- April 3, 1939:
- August 2, 1939:
- November 4, 1939:
- June 29, 1940: Alien Registration Act (Smith Act), 3d sess. ch. 439, 54 Stat. 670
- August 22, 1940: Pub. L.76โ768, 54 Stat. 789 (including Investment Company Act of 1940, Investment Advisers Act of 1940)
- September 16, 1940: Pub. L.76โ783
Party summary
Senate
Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (D) |
Independent (I) |
||||||
End of previous congress | 74 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 96 | 0 |
Begin | 69 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 96 | 0 |
End | 68 | 1 | 25 | ||||
Final voting share | 70.8% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 26.0% | 1.0% | ||
Beginning of next congress | 66 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 95 | 1 |
House of Representatives
House seats by party holding plurality in state | |
---|---|
80+% to 100% Democratic | 80+% to 100% Republican |
60+% to 80% Democratic | 60+% to 80% Republican |
Up to 60% Democratic | Up to 60% Republican |
Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (D) |
Wisconsin Progressive (WP) | Republican (R) | Other (O) |
|||||
End of previous congress | 324 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 89 | 1[a] | 426 | 9 |
Begin | 260 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 169 | 1 | 434 | 1 |
End | 256 | 167 | 428 | 7 | ||||
Final voting share | 59.8% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 39.0% | 0.2% | ||
Beginning of next congress | 268 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 162 | 0 | 435 | 0 |
Leadership
Senate
- John N. Garner(D)
- President pro tempore: Key Pittman (D), until November 10, 1940 (died)
- William H. King (D), from November 19, 1940
Majority (Democratic) leadership
- Majority Leader: Alben W. Barkley
- Majority Whip: Sherman Minton
- Democratic Caucus Secretary: Joshua B. Lee
Minority (Republican) leadership
- Charles McNary
- Frederick Hale
- National Senatorial Committee Chair: John G. Townsend Jr.
House of Representatives
- Speaker: William B. Bankhead (D), until September 15, 1940 (died)
- Sam Rayburn (D), from September 16, 1940
Majority (Democratic) leadership
- Majority Leader: Sam Rayburn, until September 16, 1940
- John W. McCormack, from September 16, 1940
- Democratic Whip: Patrick J. Boland
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: John W. McCormack, until September 16, 1940
- Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Patrick H. Drewry
Minority (Republican) leadership
- Joseph William Martin Jr.
- Harry Lane Englebright
- Republican Conference Chairman: Roy O. Woodruff
- Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: J. William Ditter
Members
Senate
Senators were 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, requiring reelection in 1940; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1942; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1944.
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
|
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
|
|
House of Representatives
The names of members are preceded by their district numbers.
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of this Congress.
Senate
State (class) |
Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[b] |
---|---|---|---|---|
Illinois (2) |
J. Hamilton Lewis (D) | Died April 9, 1939. Successor appointed April 14, 1939, to continue the term. |
James M. Slattery (D) | April 14, 1939 |
Kentucky (2) |
M. M. Logan (D) | Died October 3, 1939. Successor appointed October 10, 1939, to continue the term. Successor elected November 5, 1940, to finish the term.
|
Happy Chandler (D) | October 10, 1939 |
Idaho (2) |
William E. Borah (R) | Died January 19, 1940. Successor appointed January 27, 1940, to continue the term. Successor elected November 5, 1940, to finish the term.
|
John Thomas (R) | January 27, 1940 |
Vermont (3) |
Ernest W. Gibson (R)
|
Died June 20, 1940. Successor appointed June 24, 1940, to continue the term. |
Ernest W. Gibson Jr. (R) | June 24, 1940 |
Minnesota (2) |
Ernest Lundeen (FL) | Died August 31, 1940. Successor appointed October 14, 1940, to continue the term. Successor lost election to finish the term. |
Joseph H. Ball (R) | October 14, 1940 |
Nevada (1) |
Key Pittman (D) | Died November 10, 1940. Successor appointed November 27, 1940, to continue finish the term, also appointed to serve in the next term. |
Berkeley L. Bunker (D) | November 27, 1940 |
Illinois (2) |
James M. Slattery (D) | Interim appointee lost election November 21, 1940, to finish the term. | Charles W. Brooks (R)
|
November 22, 1940 |
Washington (1) |
Lewis B. Schwellenbach (D) | Resigned December 16, 1940, to become judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Successor appointed December 19, 1940, to finish the term. |
Monrad Wallgren (D) | December 19, 1940 |
House of Representatives
District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[b] |
---|---|---|---|---|
Maryland 5th | Vacant | Rep. Stephen W. Gambrill died in previous Congress | Lansdale Sasscer (D)
|
February 3, 1939 |
Arkansas 4th | William B. Cravens (D) | Died January 13, 1939 | William F. Cravens (D) | September 12, 1939 |
Pennsylvania 4th | J. Burrwood Daly (D) | Died March 12, 1939 | John E. Sheridan (D) | November 7, 1939 |
Tennessee 6th | Clarence W. Turner (D) | Died March 23, 1939 | W. Wirt Courtney (D) | May 11, 1939 |
Maryland 1st | Thomas A. Goldsborough (D) | Resigned April 5, 1939, after being appointed associate justice of the District Court of the United States for the District of Columbia | David J. Ward (D) | June 8, 1939 |
New York 34th | Bert Lord (R) | Died May 24, 1939 | Edwin A. Hall (R) | November 7, 1939 |
Georgia 4th | Emmett M. Owen (D)
|
Died June 21, 1939 | A. Sidney Camp (D)
|
August 1, 1939 |
Wisconsin 3rd | Harry W. Griswold (R) | Died July 4, 1939 | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Tennessee 3rd | Sam D. McReynolds (D)
|
Died July 11, 1939 | Estes Kefauver (D) | September 13, 1939 |
California 18th | Thomas M. Eaton (R) | Died September 16, 1939 | Vacant until the next Congress | |
South Carolina 1st | Thomas S. McMillan (D) | Died September 29, 1939 | Clara G. McMillan (D) | November 7, 1939 |
Ohio 22nd | Chester C. Bolton (R) | Died October 29, 1939 | Frances P. Bolton (R) | February 27, 1940 |
Tennessee 2nd | J. Will Taylor (R) | Died November 14, 1939 | John Jennings Jr. (R) | December 30, 1939 |
Puerto Rico at-large
|
Santiago Iglesias (Coalitionist) | Died December 5, 1939 | Bolรญvar Pagรกn (Socialist) | December 26, 1939 |
Colorado 3rd | John A. Martin (D) | Died December 23, 1939 | William E. Burney (D) | November 5, 1940 |
Michigan 5th | Carl E. Mapes (R) | Died December 12, 1939 | Bartel J. Jonkman (R) | February 19, 1940 |
New York 14th | William I. Sirovich (D) | Died December 17, 1939 | Morris M. Edelstein (D) | February 6, 1940 |
Ohio 17th | William A. Ashbrook (D) | Died January 1, 1940 | J. Harry McGregor (R) | February 27, 1940 |
Nebraska 1st | George H. Heinke (R) | Died January 2, 1940 | John H. Sweet (R) | April 19, 1940 |
Tennessee 9th | Clift Chandler (D) | Resigned January 2, 1940, after being elected Mayor of Memphis
|
Clifford Davis (D) | February 15, 1940 |
New York 31st | Wallace E. Pierce (R) | Died January 3, 1940 | Clarence E. Kilburn (R) | February 13, 1940 |
New York 22nd | Edward W. Curley (D) | Died January 6, 1940 | Walter A. Lynch (D) | February 20, 1940 |
Iowa 6th | Cassius C. Dowell (R) | Died February 4, 1940 | Robert K. Goodwin (R) | March 5, 1940 |
Maine 2nd | Clyde Smith (R) | Died April 8, 1940 | Margaret Chase Smith (R) | June 3, 1940 |
Georgia 8th | W. Benjamin Gibbs (D) | Died August 7, 1940 | Florence Reville Gibbs (D) | October 1, 1940 |
New Jersey 8th | George N. Seger (R) | Died August 26, 1940 | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Alabama 7th | William B. Bankhead (D) | Died September 15, 1940 | Zadoc L. Weatherford (D) | November 5, 1940 |
North Carolina 1st | Lindsay C. Warren (D)
|
Resigned October 31, 1940, after being appointed Comptroller General of the United States | Herbert C. Bonner (D) | November 5, 1940 |
Texas 18th | John Marvin Jones (D) | Resigned November 20, 1940, to become judge of the United States Court of Claims | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Louisiana 2nd | Paul H. Maloney (D) | Resigned December 15, 1940, to become Collector of Internal Revenue for New Orleans District | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Washington 2nd | Monrad Wallgren (D) | Resigned December 19, 1940, after being appointed to the US Senate having already been elected.
|
Vacant until the next Congress | |
Missouri 11th | Thomas C. Hennings Jr. (D) | Resigned December 31, 1940, to become candidate for Circuit attorney of St. Louis | Vacant until the next Congress |
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.
Senate
|
House of Representatives
|
Joint committees
- Conditions of Indian Tribes(Special)
- Disposition of (Useless) Executive Papers
- Eradication of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly
- Forestry
- The Library (Chairman: Sen. Alben W. Barkley)
- To Investigate Phosphate Resource of the United States (Chairman: N/A; Vice Chairman: Rep. J. Hardin Peterson)
- Printing (Chairman: N/A; Vice Chairman: Sen. Carl Hayden)
- Taxation (Chairman: Rep. Robert L. Doughton; Vice Chairman: Sen. Pat Harrison)
- A. Victor Donahey; Vice Chairman: N/A)
Caucuses
- Democratic (House)
- Democratic (Senate)
Employees
Legislative branch agency directors
- Architect of the Capitol: David Lynn
- Attending Physician of the United States Congress: George Calver
- Comptroller General of the United States: vacant, until April 11, 1939
- Fred H. Brown, April 11, 1939 - June 19, 1940
- vacant, June 19, 1940 - November 1, 1940
- Lindsay C. Warren, from November 1, 1940
- Librarian of Congress: Herbert Putnam, until 1939
- Archibald MacLeish, from 1939
- Public Printer of the United States: Augustus E. Giegengack
Senate
- Chaplain: ZeBarney Thorne Phillips (Episcopal)
- Parliamentarian: Charles Watkins
- Secretary for the Majority: Leslie Biffle
- Secretary for the Minority: Carl A. Loeffler
- Secretary: Edwin A. Halsey
- Librarian: Ruskin McArdle
- Chesley W. Jurney
House of Representatives
- Methodist)
- Clerk: South Trimble
- Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler
- Postmaster: Finis E. Scott
- Doorkeeper: Joseph J. Sinnott
- Reading Clerks: Roger M. Calloway (D) and Alney E. Chaffee (R)
- Sergeant at Arms: Kenneth Romney
In popular culture
- It appears in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
See also
- 1938 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
- 1940 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
Notes
- ^ Progressive
- ^ a b When seated or oath administered, not necessarily when service began.
References
- House of Representatives Session Calendar for the 76th Congress (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 76th Congress, 1st Session.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 76th Congress, 1st Session (Revision).
- Official Congressional Directory for the 76th Congress, 3rd Session.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 76th Congress, 3rd Session (Revision).