77th United States Congress
| 77th United States Congress | |
|---|---|
76th ← → 78th | |
 United States Capitol (1956) | |
January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1943 | |
| Members | 96 senators 435 representatives 4 non-voting delegates |
| Senate majority | Democratic |
| Senate President | John N. Garner (D)[a] (until January 20, 1941) Henry A. Wallace (D) (from January 20, 1941) |
| House majority | Democratic |
| House Speaker | Sam Rayburn (D) |
| Sessions | |
| 1st: January 3, 1941 – January 2, 1942 2nd: January 5, 1942 – December 16, 1942 | |
The 77th 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, D.C., from January 3, 1941, to January 3, 1943, during the ninth and tenth years of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1930 United States census.
Both chambers maintained a Democratic majority - with the Senate being a supermajority. With the reelection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to a then record third term, the Democrats maintained an overall federal government trifecta.
This was the first Congress to have more than one Senate president (John Garner and Henry Wallace) due to the passage of the 20th Amendment in 1933.
Major events
[edit]- January 20, 1941: President Franklin D. Roosevelt began his third term.
- December 7, 1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor
- December 8, 1941: Joint Session of Congress met to hear President Roosevelt deliver his "Day of Infamy" speech
- December 26, 1941: Joint session of the United States Congress met in the Senate chamber for an address by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Major legislation and resolutions
[edit]- March 11, 1941: Lend Lease Act, Pub. L. 77–11, Sess. 1, ch. 11, 55 Stat. 31
- August 18, 1941: Flood Control Act of 1941, Pub. L. 77–228, Sess. 1, ch. 377, 55 Stat. 638
- December 8, 1941: Resolution— War between United States and Japan, Pub. L. 77–328, Sess. 1, ch. 561, 55 Stat. 795
- December 11, 1941: Resolution— War between United States and Germany, Pub. L. 77–331, Sess. 1, ch. 564, 55 Stat. 796
- December 11, 1941: Resolution— War between United States and Italy, Pub. L. 77–332, Sess. 1, ch. 565, 55 Stat. 797
- January 27, 1942: Air Raid Attack Act of 1942, Pub. L. 77–415, Sess. 2, ch. 20, 56 Stat. 19
- January 30, 1942: Emergency Price Control Act of 1942, Pub. L. 77–421, Sess. 2, ch. 26, 56 Stat. 23
- June 5, 1942: Resolution— War between United States and Bulgaria, Pub. L. 77–563, Sess. 2, ch. 323, 56 Stat. 307
- June 5, 1942: Resolution— War between United States and Hungary, Pub. L. 77–564, Sess. 2, ch. 324, 56 Stat. 307
- June 5, 1942: Resolution— War between United States and Romania, Pub. L. 77–565, Sess. 2, ch. 325, 56 Stat. 307
- June 22, 1942: Resolution— United States Flag Code, including recognition of the Pledge of Allegiance, Pub. L. 77–623, Sess. 2, ch. 435, 56 Stat. 377
- October 2, 1942: Stabilization Act of 1942, Pub. L. 77–729, Sess. 2, ch. 578, 56 Stat. 765
Select committees
[edit]Leadership
[edit]Senate
[edit]- President: John Nance Garner (D), until January 20, 1941
- Henry A. Wallace (D), from January 20, 1941
- President pro tempore: Pat Harrison (D), until June 22, 1941
- Carter Glass (D), from July 10, 1941
Majority (Democratic) leadership
[edit]Minority (Republican) leadership
[edit]House of Representatives
[edit]- Speaker: Sam Rayburn (D)
Majority (Democratic) leadership
[edit]Minority (Republican) leadership
[edit]Party summary
[edit]Senate
[edit]
| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Farmer– Labor (FL) | Wisconsin Progressive (P) | Republican (R) | Independent (I) | |||
| End of previous congress | 68 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 96 | 0 |
| Begin | 66 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 1 | 96 | 0 |
| End | 64 | 30 | |||||
| Final voting share | 66.7% | 0.0% | 1.0% | 31.3% | 1.0% | ||
| Beginning of next congress | 57 | 0 | 1 | 38 | 0 | 96 | 0 |
House of Representatives
[edit]| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Farmer– Labor (FL) | American Labor (AL) | Wisconsin Progressive (P) | Republican (R) | Other | |||
| End of previous congress | 256 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 167 | 1 | 428 | 7 |
| Begin | 268 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 162 | 0 | 435 | 0 |
| End | 254 | 165 | 424 | 11 | ||||
| Final voting share | 59.9% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.7% | 38.9% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of next congress | 222 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 208 | 0 | 434 | 1 |
Members
[edit]Senate
[edit]Senators are 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, In this Congress, Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1942; Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1944; and Class 1 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1946.
Currently, this is the last congressional session in which the Democratic Party commanded all Senate seats from the South.
Currently, this is the second and last congressional session in which Wyoming sent 3 democrats to Congress (senators Joesph C. O'Mahoney and Harry Schwartz, as well as representative at-large John J. McIntyre).