70th United States Congress

The 70th Congress of the United States , made up of the House and Senate , was the legislature of the United States . Its legislative term lasted from March 4, 1927 to March 4, 1929. 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 1926 and September congressional elections. This resulted in a majority in both chambers for the Republican Party, which with Calvin Coolidge also provided the president. The only remaining role for the Democratic Party was 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 1910 census . (Due to a lack of political majorities, the actual adjustment was not made based on the figures from the 1920 census . The next adjustment was not made until 1933 with the data from the 1930 census ).

Important events

March 4, 1927: Beginning of the legislative period of the 70th Congress
April to August 1927: The Mississippi flood . At its peak, 700,000 people will be evacuated and an area of 70,000 km² in the states of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee inundated.
May 4, 1927: The Treaty of Espino Negro (also known as the “Treaty of Tipitapa”) is concluded between the USA and Nicaragua , which allows the USA to intervene in Nicaragua at any time and to place the police there under US orders.
May 20, 1927: Charles Lindbergh flies non-stop from New York City to Paris .
June 4 to 6, 1927: The American aviator Clarence Duncan Chamberlin flies for the first time together with a passenger non-stop from New York across the Atlantic to Germany.
August 23, 1927: Sacco and Vanzetti are executed on the electric chair.
November 25, 1927: Over 70 governments sign an "International Radiotelegraphic Agreement" in Washington.
January 7, 1928: Walt Disney invents Mickey Mouse .
February 10, 1928: First radio communication from Germany to the USA
March 12, 1928: About 400 people died when a dam broke near Los Angeles .
June 9, 1928: The first trans-Pacific flight is made by the pilot Charles Kingsford Smith and his three companions Charles Ulm, James Warner and Harry Lyon in their Southern Cross aircraft . After taking off on May 31, their flight from Oakland in California led in three stages with stopovers to Brisbane .
August 1928: First flight of the Boeing 80
September 13, 1928: The Okeechobee hurricane devastated the islands of the Caribbean and the east coast of the United States. At least 4,075 people are killed.
November 6, 1928: US presidential and congressional elections. The Republican Herbert Hoover becomes the new president (takes office March 4, 1929). In Congress, the Republicans defended their majority in both chambers.

The main laws

During the session of the 70th Congress, the following federal laws were passed ( see also: Legislative procedure ):

March 10, 1928: Settlement of War Claims Act
May 15, 1928: Flood Control Act of 1928
May 22, 1928: Merchant Marine Act of 1928
May 22, 1928: Forest Research Act
May 22, 1928: Capper – Ketcham Act
May 28, 1928: Welsh Act
May 29, 1928: Revenue Act of 1928
May 29, 1928: Reed – Jenkins Act
December 21, 1928: Boulder Canyon Project Act see also Hoover Dam
December 22, 1928: Color of Title Act
January 19, 1929: Hawes – Cooper Act
February 18, 1929: Migratory Bird Conservation Act
March 2, 1929: Increased Penalties Act

Composition according to parties

senate

Democratic Party: 47
Republican Party: 48 (majority)
Others: 1

Total: 96

House of Representatives

Democratic Party: 204
Republican Party: 224 (majority)
Others: 6
Vacant: 1

Total: 435

There were also five congressional delegates who were not entitled to vote

Public officials

senate

President of the Senate : Charles Gates Dawes (R)
President pro tempore : George H. Moses (R)

Leadership of the majority party

Majority Leader: Charles Curtis (R)

Majority whip : Wesley Livsey Jones (R)

Leadership of the minority party

Minority Leader: Joseph Taylor Robinson (D)
Minority whip: Peter G. Gerry (D)

House of Representatives

House Speaker : Nicholas Longworth (R)

Leadership of the majority party

Majority Leader: John Q. Tilson (R)

Leadership of the minority party

Minority Leader: Finis J. Garrett (D)

Senate members

The following senators represented their respective states in the 70th Congress:

Alabama

2. James Thomas Heflin (D)
3. Hugo Black (D)

Arizona

1. Henry F. Ashurst (D)
3. Carl Hayden (D)

Arkansas

2. Joseph Taylor Robinson (D)
3. Thaddeus H. Caraway (D)

California

1. Hiram Johnson (R)
3. Samuel M. Shortridge (R)

Colorado

2. Lawrence C. Phipps (R)
3. Charles W. Waterman (R)

Connecticut

1. George P. McLean (R)
3. Hiram Bingham (R)

Delaware

1. Thomas F. Bayard Jr. (D)
2. T. Coleman du Pont (R) until December 9, 1928
- Daniel O. Hastings (R) from December 10, 1928

Florida

1. Park Trammell (D)
3. Duncan U. Fletcher (D)

Georgia

2. William J. Harris (D)
3. Walter F. George (D)

Idaho

2. William Borah (R)
3. Frank Gooding (R) until June 24, 1928
- John W. Thomas (R) from June 30, 1928

Illinois

2. Charles S. Deneen (R)
3. Frank L. Smith (R) was not admitted to the Senate (see article) and resigned on Feb. 9, 1928.
- Otis F. Glenn (R) from December 3, 1928

Indiana

1. Arthur Raymond Robinson (R)
3. James Eli Watson (R)

Iowa

2. Daniel F. Steck (D)
3. Smith W. Brookhart (R)

Kansas

2. Arthur Capper (R)
3. Charles Curtis (R)

Kentucky

2. Frederic M. Sackett (R)
3. Albums W. Barkley (D)

Louisiana

2. Joseph E. Ransdell (D)
3. Edwin S. Broussard (D)

Maine

1. Frederick Hale (R)
2. Arthur R. Gould (R)

Maryland

1. William Cabell Bruce (D)
3. Millard Tydings (D)

Massachusetts

1. David I. Walsh (D)
2. Frederick H. Gillett (R)

Michigan

1. Woodbridge Nathan Ferris (D) until March 23, 1928
- Arthur H. Vandenberg (R) from March 31, 1928
2. James J. Couzens (R)

Minnesota

1. Henrik Shipstead (Farmer Labor Party)
2. Thomas David Schall (R)

Mississippi

1. Hubert D. Stephens (D)
2. Pat Harrison (D)

Missouri

1. James A. Reed (D)
3. Harry B. Hawes (D)

Montana

1. Burton K. Wheeler (D)
2. Thomas J. Walsh (D)

Nebraska

1. Robert B. Howell (R)
2. George W. Norris (R)

Nevada

1. Key Pittman (D)
3. Tasker Oddie (R)

New Hampshire

2. Henry W. Keyes (R)
3. George H. Moses (R)

New Jersey

1. Edward I. Edwards (D)
2. Walter Evans Edge (R)

New Mexico

1. Andrieus A. Jones (D) until December 20, 1927
- Bronson M. Cutting (R) December 29, 1927 through December 6, 1928
- Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo (R) from December 7, 1928
2. Sam G. Bratton (D)

new York

1. Royal S. Copeland (D)
3. Robert F. Wagner (D)

North Carolina

2. Furnifold McLendel Simmons (D)
3. Lee Slater Overman (D)

North Dakota

1. Lynn Frazier (R)
3. Gerald Nye (R)

Ohio

1. Simeon D. Fess (R)
3. Frank B. Willis (R) until March 30, 1928
- Cyrus Locher (D) from April 4 to December 14, 1928
- Theodore E. Burton (R) from December 15, 1928

Oklahoma

2. William B. Pine (R)
3. Elmer Thomas (D)

Oregon

2. Charles L. McNary (R)
3. Frederick Steiwer (R)

Pennsylvania

1. David A. Reed (R)
3. William Scott Vare (R) was not approved by the Senate (see article)

Rhode Island

1. Peter G. Gerry (D)
2. Jesse H. Metcalf (R)

South carolina

2. Coleman Livingston Blease (D)
3. Ellison D. Smith (D)

South Dakota

2. William H. McMaster (R)
3. Peter Norbeck (R)

Tennessee

1. Kenneth McKellar (D)
2. Lawrence Tyson (D)

Texas

1. Earle Bradford Mayfield (D)
2. Morris Sheppard (D)

Utah

1. William H. King (D)
3. Reed Smoot (R)

Vermont

1. Frank L. Greene (R)
3. Porter H. Dale (R)

Virginia

1. Claude A. Swanson (D)
2. Carter Glass (D)

Washington

1. Clarence Dill (D)
3. Wesley Livsey Jones (R)

West Virginia

1. Guy D. Goff (R)
2. Matthew M. Neely (D)

Wisconsin

1. Robert M. La Follette Jr. (R)
3. John J. Blaine (R)

Wyoming

1. John B. Kendrick (D)
2. Francis E. Warren (R)

Members of the House of Representatives

The following congressmen represented the interests of their respective states in the 70th Congress:

Alabama 10 constituencies

1. John McDuffie (D)
2. J. Lister Hill (D)
3. Henry B. Steagall (D)
4. Lamar Jeffers (D)
5. William B. Bowling (D) until August 16, 1928
- LaFayette L. Patterson (D) from November 6, 1928
6. William Bacon Oliver (D)
7. Miles C. Allgood (D)
8. Edward B. Almon (D)
9. George Huddleston (D)
10. William B. Bankhead (D)

Arizona state wide election

Lewis Williams Douglas (D)

Arkansas 7 constituencies.

1. William J. Driver (D)
2. William Allan Oldfield (D) until November 19, 1928
- Pearl Peden Oldfield (D) from January 9, 1929
3. John N. Tillman (D)
4. Otis Wingo (D)
5. Heartsill Ragon (D)
6. James B. Reed (D)
7. Tilman Bacon Parks (D)

California 11 constituencies.

Colorado 4 constituencies

1. William N. Vaile (R) through July 2, 1927
- S. Harrison White (D) from November 15, 1927
2. Charles B. Timberlake (R)
3. Guy U. Hardy (R)
4. Edward T. Taylor (D)

Connecticut 5 constituencies

Delaware state-wide choice

Robert G. Houston (R)

Florida 4 constituencies

Georgia 12 constituencies

Idaho 2 constituencies

1. Burton L. French (R)
2. Addison T. Smith (R)

Illinois 25 constituencies. In addition, two representatives were elected nationwide

1. Martin B. Madden (R) until April 27, 1928, after which the seat remained vacant
2. Morton D. Hull (R)
3. Elliott W. Sproul (R)
4. Thomas A. Doyle (D)
5. Adolph J. Sabath (D)
6. James T. Igoe (D)
7. M. Alfred Michaelson (R)
8. Stanley H. Kunz (D)
9. Frederick A. Britten (R)
10. Carl R. Chindblom (R)
11. Frank R. Reid (R)
12. John T. Buckbee (R)
13. William Richard Johnson (R)
14. John Clayton Allen (R)
15. Edward John King (R) until February 17, 1929, after which the seat remained vacant
16. William E. Hull (R)
17. Homer W. Hall (R)
18. William P. Holaday (R)
19. Charles Adkins (R)
20. Henry T. Rainey (D)
21. James Earl Major (D)
22. Edward M. Irwin (R)
23. William W. Arnold (D)
24. Thomas Sutler Williams (R)
25. Edward E. Denison (R)
26. Henry Riggs Rathbone (R) elected state-wide, died July 15, 1928 after vacancy
27. Richard Yates (R) elected state-wide

Indiana 13 constituencies

Iowa 11 constituencies

1. William F. Kopp (R)
2. F. Dickinson Letts (R)
3. Thomas JB Robinson (R)
4. Gilbert N. Haugen (R)
5. Cyrenus Cole (R)
6. C. William Ramseyer (R)
7. Cassius C. Dowell (R)
8. Lloyd Thurston (R)
9. William R. Green (R) through March 31, 1928
- Earl W. Vincent (R) from June 4, 1928
10. Lester J. Dickinson (R)
11. William D. Boies (R)

Kansas 8 constituencies.

Kentucky 11 constituencies

Louisiana 8 constituencies

1. James O'Connor (D)
2. James Z. Spearing (D)
3. Whitmell P. Martin (D)
4. John N. Sandlin (D)
5. Riley J. Wilson (D)
6. Bolivar E. Kemp (D)
7. Ladislas Lazaro (D) until March 30, 1927
- René L. De Rouen (D) from August 23, 1927
8. James Benjamin Aswell (D)

Maine 4 constituencies

Maryland 6 constituencies.

Massachusetts 16 constituencies

1. Allen T. Treadway (R)
2. Henry L. Bowles (R)
3. Frank H. Foss (R)
4. George R. Stobbs (R)
5. Edith Nourse Rogers (R)
6. Abram Andrew (R)
7. William P. Connery (D)
8. Frederick W. Dallinger (R)
9. Charles L. Underhill (R)
10. John J. Douglass (D)
11. George H. Tinkham (R)
12. James A. Gallivan (D) until April 3, 1928
- John W. McCormack (D) from November 6, 1928
13. Robert Luce (R)
14. Louis A. Frothingham (R) until August 23, 1928
- Richard B. Wigglesworth (R) from November 6, 1928
15. Joseph William Martin (R)
16. Charles L. Gifford (R)

Michigan 13 constituencies

Minnesota 10th constituencies

1. Allen J. Furlow (R)
2. Frank Clague (R)
3rd August H. Andresen (R)
4. Melvin Maas (R)
5. Walter Newton (R)
6. Harold Knutson (R)
7. Ole J. Kvale (Farmer Labor Party)
8. William Leighton Carss (Farmer Labor Party)
9. Conrad Selvig (R)
10. Godfrey G. Goodwin (R)

Mississippi 8 constituencies

Missouri 16 constituencies

1. Milton A. Romjue (D)
2. Ralph F. Lozier (D)
3. Jacob L. Milligan (D)
4. Charles L. Faust (R) until December 17, 1928
- David W. Hopkins (R) from February 5, 1929
5. George H. Combs (D)
6. Clement C. Dickinson (D)
7. Samuel C. Major (D)
8. William L. Nelson (D)
9. Clarence Cannon (D)
10. Henry F. Niedringhaus (R)
11. John J. Cochran (D)
12. Leonidas C. Dyer (R)
13. Clyde Williams (D)
14. James F. Fulbright (D)
15. Joe J. Manlove (R)
16. Thomas L. Rubey (D) until November 2, 1928, after which the seat remained vacant

Montana 2 electoral districts

1. John M. Evans (D)
2. Scott Leavitt (R)

Nebraska 6 constituencies

Nevada state-wide election

Samuel S. Arentz (R)

New Hampshire 2 electoral divisions

1. Fletcher Hale (R)
2. Edward Hills Wason (R)

New Jersey 12 constituencies

New Mexico state-wide election

John Morrow (D)

New York 43 constituencies

1. Robert L. Bacon (R)
2. John J. Kindred (D)
3. George W. Lindsay (D)
4. Thomas H. Cullen (D)
5. Loring M. Black (D)
6. Andrew Lawrence Somers (D)
7. John Quayle (D)
8. Patrick J. Carley (D)
9. David J. O'Connell (D)
10. Emanuel Celler (D)
11. Anning Smith Prall (D)
12. Samuel Dickstein (D)
13. Christopher D. Sullivan (D)
14. William I. Sirovich (D)
15. John J. Boylan (D)
16. John J. O'Connor (D)
17. William W. Cohen (D)
18. John F. Carew (D)
19. Sol Bloom (D)
20. Fiorello LaGuardia (R)
21. Royal Hurlburt Weller (D) until March 1, 1929, after which the seat remained vacant
22. Anthony J. Griffin (D)
23. Frank Oliver (D)
24. James M. Fitzpatrick (D)
25. J. Mayhew Wainwright (R)
26. Hamilton Fish III (R)
27. Harcourt J. Pratt (R)
28. Parker Corning (D)
29. James S. Parker (R)
30. Frank Crowther (R)
31. Bertrand Snell (R)
32. Thaddeus C. Sweet (R) through May 1, 1928
- Francis D. Culkin (R) from November 6, 1928
33. Frederick Morgan Davenport (R)
34. John D. Clarke (R)
35.Walter W. Magee (R) until May 25, 1927
- Clarence E. Hancock (R) from November 8, 1927
36. John Taber (R)
37. Gale H. Stalker (R)
38. Meyer Jacobstein (D)
39. Archie D. Sanders (R)
40. S. Wallace Dempsey (R)
41. Clarence MacGregor (R) until December 31, 1928, after which the seat remained vacant
42. James M. Mead (D)
43.Daniel A. Reed (R)

North Carolina 10 constituencies

North Dakota 3 constituencies

Ohio 22 constituencies

1. Nicholas Longworth (R)
2. Charles Tatgenhorst (R) from November 8, 1927
3. Roy G. Fitzgerald (R)
4. William T. Fitzgerald (R)
5. Charles J. Thompson (R)
6. Charles Cyrus Kearns (R)
7. Charles Brand (R)
8. Thomas B. Fletcher (D)
9. William W. Chalmers (R)
10. Thomas A. Jenkins (R)
11. Mell G. Underwood (D)
12. John C. Speaks (R)
13. James T. Begg (R)
14. Martin Davey (D)
15. C. Ellis Moore (R)
16. John McSweeney (D)
17. William Mitchell Morgan (R)
18. B. Frank Murphy (R)
19. John G. Cooper (R)
20. Charles A. Mooney (D)
21. Robert Crosser (D)
22. Theodore E. Burton (R) until December 15, 1928, after which the seat remained vacant

Oklahoma 8 constituencies

Oregon 3 constituencies

1. Willis C. Hawley (R)
2. Nicholas J. Sinnott (R) through May 31, 1928
- Robert R. Butler (R) from November 6, 1928
3. Maurice E. Crumpacker (R) until July 24, 1927
- Franklin F. Korell (R) from October 18, 1927

Pennsylvania 36 constituencies

1. James M. Hazlett (R) through October 20, 1927
- James M. Beck (R) from November 8, 1927
2. George Scott Graham (R)
3. Harry C. Ransley (R)
4. Benjamin M. Golder (R)
5. James J. Connolly (R)
6. George Austin Welsh (R)
7. George P. Darrow (R)
8. Thomas S. Butler (R) until May 26, 1928
- James Wolfenden (R) from November 6, 1928
9. Henry Winfield Watson (R)
10. William Walton Griest (R)
11. Laurence Hawley Watres (R)
12. John J. Casey (D)
13. Cyrus Maffet Palmer (R)
14. Robert Gray Bushong (R)
15. Louis Thomas McFadden (R)
16. Edgar Raymond Kiess (R)
17. Frederick William Magrady (R)
18. Edward M. Beers (R)
19. Isaac Hoffer Doutrich (R)
20. James Russell Leech (R)
21. Jacob Banks Kurtz (R)
22. Franklin Menges (R)
23. James Mitchell Chase (R)
24. Samuel Austin Kendall (R)
25. Henry Wilson Temple (R)
26. J. Howard Swick (R)
27. Nathan Leroy Strong (R)
28. Thomas Cunningham Cochran (R)
29. Milton William Shreve (R)
30. Everett Kent (D)
31. Adam Martin Wyant (R)
32. Stephen Geyer Porter (R)
33. Melville Clyde Kelly (R)
34. John M. Morin (R)
35. Harry Allison Estep (R)
36. Guy Edgar Campbell (R)

Rhode Island 3 electoral constituencies

South Carolina 7 constituencies.

South Dakota 3 constituencies

Tennessee 10 constituencies

Texas 18 constituencies

Utah 2 constituencies

1. Don B. Colton (R)
2. Elmer O. Leatherwood (R)

Vermont 2 constituencies

1. Elbert S. Brigham (R)
2. Ernest Gibson (R)

Virginia 10 constituencies

Washington 5 constituencies

West Virginia 6 constituencies

Wisconsin 11 constituencies

Wyoming state-wide elections

Charles E. Winter (R)

Members of the House of Representatives who are not entitled to vote:

Alaska Territory : Daniel Sutherland (R)
Hawaii Territory : Victor SK Houston (R)
Philippines :
- Pedro Guevara
- Isauro Gabaldon until July 16, 1928
Puerto Rico : Félix Córdova Dávila

Web links

Commons : 70th United States Congress - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

bioguide.congress.gov (by entering 70 under Year OR Congress: you get a list of the members of the 70th Congress with a link to the official biographies; English)