83rd United States Congress
The 83rd United States Congress , made up of the House and Senate , was the United States' legislature . Its legislative term lasted from January 3, 1953 to January 3, 1955. All members of the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senators ( Class I ) were elected in Maine in the November 1952 and September congressional election. This resulted in a majority in both chambers for the Republican Party , which, with Dwight D. Eisenhower, also made up the president. The only remaining role for the Democratic Party was in the opposition. In the course of the legislative period there were minor changes in personnel due to 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 1950 census .
Important events
- January 3, 1953: beginning of the legislative period of the 83rd Congress
- January 20, 1953: President Eisenhower succeeds Harry S. Truman in his new office.
- March 5, 1953: Josef Stalin dies.
- March 6, 1953: Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer visits the United States.
- June 19, 1953: US citizens Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are executed for nuclear espionage in the USA.
- July 27, 1953: End of the Korean War .
- March 1, 1954: The USA detonates the most powerful hydrogen bomb to date in the Pacific, with a strength 600 times that of the Hiroshima bomb.
- May 17, 1954: The United States Supreme Court bans segregation in public schools.
- August 24, 1954: President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Communist Control Act of 1954, a law criminalizing membership of and support for the United States Communist Party.
- December 2, 1954: Senator Joseph McCarthy is reprimanded by the US Senate for improper conduct. He must hand over the chairmanship of the Government Operations Committee. That means the end of his political position of power. See also McCarthy era .
The main laws
During the session of the 83rd Congress, the following federal laws were passed ( see also: Legislative procedure ):
- July 3, 1953: Small Business Administration | Small Business Act
- August 7, 1953: Refugee Relief Act
- August 7, 1953: Submerged Lands Act
- August 14, 1953: Public Law 280
- May 13, 1954: Saint Lawrence Seaway
- August 12, 1954: Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act
- August 13, 1954: Multiple Mineral Development Act of 1954
- August 16, 1954: Internal Revenue Code of 1954
- Federal Unemployment Tax Act
- National Firearms Act
- August 24, 1954: Communist Control Act of 1954
- August 30, 1954: Atomic Energy Act of 1954
- 1954: Agricultural Act of 1954
- 1954: Water Facilities Act of 1954
Composition according to parties
senate
- Democratic Party: 47
- Republican Party: 48 (majority)
- Others: 1
Total: 96
House of Representatives
- Democratic Party: 213
- Republican Party: 221 (majority)
- Others: 1
Total: 435
There were also three congressional delegates who were not entitled to vote
Public officials
senate
- President of the Senate : Alben W. Barkley (D) until January 20, 1953. Then Richard Nixon (R).
- President pro tempore : Styles Bridges (R)
Leadership of the majority party
- Majority Leader: Robert A. Taft (R) through July 31, 1953, then William F. Knowland (R).
- Majority swip : Leverett Saltonstall (R)
Leadership of the minority party
- Minority Leader: Lyndon B. Johnson (D)
- Minority whip: Earle C. Clements (D)
House of Representatives
Leadership of the majority party
- Majority Leader: Charles A. Halleck (R)
- Majority swip: Leslie C. Arends (R)
Leadership of the minority party
- Minority Leader: Sam Rayburn (D)
- Minority whip: John W. McCormack (D)
Senate members
The following senators represented their respective states in the 83rd Congress:
Members of the House of Representatives
The following congressmen represented the interests of their respective states in the 83rd Congress:
Members of the House of Representatives who are not entitled to vote:
-
Alaska Territory :
- Bob Bartlett (D)
-
Hawaii Territory :
-
Joseph Rider Farrington (R) until June 19, 1954
- Elizabeth P. Farrington (R) from July 31, 1954
-
Joseph Rider Farrington (R) until June 19, 1954
- Puerto Rico :
Web links
- bioguide.congress.gov (by entering 83 under Year OR Congress: you get a list of the members of the 83rd Congress with a link to the official biographies; English)