81st United States Congress
The 81st United States Congress , made up of the House and Senate , was the United States' legislature . Its legislative term lasted from January 3, 1949 to January 3, 1951. All members of the House of Representatives and a third of the Senators ( Class II ) were elected in the state of Maine in the November 1948 and September congressional elections. This resulted in a majority in both chambers for the Democratic Party , which with Harry S. Truman also provided the president. The Republican Party only had the role of the opposition party. 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 1940 census .
Important events
- January 3, 1949: beginning of the legislative period of the 81st Congress
- January 20, 1949: President Truman inducted into his second and first full term.
- August 16, 1949: The office of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest military office in the American armed forces, is created.
- January 31, 1950: President Truman orders the construction of the hydrogen bomb in response to the Soviet Union's first atomic bomb attempts in 1949.
- June 27, 1950: Beginning of the Korean War . President Truman sends military units to defend South Korea. The rest of the legislature is overshadowed by this war.
The main laws
During the session of the 81st Congress, the following federal laws were passed ( see also: Legislative procedure ):
- June 20, 1949: Central Intelligence Agency Act
- May 5, 1950: Uniform Code of Military Justice
- October 25, 1949: Hospital Survey and Construction Amendments of 1949
- October 26, 1949: Fair Labor Standards Amendment
- October 31, 1949: Agricultural Act of 1949
- May 10, 1950: National Science Foundation Act
- September 8, 1950: Defense Production Act of 1950
- September 12, 1950: Budget and Accounting Procedures Act of 1950
- September 23, 1950: McCarran Internal Security Act
- September 30, 1950: Performance Rating Act
- August 15, 1950: Omnibus Medical Research Act
- December 29, 1950: Celler-Kefauver Act
Composition according to parties
senate
- Democratic Party: 53 (majority)
- Republican Party: 43
- Others (0
Total: 96
House of Representatives
- Democratic Party: 263 (majority)
- Republican Party: 171
- Others: 1
Total: 435
There were also three congressional delegates who were not entitled to vote
Public officials
senate
- President of the Senate : Vacant until January 20, 1949. Then Alben W. Barkley (D)
- President pro tempore : Kenneth McKellar (D)
Leadership of the majority party
- Majority Leader: Scott W. Lucas (D)
- Majority swip: Francis J. Myers (D)
Leadership of the minority party
- Minority Leader: Kenneth S. Wherry (R)
- Minority whip : Leverett Saltonstall (R)
House of Representatives
- House Speaker : Sam Rayburn (D)
Leadership of the majority party
- Majority Leader: John W. McCormack (D)
- Majority swip: Percy Priest , (D)
Leadership of the minority party
- Minority Leader: Joseph William Martin (R)
- Minority whip: Leslie C. Arends (R)
Senate members
The following senators represented their respective states in the 81st Congress:
Members of the House of Representatives
The following congressmen represented the interests of their respective states in the 81st Congress:
Members of the House of Representatives who are not entitled to vote:
Web links
- bioguide.congress.gov (by entering 81 under Year OR Congress: you get a list of the members of the 81st Congress with a link to the official biographies; English)