80th United States Congress
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The 80th 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, 1947, to January 3, 1949, during the third and fourth years of 33rd President Harry S. Truman's administration (1945–1953). This congressional term featured the most recent special Senate sessions. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1940 United States census.
The Republicans won the majority in both chambers, marking the first time since the 71st Congress of 1929–1931 that they held full control of Congress, and the first time since the 72nd Congress of 1931–1933 that they held control of either of the two chambers. This also ended a 14-year Democratic overall federal government trifecta period, dating back to the 73rd Congress (1933–1935) when Truman's predecessor Franklin D. Roosevelt took office. This ties with the previous 14-year Republican trifecta from 1897 to 1911 as the longest trifectas of Congress, and is the last time (as of the year 2024) that a trifecta was achieved that lasted longer than a decade.
Although the 80th Congress passed a total of 906 public bills, President Truman nicknamed it during his campaign speeches and remarks as the "Do Nothing Congress" and, during the 1948 elections, campaigned as much against it as against his formal opponent, Thomas E. Dewey of New York, the Republican presidential nominee. The 80th Congress did, however, pass several significant bills with bipartisan support, most famously the Truman Doctrine (on Greece-Turkey anti-communists' aid in the developing Cold War with former ally the Soviet Union), the Marshall Plan (aid for devastated Europe after World War II), and the Taft–Hartley Act of 1947 on labor relations (over Truman's veto), but it opposed most of Truman's Fair Deal domestic programs bills.
Major events
- January 3, 1947: Proceedings of the United States Congress were televised for the first time.
- March 12, 1947: In a Joint Session of Congress, President Truman proclaimed the Truman Doctrine.
- July 18, 1947: The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean (occupied since 1943-1945 of the Second World War), entered into a trusteeship with the new international organization United Nations and administered by the United States for the next few decades.
- November 24, 1947: The House of Representatives approved citations of contempt of Congress against the so-called Hollywood 10.
- July 20, 1948: President Truman issued the second peacetime military draft in the United States amid increasing tensions of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, which endured until the early 1970s.
- July 26, 1948: Turnip Day Session begins, special session called by Truman on July 15, 1948, before November elections; President Truman signed Executive Order 9981, ending racial segregation in the United States Armed Forces since the Reconstruction era of the 1860s/1870s.
- August 25, 1948: House of Representatives Un-American Activities Committee held the first-ever televised congressional hearing: "Confrontation Day" between alleged Communist sympathizers from the 1930s of Time magazine journalist Whittaker Chambers and former friend State Department official Alger Hiss.
- November 2, 1948: United States general elections, 1948: Presidential election: Democrat incumbent President Harry Truman, in an upset victory, defeated Republican Thomas E. Dewey (Governor of New York), and third and fourth minority parties candidates: Governor of South Carolina (and longtime future U.S. Senator) Strom Thurmond, and former Vice President Henry A. Wallace; Democrats regained majority control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives for the next two years in the coming 81st Congress.
Major legislation
- May 22, 1947: Assistance to Greece and Turkey Act (Truman Doctrine), Sess. 1, ch. 81, Pub. L. , 61 Stat.
- June 23, 1947: Taft–Hartley Act, Sess. 1, ch. 120, Pub. L. , 61 Stat.
- July 18, 1947: Presidential Succession Act of 1947, Sess. 1, ch. 264, Pub. L. , 61 Stat.
- July 26, 1947: National Security Act of 1947, Sess. 1, ch. 343, Pub. L. , 61 Stat.
- August 7, 1947: Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands, Sess. 1, ch. 513, Pub. L. , 61 Stat.
- January 27, 1948: United States Information and Educational Exchange Act, Sess. 2, ch. 36, Pub. L. , 62 Stat.
- April 3, 1948: Foreign Assistance Act (Marshall Plan), Pub. L. , Sess. 2, ch. 169, 62 Stat.
- April 3, 1948: Greek-Turkish Assistance Act of 1948 (Marshall Plan), Sess. 2, ch. 169, Pub. L. , Title III, 62 Stat.
- May 26, 1948: Civil Air Patrol Act, Sess. 2, ch. 349, Pub. L. , 62 Stat.
- June 12, 1948: Women's Armed Services Integration Act, Sess. 2, ch. 449, Pub. L. , 62 Stat.
- June 17, 1948: Reed-Bulwinkle Act, Sess. 2, ch. 491, Pub. L. , 62 Stat.
- June 25, 1948: Codify and enact into law Title 3 of the United States Code – "The President", Sess. 2, ch. 644, Pub. L. , 62 Stat.
- June 28, 1948: Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act of 1948, Pub. L. , 62 Stat.
- June 30, 1948: Federal Water Pollution Control Act, Sess. 2, ch. 758, Pub. L. , 62 Stat.
- July 3, 1948: War Claims Act of 1948, Sess. 2, ch. 826, Pub. L. , 62 Stat.
- July 3, 1948: Agricultural Act of 1948, Sess. 2, ch. 827, Pub. L. , 62 Stat.
Constitutional amendments
- March 21, 1947: Approved an amendment to the United States Constitution setting a term limit for election and overall time of service to the office of President of the United States, and submitted it to the state legislatures for ratification Amendment was later ratified on February 27, 1951, becoming the Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution
Party summary
Senate
| Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) | Progressive (P) | Republican (R) | |||
| End of previous congress | 53 | 1 | 42 | 96 | 0 |
| Begin | 45 | 0 | 51 | 96 | 0 |
| End | |||||
| Final voting share | 46.9% | 0.0% | 53.1% | ||
| Beginning of next congress | 54 | 0 | 42 | 96 | 0 |
House of Representatives
From the beginning to the end of this Congress, there was no net change in party power. The Democrats lost one seat, which remained vacant until the next Congress.
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democratic | American Labor | Progressive | Vacant | ||
| End of previous Congress | 191 | 236 | 1 | 1 | 429 | 6 |
| Begin | 245 | 187 | 1 | 0 | 433 | 2 |
| End | 242 | 186 | 2 | 430 | 5 | |
| Final voting share | 56.7% | 43.1% | 0.2% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of the next Congress | 171 | 262 | 1 | 0 | 434 | 1 |
Leadership
Section contents: Senate: Majority (R), Minority (D) • House: Majority (R), Minority (D)
Senate
- President: Vacant
- President pro tempore: Arthur Vandenberg (R)
Majority (Republican) leadership
- Majority leader: Wallace H. White Jr.
- Majority whip: Kenneth S. Wherry
- Republican Conference Chairman: Eugene Millikin
- Republican Conference Secretary: Milton Young
- National Senatorial Committee Chair: Owen Brewster
- Policy Committee Chairman: Robert A. Taft
Minority (Democratic) leadership
- Minority leader: Alben W. Barkley
- Minority whip: Scott W. Lucas
- Democratic Caucus Secretary: Brien McMahon
- Policy Committee Chairman: Alben W. Barkley
House of Representatives
Majority (Republican) leadership
- Majority Leader: Charles A. Halleck
- Republican Whip: Leslie C. Arends
- Republican Conference Chairman: Roy O. Woodruff
- Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: Leonard W. Hall
Minority (Democratic) leadership
- Minority Leader: Sam Rayburn
- Democratic Whip: John W. McCormack
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: Aime Forand
- Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Michael J. Kirwan
Caucuses
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 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1948; Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1950; and Class 1 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1952.
House of Representatives
The names of representatives elected statewide at-large, are preceded by an "At-large", and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.
The congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress
Senate
There were three deaths, two resignations, and one lost mid-term election.
| State (class) | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi (1) | Theodore G. Bilbo (D) | Died August 21, 1947. Successor was elected November 17, 1947. | John C. Stennis (D) | November 17, 1947 |
| Louisiana (3) | John H. Overton (D) | Died May 14, 1948. Successor was appointed to continue the term. | William C. Feazel (D) | May 18, 1948 |
| South Dakota (2) | Harlan J. Bushfield (R) | Died September 27, 1948. Successor was appointed to finish the term. | Vera C. Bushfield (R) | October 6, 1948 |
| South Dakota (2) | Vera C. Bushfield (R) | Interim appointee resigned December 26, 1948. Successor was appointed to finish the term. | Karl E. Mundt (R) | December 31, 1948 |
| Louisiana (3) | William C. Feazel (D) | Interim appointee retired when successor elected. Successor was elected December 31, 1948. | Russell B. Long (D) | December 31, 1948 |
| North Carolina (2) | William B. Umstead (D) | Interim appointee lost election to finish the term. Successor was elected December 31, 1948. | J. Melville Broughton (D) | December 31, 1948 |
House of Representatives
There were nine deaths and seven resignations.
| District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama 8th | Vacant | John Sparkman resigned in previous Congress after being elected to the US Senate having been re-elected as well. | Robert E. Jones Jr. (D) | Seated January 28, 1947 |
| Wisconsin 2nd | Vacant | Representative Robert Kirkland Henry died during previous Congress having been previously re-elected. | Glenn Robert Davis (R) | Seated April 22, 1947 |
| Washington 3rd | Fred B. Norman (R) | Died April 18, 1947 | Russell V. Mack (R) | Seated June 7, 1947 |
| Pennsylvania 8th | Charles L. Gerlach (R) | Died May 5, 1947 | Franklin H. Lichtenwalter (R) | Seated September 9, 1947 |
| Maryland 3rd | Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. (D) | Resigned May 16, 1947, after being elected Mayor of Baltimore | Edward Garmatz (D) | Seated July 15, 1947 |
| Michigan 11th | Frederick Van Ness Bradley (R) | Died May 24, 1947 | Charles E. Potter (R) | Seated August 26, 1947 |
| Texas 9th | Joseph J. Mansfield (D) | Died July 12, 1947 | Clark W. Thompson (D) | Seated August 23, 1947 |
| Texas 16th | R. Ewing Thomason (D) | Resigned July 31, 1947, after being appointed as a judge of the US District Court for the Western District of Texas | Kenneth M. Regan (D) | Seated August 23, 1947 |
| Massachusetts 9th | Charles L. Gifford (R) | Died August 23, 1947 | Donald W. Nicholson (R) | Seated November 18, 1947 |
| Indiana 10th | Raymond S. Springer (R) | Died August 28, 1947 | Ralph Harvey (R) | Seated November 4, 1947 |
| Ohio 4th | Robert Franklin Jones (R) | Resigned September 2, 1947, to become a member of the Federal Communications Commission | William Moore McCulloch (R) | Seated November 4, 1947 |
| New York 14th | Leo F. Rayfiel (D) | Resigned September 13, 1947, having been appointed a judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York | Abraham J. Multer (D) | Seated November 4, 1947 |
| Illinois 21st | George Evan Howell (R) | Resigned October 5, 1947, after being appointed judge of the US Court of Claims | Vacant until next Congress | |
| Virginia 4th | Patrick H. Drewry (D) | Died December 21, 1947 | Watkins Moorman Abbitt (D) | Seated February 17, 1948 |
| New York 24th | Benjamin J. Rabin (D) | Resigned December 31, 1947 | Leo Isacson (AL) | Seated February 17, 1948 |
| Kentucky 2nd | Earle Clements (D) | Resigned January 6, 1948, to become Governor of Kentucky | John A. Whitaker (D) | Seated April 17, 1948 |
| Kentucky 9th | John M. Robsion (R) | Died February 17, 1948 | William Lewis (R) | Seated April 24, 1948 |
| Missouri 10th | Orville Zimmerman (D) | Died April 7, 1948 | Paul C. Jones (D) | Seated November 2, 1948 |
| Virginia 6th | J. Lindsay Almond (D) | Resigned April 17, 1948, having been elected attorney General of Virginia | Clarence G. Burton (D) | Seated November 2, 1948 |
| Illinois 7th | Thomas L. Owens (R) | Died June 7, 1948 | Vacant until next Congress | |
| Indiana 6th | Noble J. Johnson (R) | Resigned July 1, 1948, after being appointed as judge of US Court of Customs & Patent Appeals | Vacant until next Congress | |
| Texas 15th | Milton H. West (D) | Died October 28, 1948 | Lloyd Bentsen (D) | Seated December 4, 1948 |
| New York 7th | John J. Delaney (D) | Died November 18, 1948 | Vacant until next Congress | |
| South Dakota 1st | Karl E. Mundt (R) | Resigned December 30, 1948, after being appointed to the U.S. Senate having already been elected. | Vacant until 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
- Agriculture and Forestry (Chairman: Arthur Capper; Ranking Member: Elmer Thomas)
- Appropriations (Chairman: Styles Bridges; Ranking Member: Kenneth McKellar)
- Armed Services (Chairman: Chan Gurney; Ranking Member: Millard E. Tydings)
- Banking and Currency (Chairman: Charles W. Tobey; Ranking Member: Robert F. Wagner)
- Civil Service (Chairman: William Langer; Ranking Member: Dennis Chavez)
- District of Columbia (Chairman: C. Douglass Buck; Ranking Member: N/A)
- Expenditures in Executive Departments (Chairman: George D. Aiken; Ranking Member: John L. McClellan)
- Finance (Chairman: Eugene D. Millikin; Ranking Member: Walter F. George)
- Foreign Relations (Chairman: Arthur H. Vandenberg; Ranking Member: Tom Connally)
- Interstate and Foreign Commerce (Chairman: Wallace H. White Jr.; Ranking Member: Edwin C. Johnson)
- Investigate the National Defense Program (Special) (Chairman: Owen Brewster)
- Judiciary (Chairman: Alexander Wiley; Ranking Member: Pat McCarran)
- Labor and Public Welfare (Chairman: Robert A. Taft; Ranking Member: Elbert D. Thomas)
- Petroleum Resources (Special)
- Public Lands (Chairman: Hugh A. Butler; Ranking Member: Carl A. Hatch)
- Public Works (Chairman: W. Chapman Revercomb; Ranking Member: John H. Overton)
- Remodeling the Senate Chamber (Special)
- Rules and Administration (Chairman: C. Wayland Brooks; Ranking Member: Carl Hayden)
- Small Business Enterprises (Special) (Chairman: Kenneth S. Wherry)
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Agriculture (Chairman: Clifford R. Hope; Ranking Member: John W. Flannagan Jr.)
- Appropriations (Chairman: John Taber; Ranking Member: Clarence Cannon)
- Armed Services (Chairman: Walter G. Andrews; Ranking Member: Carl Vinson)
- Banking and Currency (Chairman: Jesse P. Wolcott; Ranking Member: Brent Spence)
- District of Columbia (Chairman: Everett M. Dirksen; Ranking Member: John L. McMillan)
- Education and Labor (Chairman: Fred A. Hartley Jr.; Ranking Member: John Lesinski)
- Expenditures in the Executive Departments (Chairman: Clare E. Hoffman; Ranking Member: Carter Manasco)
- Foreign Affairs (Chairman: Charles Aubrey Eaton; Ranking Member: Sol Bloom)
- Foreign Aid (Select) (Chairman: Charles Aubrey Eaton)
- House Administration (Chairman: Karl M. LeCompte; Ranking Member: Mary Teresa Norton)
- Investigate Commodity Transactions (Select) (Chairman: August H. Andresen)
- Investigate Federal Communications Commission (Select) (Chairman: Forest A. Harness)
- Interstate and Foreign Commerce (Chairman: Charles A. Wolverton; Ranking Member: Clarence F. Lea)
- Judiciary (Chairman: Earl C. Michener; Ranking Member: Emanuel Celler)
- Merchant Marine and Fisheries (Chairman: Alvin F. Weichel; Ranking Member: S. Otis Bland)
- Newsprint and Paper Supply (Select) (Chairman: N/A; Ranking Member: N/A)
- Post Office and Civil Service (Chairman: Edward H. Rees; Ranking Member: Tom J. Murray)
- Public Lands (Chairman: Richard J. Welch; Ranking Member: Andrew L. Somers)
- Public Works (Chairman: George Anthony Dondero; Ranking Member: Joseph J. Mansfield then William M. Whittington)
- Rules (Chairman: Leo E. Allen; Ranking Member: Adolph J. Sabath)
- Small Business (Select) (Chairman: Walter C. Ploeser)
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Un-American Activities (Chairman: J. Parnell Thomas; Ranking Member: John S. Wood)
- Veterans' Affairs (Chairman: Edith Nourse Rogers; Ranking Member: John E. Rankin)
- Ways and Means (Chairman: Harold Knutson; Ranking Member: Robert L. Doughton)
- Whole
Joint committees
- Atomic Energy (Chairman: Sen. Bourke B. Hickenlooper; Vice Chairman: Rep. W. Sterling Cole)
- Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
- Economic (Chairman: Sen. Robert A. Taft; Vice Chairman: Rep. Jesse P. Wolcott)
- Disposition of Executive Papers
- Foreign Economic Cooperation
- Housing
- Labor Management Relations
- Legislative Budget
- The Library (Chairman: Sen. C. Wayland Brooks)
- To Study Pacific Islands
- Printing (Chairman: Sen. William E. Jenner; Vice Chairman: Rep. Karl M. LeCompte)
- Reduction of Nonessential Federal Expenditures (Chairman: Sen. Harry F. Byrd; Vice Chairman: Rep. Robert L. Doughton)
- Selective Service Deferments
- Taxation (Chairman: Rep. Harold Knutson; Vice Chairman: Sen. Eugene D. Millikin)
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: Lindsay C. Warren
- Librarian of Congress: Luther H. Evans
- Public Printer of the United States: Augustus E. Giegengack, until 1948 John J. Deviny, from 1948
Senate
- Chaplain: Peter Marshall (Presbyterian)
- Parliamentarian: Charles Watkins
- Secretary: Carl A. Loeffler
- Librarian: George W. Straubinger
- Secretary for the Majority: J. Mark Trice
- Secretary for the Minority: Felton McLellan Johnston
- Sergeant at Arms: Edward F. McGinnis
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: James Shera Montgomery (Methodist)
- Clerk: John Andrews
- Doorkeeper: M. L. Meletio
- Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler
- Postmaster: Frank W. Collier, until October 15, 1948; vacant thereafter
- Reading Clerks: George J. Maurer (D) and Alney E. Chaffee (R)
- Sergeant at Arms: William F. Russell
See also
- 1946 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress) 1946 United States Senate elections 1946 United States House of Representatives elections
- 1948 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress) 1948 United States presidential election 1948 United States Senate elections 1948 United States House of Representatives elections
- Turnip Day Session (July–August 1948)
Explanatory notes
Citations
External links
- (PDF). Archived from (PDF) on September 20, 2018.
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