81st United States Congress



































81st United States Congress


80th ←

→ 82nd


USCapitol1956.jpg

United States Capitol (1956)

January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951
Senate President
Vacant
until January 20, 1949
Alben W. Barkley (D)
from January 20, 1949
Senate Pres. pro tem
Kenneth McKellar (D)
House Speaker
Sam Rayburn (D)
Members
96 senators
435 representatives
4 non-voting delegates
Senate Majority
Democratic
House Majority
Democratic
Sessions

1st: January 3, 1949 – October 19, 1949
2nd: January 3, 1950 – January 2, 1951

The Eighty-first 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, 1949, to January 3, 1951, during the fifth and sixth years of Harry S. Truman's presidency.


The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Sixteenth Census of the United States in 1940. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.





Contents






  • 1 Major events


  • 2 Major legislation


  • 3 Treaties


  • 4 Hearings


  • 5 Party summary


    • 5.1 Senate


    • 5.2 House of Representatives




  • 6 Leadership


    • 6.1 Senate


      • 6.1.1 Majority (Democratic) leadership


      • 6.1.2 Minority (Republican) leadership




    • 6.2 House of Representatives


      • 6.2.1 Majority (Democratic) leadership


      • 6.2.2 Minority (Republican) leadership






  • 7 Caucuses


  • 8 Members


    • 8.1 Senate


      • 8.1.1 Alabama


      • 8.1.2 Arizona


      • 8.1.3 Arkansas


      • 8.1.4 California


      • 8.1.5 Colorado


      • 8.1.6 Connecticut


      • 8.1.7 Delaware


      • 8.1.8 Florida


      • 8.1.9 Georgia


      • 8.1.10 Idaho


      • 8.1.11 Illinois


      • 8.1.12 Indiana


      • 8.1.13 Iowa


      • 8.1.14 Kansas


      • 8.1.15 Kentucky


      • 8.1.16 Louisiana


      • 8.1.17 Maine


      • 8.1.18 Maryland


      • 8.1.19 Massachusetts


      • 8.1.20 Michigan


      • 8.1.21 Minnesota


      • 8.1.22 Mississippi


      • 8.1.23 Missouri


      • 8.1.24 Montana


      • 8.1.25 Nebraska


      • 8.1.26 Nevada


      • 8.1.27 New Hampshire


      • 8.1.28 New Jersey


      • 8.1.29 New Mexico


      • 8.1.30 New York


      • 8.1.31 North Carolina


      • 8.1.32 North Dakota


      • 8.1.33 Ohio


      • 8.1.34 Oklahoma


      • 8.1.35 Oregon


      • 8.1.36 Pennsylvania


      • 8.1.37 Rhode Island


      • 8.1.38 South Carolina


      • 8.1.39 South Dakota


      • 8.1.40 Tennessee


      • 8.1.41 Texas


      • 8.1.42 Utah


      • 8.1.43 Vermont


      • 8.1.44 Virginia


      • 8.1.45 Washington


      • 8.1.46 West Virginia


      • 8.1.47 Wisconsin


      • 8.1.48 Wyoming




    • 8.2 House of Representatives


      • 8.2.1 Alabama


      • 8.2.2 Arizona


      • 8.2.3 Arkansas


      • 8.2.4 California


      • 8.2.5 Colorado


      • 8.2.6 Connecticut


      • 8.2.7 Delaware


      • 8.2.8 Florida


      • 8.2.9 Georgia


      • 8.2.10 Idaho


      • 8.2.11 Illinois


      • 8.2.12 Indiana


      • 8.2.13 Iowa


      • 8.2.14 Kansas


      • 8.2.15 Kentucky


      • 8.2.16 Louisiana


      • 8.2.17 Maine


      • 8.2.18 Maryland


      • 8.2.19 Massachusetts


      • 8.2.20 Michigan


      • 8.2.21 Minnesota


      • 8.2.22 Mississippi


      • 8.2.23 Missouri


      • 8.2.24 Montana


      • 8.2.25 Nebraska


      • 8.2.26 Nevada


      • 8.2.27 New Hampshire


      • 8.2.28 New Jersey


      • 8.2.29 New Mexico


      • 8.2.30 New York


      • 8.2.31 North Carolina


      • 8.2.32 North Dakota


      • 8.2.33 Ohio


      • 8.2.34 Oklahoma


      • 8.2.35 Oregon


      • 8.2.36 Pennsylvania


      • 8.2.37 Rhode Island


      • 8.2.38 South Carolina


      • 8.2.39 South Dakota


      • 8.2.40 Tennessee


      • 8.2.41 Texas


      • 8.2.42 Utah


      • 8.2.43 Vermont


      • 8.2.44 Virginia


      • 8.2.45 Washington


      • 8.2.46 West Virginia


      • 8.2.47 Wisconsin


      • 8.2.48 Wyoming


      • 8.2.49 Non-voting members






  • 9 Changes in membership


    • 9.1 Senate


    • 9.2 House of Representatives




  • 10 Committees


    • 10.1 Senate


    • 10.2 House of Representatives


    • 10.3 Joint committees




  • 11 Employees


    • 11.1 Legislative branch agency directors


    • 11.2 Senate


    • 11.3 House of Representatives




  • 12 See also


  • 13 External links





Major events




  • January 20, 1949: President Harry S. Truman began his second (only full) term.

  • August 16, 1949: Office of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff created

  • January 21, 1950: Accused communist spy Alger Hiss was convicted of perjury

  • January 31, 1950: President Truman ordered the development of the hydrogen bomb, in response to the detonation of the Soviet Union's first atomic bomb in 1949

  • June 27, 1950: Korean War: President Truman ordered American military forces to aid in the defense of South Korea



Major legislation




Civil libertarians and radical political activists considered the McCarran Act to be a dangerous and unconstitutional infringement of political liberty, as exemplified in this 1961 poster.




  • June 20, 1949: Central Intelligence Agency Act, ch. 227, 63 Stat. 208, 50 U.S.C. § 403a

  • October 25, 1949: Hospital Survey and Construction Amendments of 1949, ch. 722, Pub.L. 81–380, 63 Stat. 898

  • October 26, 1949: Fair Labor Standards Amendment, ch. 736, Pub.L. 81–393, 63 Stat. 910, 29 U.S.C. ch. 8

  • October 31, 1949: Agricultural Act of 1949, ch. 792, 63 Stat. 1051

  • May 5, 1950: Uniform Code of Military Justice, ch. 169, 64 Stat. 109

  • May 10, 1950: National Science Foundation Act, ch. 171, Pub.L. 81–507, 64 Stat. 149, 42 U.S.C. ch. 16

  • September 8, 1950: Defense Production Act of 1950, Pub.L. 81–774, 64 Stat. 798

  • September 12, 1950: Budget and Accounting Procedures Act of 1950, ch. 946, 64 Stat. 832

  • September 23, 1950: McCarran Internal Security Act (including Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950), ch. 1024, 64 Stat. 987, 50 U.S.C. § 781

  • September 30, 1950: Performance Rating Act, ch. 1123, 64 Stat. 1098

  • August 15, 1950: Omnibus Medical Research Act, Pub.L. 81–692, 64 Stat. 443 (including Public Health Services Act Amendments, which established the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness)

  • December 29, 1950: Celler–Kefauver Act (Anti-Merger Act), ch. 1184, 64 Stat. 1125

  • January 12, 1951: Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950, ch. 1228, 64 Stat. 1245 (codified in 50 U.S.C. App., here [1])



Treaties


  • July 21, 1949: North Atlantic Treaty ratified, establishing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)


Hearings





Mobster Frank Costello testifying before the Kefauver Committee.


  • May 11, 1950: Kefauver Committee hearings into U.S. organized crime began


Party summary



Senate


































































Party
(shading shows control)
Total
Vacant

Democratic
(D)

Republican
(R)
End of the previous congress

45

51
96
0

Begin

54

42

96
0
End 53 43
Final voting share 7001552000000000000♠55.2% 7001448000000000000♠44.8%
Beginning of the next congress

49

47
96
0


House of Representatives
















House seats by party holding plurality in state


  80+ to 100% Democratic


  80+ to 100% Republican


  60+ to 80% Democratic


  60+ to 80% Republican


  Up to 60% Democratic


  Up to 60% Republican















































































Party
(shading shows control)
Total
Vacant

American
Labor
(AL)

Democratic
(D)

Liberal
(Lib)

Republican
(R)

Independent
(I)
End of the previous congress

2

184

0

244

0
430
5

Begin

1

264

0

169

0

434
1
End 261 1 168 431 4
Final voting share 6999200000000000000♠0.2% 7001606000000000000♠60.6% 6999200000000000000♠0.2% 7001390000000000000♠39.0% 5000000000000000000♠0.0%
Beginning of the next congress

0

235

0

199

1
435
0


Leadership


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Congressional Leaders


Alben W. Barkley

Senate President
Alben W. Barkley



Kenneth McKellar

Senate President pro tempore
Kenneth McKellar



Sam Rayburn

House Speaker
Sam Rayburn





Senate



  • President: Vacant until January 20, 1949

    • Alben W. Barkley (D), from January 20, 1949



Majority (Democratic) leadership




  • Majority Leader: Scott W. Lucas


  • Majority Whip: Francis J. Myers


  • Caucus Secretary: Brien McMahon



Minority (Republican) leadership




  • Minority Leader: Kenneth S. Wherry


  • Minority Whip: Leverett Saltonstall


  • Conference Chairman: Eugene Millikin


  • Republican Conference Secretary: Milton Young


  • National Senatorial Committee Chair: Styles Bridges


  • Policy Committee Chairman: Robert A. Taft



House of Representatives



  • Speaker: Sam Rayburn (D)


Majority (Democratic) leadership




  • Majority Leader: John W. McCormack


  • Majority Whip: J. Percy Priest


  • Caucus Chairman: Francis E. Walter


  • Caucus Secretary: Chase G. Woodhouse


  • Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Michael J. Kirwan



Minority (Republican) leadership




  • Minority Leader: Joseph W. Martin, Jr.


  • Minority Whip: Leslie C. Arends


  • Conference Chair: Roy O. Woodruff



Caucuses



  • House Democratic Caucus

  • Senate Democratic Caucus



Members



Senate


Senators are popularly elected statewide every two years, with one-third beginning new six-year terms with each Congress. Senators are ordered first by state, and then by seniority. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election, In this Congress, Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1950; Class 1 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1952; and Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1954.












House of Representatives












Changes in membership


The count below reflects changes from the beginning of this Congress.



Senate






































































































State
(class)
Vacator
Reason for change
Successor
Date of successor's
formal installation

Kentucky
(3)

Alben W. Barkley (D)
Incumbent resigned January 19, 1949, to become U.S. Vice President.
Successor appointed January 20, 1949, to finish the term.

Garrett L. Withers (D)
January 20, 1949

North Carolina
(2)

J. Melville Broughton (D)
Incumbent died March 6, 1949.
Successor appointed March 29, 1949, to continue the term.

Frank P. Graham (D)
March 29, 1949

New York
(3)

Robert F. Wagner (D)
Incumbent resigned June 28, 1949, due to ill health.
Successor appointed July 7, 1949, to continue the term.

John Foster Dulles (R)
July 7, 1949

Rhode Island
(1)

J. Howard McGrath (D)
Incumbent resigned August 23, 1949, to become U.S. Attorney General.
Successor appointed to continue the term.

Edward L. Leahy (D)
August 24, 1949

Idaho
(2)

Bert H. Miller (D)
Incumbent died October 8, 1949.
Successor appointed to continue the term.
Successor later elected November 7, 1950.

Henry Dworshak (R)
October 14, 1949

Kansas
(3)

Clyde M. Reed (R)
Incumbent died November 8, 1949.
Successor appointed to continue the term.

Harry Darby (R)
December 2, 1949

New York
(3)

John Foster Dulles (R)
Interim appointee lost November 8, 1949, election to finish the term.
Successor elected November 8, 1949.

Herbert H. Lehman (D)
November 9, 1949

Connecticut
(1)

Raymond E. Baldwin (R)
Incumbent resigned December 16, 1949.
Successor appointed to continue the term.
Successor later elected November 7, 1950.

William Benton (D)
December 17, 1949

Kentucky
(3)

Garrett L. Withers (D)
Interim appointee resigned November 26, 1950, to trigger special election.
Successor elected November 7, 1950.

Earle C. Clements (D)
November 27, 1950

North Carolina
(2)

Frank P. Graham (D)
Interim appointee lost November 7, 1950, election to finish the term.
Successor elected November 7, 1950.

Willis Smith (D)
November 27, 1950

Kansas
(3)

Harry Darby (R)
Interim appointee retired November 28, 1950, when successor elected.
Successor elected November 29, 1950.

Frank Carlson (R)
November 29, 1950

California
(3)

Sheridan Downey (D)
Incumbent resigned November 30, 1950, due to ill health.
Successor appointed to finish term, having already been elected to the next term.

Richard Nixon (R)
December 1, 1950

Rhode Island
(1)

Edward L. Leahy (D)
Interim appointee retired December 18, 1950, when successor elected.
Successor elected December 19, 1950.

John O. Pastore (D)
December 19, 1950


House of Representatives


































































































































District
Vacator
Reason for change
Successor
Date of successor's
formal installation

New York 7th
Vacant
Rep. John J. Delaney died during previous congress

Louis B. Heller (D)
February 15, 1949

New York 20th

Sol Bloom (D)
Died March 7, 1949.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. (Lib)
May 17, 1949

New York 10th

Andrew L. Somers (D)
Died April 6, 1949.

Edna F. Kelly (D)
November 8, 1949

Pennsylvania 26th

Robert L. Coffey (D)
Died April 20, 1949.

John P. Saylor (R)
September 13, 1949

California 5th

Richard J. Welch (R)
Died September 10, 1949.

John F. Shelley (D)
November 8, 1949

Massachusetts 6th

George J. Bates (R)
Died November 1, 1949.

William H. Bates (R)
February 14, 1950

Illinois 5th

Martin Gorski (D)
Died December 4, 1949.
Vacant
Not filled for the remainder of this term

New Jersey 7th

J. Parnell Thomas (R)
Resigned January 2, 1950, following conviction on charges of salary fraud.

William B. Widnall (R)
February 6, 1950

Virginia 1st

S. Otis Bland (D)
Died February 16, 1950.

Edward J. Robeson, Jr. (D)
May 2, 1950

Illinois 13th

Ralph E. Church (R)
Died March 21, 1950.
Vacant
Not filled for the remainder of this term

Texas 18th

Eugene Worley (D)
Resigned April 3, 1950, to become associate judge of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals.
Vacant
Not filled for the remainder of this term

Michigan 16th

John Lesinski, Sr. (D)
Died May 27, 1950.
Vacant
Not filled for the remainder of this term

North Dakota At-large

William Lemke (R)
Died May 30, 1950.
Vacant
Not filled for the remainder of this term

North Carolina 11th

Alfred L. Bulwinkle (D)
Died August 31, 1950.

Woodrow W. Jones (D)
November 7, 1950

Kansas 3rd

Herbert A. Meyer (R)
Died October 2, 1950.

Myron V. George (R)
November 7, 1950

California 12th

Richard Nixon (R)
Resigned November 30, 1950, after being appointed to the U.S. Senate.
Vacant
Not filled for the remainder of this term

Wyoming At-large

Frank A. Barrett (R)
Resigned December 31, 1950, after being elected Governor of Wyoming.
Vacant
Not filled for the remainder of this term


Committees


Lists of committees and their party leaders, for members (House and Senate) of the committees and their assignments, go into the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of the article and click on the link (2 links), in the directory after the pages of terms of service, you will see the committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and after the committee pages, you will see the House/Senate committee assignments in the directory, on the committees section of the House and Senate in the Official Congressional Directory, the committee's members on the first row on the left side shows the chairman of the committee and on the right side shows the ranking member of the committee.



Senate



  • Agriculture and Forestry

  • Appropriations

  • Banking and Currency

  • District of Columbia

  • Expenditures in Executive Departments

  • Finance

  • Foreign Relations

  • Interior and Insular Affairs

  • Subcommittee on Internal Security

  • Interstate and Foreign Commerce

  • Judiciary

  • Labor and Public Welfare


  • Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce (Select)

  • Post Office and Civil Service

  • Public Works


  • Remodeling the Senate Chamber (Special)


  • Small Business (Select)


  • Small Business Enterprises (Special)

  • Whole



House of Representatives



  • Agriculture

  • Appropriations

  • Banking and Currency

  • District of Columbia

  • Education and Labor

  • Expenditures in the Executive Departments

  • Foreign Affairs

  • House Administration

  • Merchant Marine and Fisheries

  • Post Office and Civil Service

  • Public Lands

  • Public Works

  • Rules


  • Small Business (Select)

  • Standards of Official Conduct

  • Un-American Activities

  • Veterans' Affairs

  • Ways and Means

  • Whole



Joint committees



  • Atomic Energy


  • Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)

  • Defense Production

  • Disposition of Executive Papers

  • Foreign Economic Cooperation

  • Economic

  • Labor Management Relations

  • Legislative Budget

  • The Library

  • Navajo-Hopi Indian Administration

  • Printing

  • Reduction of Nonessential Federal Expenditures

  • Taxation



Employees



Legislative branch agency directors




  • Architect of the Capitol: David Lynn


  • Attending Physician of the United States Congress: George Calver


  • Comptroller General of the United States: Lindsay C. Warren


  • Librarian of Congress: Luther H. Evans


  • Public Printer of the United States: John J. Deviny



Senate




  • Chaplain: Peter Marshall (Presbyterianism) (until February 3, 1949), Frederick Brown Harris (Methodist) (starting February 3, 1949)


  • Parliamentarian: Charles Watkins


  • Secretary: Leslie Biffle


  • Sergeant at Arms: Joseph C. Duke



House of Representatives




  • Chaplain:


    • James Shera Montgomery (Methodist)


    • Bernard Braskamp (Presbyterian)




  • Clerk: Ralph R. Roberts


  • Doorkeeper: William Mosley Miller


  • Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler


  • Postmaster: Finis E. Scott


  • Reading Clerks: N/A (R) and N/A (D)


  • Sergeant at Arms: Joseph H. Callahan



See also




  • United States elections, 1948 (elections leading to this Congress)

    • United States presidential election, 1948

    • United States Senate elections, 1948 and 1949

    • United States House of Representatives elections, 1948




  • United States elections, 1950 (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)

    • United States Senate elections, 1950

    • United States House of Representatives elections, 1950





External links




  • House of Representatives Session Calendar for the 81st Congress (PDF)..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  • Official Congressional Directory for the 81st Congress, 1st Session.


  • Official Congressional Directory for the 81st Congress, 2nd Session.









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