76th United States Congress
The 76th Congress of the United States , composed of the House and Senate , was the legislature of the United States . Its legislative term lasted from January 3, 1939 to January 3, 1941. All members of the House of Representatives and a third of the Senators ( Class III ) were elected in the state of Maine in the November 1938 and September congressional elections. This resulted in a majority in both chambers for the Democratic Party , which, along with Franklin D. Roosevelt, also provided the president. The Republican Party only had the role in the opposition. During the legislative period there were a few resignations and deaths, but these did not change the majority. The Congress met in the American capital Washington, DC The United States at that time consisted of 48 states. The distribution of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1930 census .
Important events
- January 3, 1939: Beginning of the legislative period of the 76th Congress
- April 9, 1939: African-American contralto Marian Anderson , who had been refused by conservative circles because of the color of her skin, sings to an audience of 75,000 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.
- August 2, 1939: Albert Einstein warns President Roosevelt in a letter of a possible development of the atomic bomb in Hitler's Germany. That leads to the Manhattan Project , the beginning of the American atomic bomb development.
- September 5, 1939: The United States declares its neutrality in the Second World War, which had broken out in Europe five days earlier .
- November 4, 1939: President Roosevelt enacts the so-called cash and carry clause , which allows the export of weapons and armaments to non-warring states.
- November 15, 1939: President Roosevelt lays the foundation stone for the Jefferson Memorial .
- May 16, 1940: Against the backdrop of World War II, President Roosevelt demands that Congress approve an extraordinary budget of $ 900 million to build at least 50,000 military aircraft per year.
- Aug 4, 1940: General John J. Pershing calls for American support for Britain during the war in a nationwide radio speech. The isolationists among them including Charles Lindbergh reject it.
- September 1940: The 45th Infantry Division of the United States Army is formed and trained from parts of the National Guards of the states of Arizona , Colorado , New Mexico , and Oklahoma and used in World War II from December 1941.
- September 2, 1940: The United States leases 50 destroyers to Great Britain in return for 99 years of leasing British bases in the North Atlantic, the West Indies and Bermuda.
- September 26, 1940: The USA imposes a first embargo on Japan, which mainly affects metal deliveries.
- October 16, 1940: Following the introduction of compulsory military service in the USA, the registration of around 16 million conscripts begins.
- November 5, 1940: presidential and congressional elections. President Roosevelt is the only US president to be elected to a third term. In Congress, the Democrats defend their majority in both chambers.
- December 17, 1940: President Roosevelt outlines his plan to help Britain through the proposed Lending Act .
- December 29, 1940: President Roosevelt declares, against the backdrop of the threats posed by Nazi Germany and Japan, that the US must become the great arsenal of democracy.
The main laws
During the session of the 76th Congress, the following federal laws were passed ( see also: Legislative procedure ):
- April 3, 1939: Reorganization Act of 1939
- August 2, 1939: Hatch Act of 1939
- November 4, 1939: Neutrality Act of 1939, see Neutrality Acts
- June 29, 1940: Smith Act see Alien Registration Act
- August 22, 1940: Act of August 22, 1940
- September 16, 1940: Selective Training and Service Act of 1940
Composition according to parties
senate
- Democratic Party: 68 (majority)
- Republican Party: 23
- Others: 4
- Vacant: 1
Total: 96
House of Representatives
- Democratic Party: 256 (majority)
- Republican Party: 173
- Others: 5
- Vacant: 1
Total: 435
There were also four congressional delegates who were not entitled to vote
Public officials
senate
- President of the Senate : John Nance Garner (D)
- President per tempore : Key Pittman (D) until November 10, 1940. Then William H. King (D)
Leadership of the majority party
- Majority Leader: Alben W. Barkley (D)
- Majority swip: Sherman Minton (D)
Leadership of the minority party
- Minority Leader: Charles L. McNary (R)
- Minority whip: vacant between 1935 and 1945
House of Representatives
- House Speaker : William B. Bankhead (D) until September 15, 1940, then Sam Rayburn (D)
Leadership of the majority party
- Majority Leader: Sam Rayburn (D) until September 15, 1940 then John W. McCormack (D)
- Majority swip: Patrick J. Boland , (D)
Leadership of the minority party
- Minority Leader: Joseph William Martin (R)
- Minority whip: Harry Lane Englebright (R)
Senate members
The following senators represented their respective states in the 76th Congress:
Members of the House of Representatives
The following congressmen represented the interests of their respective states in the 76th Congress:
Members of the House of Representatives who are not entitled to vote:
-
Alaska Territory :
- Anthony Dimond (D)
- Hawaii Territory :
- Philippines :
-
Puerto Rico :
- Santiago Iglesias until December 5, 1939
Web links
- bioguide.congress.gov (by entering 76 under Year OR Congress: you get a list of the members of the 76th Congress with a link to the official biographies; English)