74th United States Congress
74th United States Congress | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Seventy-fourth 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, 1935 to January 3, 1937, during the third and fourth years of Franklin Roosevelt's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Fifteenth Census of the United States in 1930. Both chambers had a Democratic supermajority.
Major events
- April 14, 1935: Dust Bowl: The great dust storm hit eastern New Mexico, Colorado, and western Oklahoma
- May 6, 1935: Executive Order 7034 created the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
- May 27, 1935: Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States: the U.S. Supreme Court declared the National Industrial Recovery Act unconstitutional
- June 12, 1935 – June 13, 1935: Senator Huey Long gave the second longest filibuster speech in Senate history up to that time, 15 hours and 30 minutes to retain a provision, opposed by President Franklin Roosevelt, requiring Senate confirmation for the National Recovery Administration's senior employees.[1]
- July 1, 1935: Charles Watkins was appointed as the first officially recognized Parliamentarian.[2]
- September 10, 1935: Senator Huey Long of Louisiana died, as the result of being shot by an assassin on September 8.
- March 1, 1936: Construction of Hoover Dam was completed.
- November 3, 1936: General elections
- U.S. presidential election, 1936: Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) was reelected with 60.8% of the vote over Alf Landon (R).
- United States Senate elections, 1936: Democrats gained 5 net seats during the election, and in combination with Democratic and Farmer-Labor interim appointments and the defection of George W. Norris from the Republican Party to become independent, the Republicans were reduced to 16 seats, the most lopsided Senate since Reconstruction.
- United States House of Representatives elections, 1936: Democrats gained twelve more net seats from the Republicans, bringing them above a three-fourths majority. This was the largest majority since Reconstruction. The last time a party won so decisively was in 1866.
- November 25, 1936: Abraham Lincoln Brigade sailed from New York City on its way to the Spanish Civil War
Major legislation
- April 27, 1935: Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, Sess. 1, ch. 85, 49 Stat. 163
- July 5, 1935: National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act), Sess. 1, ch. 372, 49 Stat. 449
- August 9, 1935: Motor Carrier Act, Sess. 1, ch. 498, 49 Stat. 546 (renamed part II of the Interstate Commerce Act)
- August 14, 1935: Social Security Act, including Aid to Dependent Children, Old Age Pension Act, Pub.L. 74–271, Sess. 1, ch. 531, 49 Stat. 620
- August 23, 1935: Banking Act of 1935 49 Stat. 694
- August 26, 1935: Public Utility Act (including: Title I: Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, Title II: Federal Power Act), Sess. 1, ch. 687, 49 Stat. 803
- August 30, 1935: Revenue Act of 1935, Sess. 1, ch. 829, 49 Stat. 1014
- August 31, 1935: Neutrality Act of 1935, Sess. 1, ch. 837, 49 Stat. 1081
- February 29, 1936: Neutrality Act of 1936, Sess. 2, ch. 106, 49 Stat. 1153
- May 20, 1936: Rural Electrification Act, Sess. 2, ch. 432, 49 Stat. 1363
- June 15, 1936: Commodities Exchange Act, Sess. 2, ch. 545, 49 Stat. 1491
- June 19, 1936: Robinson Patman Act, Sess. 2, ch. 592, 49 Stat. 1526
- June 22, 1936: Flood Control Act of 1936, Pub.L. 74–738, Sess. 2, ch. 688
- June 29, 1936: Merchant Marine Act, Sess. 2, ch. 250, 49 Stat. 1985
- June 30, 1936: Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act, Sess. 2, ch. 881, 49 Stat. 2036`
Party summary
Senate
Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (D) |
Farmer-Labor (FL) | Progressive (P) | Republican (R) | Other | |||
End of the previous congress | 60 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 96 | 0 |
Begin | 70 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 95 | 1 |
End | 73 | 21 | 96 | 0 | |||
Final voting share | 76.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 21.9% | 0.0% | ||
Beginning of the next congress | 75 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 95 | 1 |
House
Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (D) |
Farmer-Labor (FL) | Progressive (P) | Republican (R) | Other | |||
End of the previous congress | 311 | 5 | 0 | 114 | 0 | 430 | 5 |
Begin | 322 | 3 | 7 | 103 | 0 | 435 | 0 |
End | 308 | 100 | 418 | 17 | |||
Final voting share | 73.7% | 0.7% | 1.7% | 23.9% | 0.0% | ||
Beginning of the next congress | 334 | 5 | 7 | 88 | 1 | 435 | 0 |
Leaders
[ Section contents: Senate: Majority (D), Minority (R) • House: Majority (D), Minority (R) ]
Senate
Majority (Democratic) leadership
Minority (Republican) leadership
House of Representatives
- Speaker: Joseph W. Byrns (D), died June 4, 1936
- William B. Bankhead (D), elected June 4, 1936
Majority (Democratic) leadership
- Majority leader:
- William B. Bankhead, until June 4, 1936
- John J. O'Connor
- Majority whip: Patrick J. Boland
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: Edward T. Taylor
Minority (Republican) leadership
- Minority leader: Bertrand H. Snell
- Minority whip: Harry L. Englebright
- Republican Conference Chair: Frederick R. Lehlbach
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 are preceded by their district numbers.
- 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
- Non-voting members
Changes of Membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of this Congress.
Senate
State (class) |
Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
---|---|---|---|---|
West Virginia (1) |
Vacant | Holt qualified late due to age. | Rush D. Holt, Sr. (D) | June 21, 1935 |
New Mexico (1) |
Bronson M. Cutting (R) | Died May 6, 1935. Successor was appointed to serve until the next election, and was subsequently elected. | Dennis Chavez (D) | May 11, 1935 |
Louisiana (2) |
Huey Long (D) | Died September 10, 1935. Successor was appointed to serve until the next election. | Rose McConnell Long (D) | January 31, 1936 |
Minnesota (2) |
Thomas D. Schall (R) | Died December 22, 1935. Successor was appointed to serve until the next election. | Elmer Austin Benson (FL) | December 27, 1935 |
Florida (1) |
Park Trammell (D) | Died May 8, 1936. Successor was appointed to serve until the next election. | Scott Loftin (D) | May 26, 1936 |
Florida (3) |
Duncan U. Fletcher (D) | Died June 17, 1936. Successor was appointed to serve until the next election. | William Luther Hill (D) | July 1, 1936 |
Iowa (3) |
Richard L. Murphy (D) | Died July 16, 1936. Successor was elected. | Guy Gillette (D) | November 3, 1936 |
Michigan (2) |
James J. Couzens (R) | Died October 22, 1936. Successor was appointed to serve until the next election. | Prentiss M. Brown (D) | November 19, 1936 |
Minnesota (2) |
Elmer Austin Benson (FL) | Successor was elected November 3, 1936. | Guy V. Howard (R) | November 3, 1936 |
Florida (1) |
Scott Loftin (D) | Successor was elected November 3, 1936. | Charles O. Andrews (D) | November 4, 1936 |
Florida (3) |
William Luther Hill (D) | Successor was elected November 3, 1936. | Claude Pepper (D) | November 4, 1936 |
South Dakota (3) |
Peter Norbeck (R) | Died December 20, 1936. Successor was appointed to serve until the next election. | Herbert E. Hitchcock (D) | December 29, 1936 |
House of Representatives
District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
---|---|---|---|---|
Indiana 2nd | Vacant | Rep.-elect Frederick Landis died before being sworn in | Charles A. Halleck (R) | January 29, 1935 |
Rhode Island 1st | Francis Condon (D) | Resigned January 10, 1935 after being appointed associate justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court | Charles Risk (R) | August 6, 1935 |
New York 22nd | Anthony J. Griffin (D) | Died January 13, 1935 | Edward W. Curley (D) | November 5, 1935 |
Alabama 1st | John McDuffie (D) | Resigned March 2, 1935 after being appointed judge in US district court | Frank W. Boykin (D) | July 30, 1935 |
Illinois At-large | Michael L. Igoe (D) | Resigned June 2, 1935 after being appointed a US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Kentucky 4th | Cap R. Carden (D) | Died June 13, 1935 | Edward W. Creal (D) | November 5, 1935 |
Ohio At-large | Charles V. Truax (D) | Died August 9, 1935 | Daniel S. Earhart (D) | November 3, 1936 |
Illinois 23rd | William W. Arnold (D) | Resigned September 16, 1935 after being appointed a member of the US Board of Tax Appeals | Vacant until the next Congress | |
New York 2nd | William F. Brunner (D) | Resigned September 27, 1935 after being elected Sheriff of Queens County, New York | William B. Barry (D) | November 5, 1935 |
Michigan 3rd | Henry M. Kimball (R) | Died October 19, 1935 | Verner Main (R) | December 17, 1935 |
Washington 6th | Wesley Lloyd (D) | Died January 10, 1936 | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Resident Commissioner to the US House of Representatives from the Philippine Islands | Francisco A. Delgado (NAC) | Resigned February 14, 1936 after a successor qualified in accordance to a new form of government | Quintin Paredes (NAC) | February 14, 1936 |
Resident Commissioner to the US House of Representatives from the Philippine Islands | Pedro Guevara (NAC) | Resigned February 14, 1936 after the 2nd seat was abolished | None | |
New York 9th | Stephen A. Rudd (D) | Died March 31, 1936 | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Ohio 11th | Mell G. Underwood (D) | Resigned April 10, 1936 after being appointed to the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio | Peter F. Hammond (D) | November 3, 1936 |
Illinois 12th | John T. Buckbee (R) | Died April 23, 1936 | Vacant until the next Congress | |
New York 29th | William D. Thomas (R) | Died May 17, 1936 | Vacant until the next Congress | |
New Jersey 7th | Randolph Perkins (R) | Died May 25, 1936 | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Massachusetts 6th | A. Piatt Andrew (R) | Died June 3, 1936 | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Tennessee 5th | Jo Byrns (D) | Died June 4, 1936 | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Washington 5th | Samuel B. Hill (D) | Resigned June 25, 1936 after being appointed a member of the US Board of Tax Appeals | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Iowa 2nd | Bernhard M. Jacobsen (D) | Died June 30, 1936 | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Ohio 9th | Warren J. Duffey (D) | Died July 7, 1936 | Vacant until the next Congress | |
South Carolina 4th | John J. McSwain (D) | Died August 6, 1936 | Gabriel H. Mahon, Jr. (D) | November 3, 1936 |
Washington 1st | Marion Zioncheck (D) | Died August 7, 1936 | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Kentucky 1st | William V. Gregory (D) | Died October 10, 1936 | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Iowa 9th | Guy Gillette (D) | Resigned November 3, 1936 after being elected to the US Senate | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Michigan 11th | Prentiss M. Brown (D) | Resigned November 18, 1936 after being appointed to the US Senate | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Kentucky 2nd | Glover H. Cary (D) | Died December 5, 1936 | Vacant until the next Congress |
Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders.
Senate
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Air Mail and Ocean Mail Contracts (Special)
- Appropriations
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
- Banking and Currency
- Bankruptcy and Receiveship (Select)
- Campaign Expenditures Investigation (Special)
- Civil Service
- Claims
- Commerce
- District of Columbia
- Education and Labor
- Investigation Violations of Free Speech and the Rights of Labor
- Enrolled Bills
- Executive Agencies of the Government (Select)
- Expenditures in Executive Departments
- Finance
- Foreign Relations
- Immigration
- Immigration and Naturalization
- Indian Affairs
- Interoceanic Canals
- Interstate Commerce
- Judiciary
- Land and Water Policies of the United States (Special)
- Library
- Lobbying Activities (Select)
- Manufactures
- Military Affairs
- Mines and Mining
- Mississippi Flood Control Project (Select)
- Naval Affairs
- Patents
- Pensions
- Philippines Economic Condition (Special)
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Presidential and Senatorial Campaign Expenditures (Special)
- Printing
- Privileges and Elections
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Lands and Surveys
- Rules
- Silver (Special)
- Territories and Insular Affairs
- Virgin Islands (Select)
- Whole
- Wildlife Resources (Special)
- Wool Production (Special)
House of Representatives
- Accounts
- Agriculture
- American Retail Federation (Special)
- Appropriations
- Banking and Currency
- Census
- Civil Service
- Claims
- Coinage, Weights and Measures
- Disposition of Executive Papers
- District of Columbia
- Education
- Election of the President, Vice President and Representatives in Congress
- Elections
- Enrolled Bills
- Expenditures in the Executive Departments
- Flood Control
- Foreign Affairs
- Immigration and Naturalization
- Indian Affairs
- Insular Affairs
- Interstate and Foreign Commerce
- Invalid Pensions
- Irrigation and Reclamation
- Labor
- Memorials
- Merchant Marine and Fisheries
- Military Affairs
- Mines and Mining
- Naval Affairs
- Patents
- Pensions
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Lands
- Revision of Laws
- Rivers and Harbors
- Roads
- Rules
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Territories
- War Claims
- Ways and Means
- Whole
Joint committees
- Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
- Disposition of (Useless) Executive Papers
- The Library
- Taxation
Employees
- Architect of the Capitol: David Lynn
- Attending Physician of the United States Congress: George Calver
- Comptroller General of the United States: John R. McCarl (until June 30, 1936), vacant thereafter
- Librarian of Congress: Herbert Putnam
- Public Printer of the United States: Augustus E. Giegengack
Senate
- Parliamentarian:[2] Charles Watkins
House
- Clerk: South Trimble
- Doorkeeper: Joseph J. Sinnott
- Postmaster: Finis E. Scott
- Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler
- Sergeant at Arms: Kenneth Romney
- Chaplain: James Shera Montgomery - Methodist
See also
- United States elections, 1934 (elections leading to this Congress)
- United States elections, 1936 (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
References
- ↑ "Huey Long Filibusters". senate.gov.
- 1 2 "First Official Parliamentarian". senate.gov.
- ↑ http://www.ssa.gov/history/1930.html
- ↑ The Vice President of the United States serves as the President of the Senate. See U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 3, Clause 4
- ↑ 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." Source: Party Whips, via Senate.gov
- Party divisions, via senate.gov
- House of Representatives Session Calendar for the 74th Congress (PDF).
- Official Congressional Directory for the 74th Congress, 1st Session.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 74th Congress, 1st Session (Revision).
- Official Congressional Directory for the 74th Congress, 2nd Session.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 74th Congress, 2nd Session (Revision).