# 79th United States Congress

The 79th 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, 1945, to January 3, 1947, during the last months of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency, and the first two years of Harry Truman's presidency. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1940 United States census.
Both chambers had a Democratic majority (including increasing their edge in the House). With the reelection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to a record fourth term, the Democrats maintained an overall federal government trifecta.

## Major events

* January 20, 1945: President Franklin D. Roosevelt began his fourth term.
* April 12, 1945: President Roosevelt died, Vice President Harry S. Truman became President of the United States.
* September 2, 1945: World War II ended.
* September 11, 1945 – June 20, 1946: Joint Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack conducted its investigation and issued a report.
* November 6, 1946: 1946 United States Senate elections, 1946 United States House of Representatives elections: Republicans gained control of both houses.
* January 3, 1947: Proceedings of the U.S. Congress were televised for the first time.

## Major legislation

* March 9, 1945: McCarran-Ferguson Act
* July 31, 1945: Bretton Woods Agreements Act, Pub. L.Tooltip Act of Congress#Public law, private law, designation 79–171
* July 31, 1945: Export-Import Bank Act of 1945
* December 20, 1945: United Nations Participation Act, Pub. L.Tooltip Act of Congress#Public law, private law, designation 79–264, S. 1580, 59 Stat. 619, enacted December 20, 1945
* December 28, 1945: War Brides Act
* February 18, 1946: Rescission Act of 1946, Pub. L.Tooltip Act of Congress#Public law, private law, designation 79–391
* February 20, 1946: Employment Act, Pub. L.Tooltip Act of Congress#Public law, private law, designation 79–304, ch. 33, 60 Stat. 23
* May 13, 1946: Federal Airport Act of 1946, Pub. L.Tooltip Act of Congress#Public law, private law, designation 79–377
* June 4, 1946: Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, ch. 281, 60 Stat. 230
* June 11, 1946: Administrative Procedure Act, ch. 324, Pub. L.Tooltip Act of Congress#Public law, private law, designation 79–404, 60 Stat. 237
* July 2, 1946: Luce–Celler Act of 1946, Pub. L.Tooltip Act of Congress#Public law, private law, designation 79–483
* July 3, 1946: Hobbs Anti-Racketeering Act, ch. 537, Pub. L.Tooltip Act of Congress#Public law, private law, designation 79–486, 60 Stat. 420
* July 5, 1946: Lanham Trademark Act of 1946, Pub. L.Tooltip Act of Congress#Public law, private law, designation 79–489
* August 1, 1946: United States Atomic Energy Act of 1946, ch. 724, Pub. L.Tooltip Act of Congress#Public law, private law, designation 79–585, 60 Stat. 755
* August 2, 1946: Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, Pub. L.Tooltip Act of Congress#Public law, private law, designation 79–601, including Title III: Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946, Title IV: Federal Tort Claims Act, and Title V: General Bridge Act
* August 13, 1946: Foreign Service Act, ch. 957, titles I–X, 60 Stat. 999
* August 13, 1946: Hospital Survey and Construction Act (Hill-Burton Act), Pub. L.Tooltip Act of Congress#Public law, private law, designation 79–725, ch. 958, 60 Stat. 1040

## Treaties ratified

* July 28, 1945: Senate ratified the Charter of the United Nations by a vote of 89–2.
* July 4, 1946: Senate ratified the Treaty of Manila, which gave independence to the Philippines.

## Party summary
### Senate

| | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic (D) | Progressive (P) | Republican (R) | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous congress | 56 | 1 | 39 | 96 | 0 |
| Begin | 57 | 1 | 38 | 96 | 0 |
| End | 53 | 1 | 42 | 96 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 55.2% | 1.0% | 43.8% | | |
| Beginning of next congress | 45 | 0 | 51 | 96 | 0 |

### House of Representatives

| | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic (D) | Farmer– Labor (FL) | American Labor (AL) | Progressive (P) | Republican (R) | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous congress | 212 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 210 | 426 | 9 |
| Begin | 242 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 190 | 434 | 1 |
| End | 236 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 191 | 429 | 6 |
| Final voting share | 55.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 44.5% | | |
| Beginning of next congress | 187 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 245 | 433 | 2 |

## Leadership
### Senate

* President:
** Henry A. Wallace (D), until January 20, 1945
** Harry S. Truman (D), January 20, 1945 – April 12, 1945; thereafter vacant
* President Pro Tempore: Kenneth McKellar (D)
* Majority leader: Alben W. Barkley (D)
* Minority leader: Wallace H. White Jr. (R, acting)
* Majority whip: J. Lister Hill (D)
* Minority whip: Kenneth S. Wherry (R), elected 1944

### House of Representatives

* Speaker: Sam Rayburn (D)
* Majority leader: John W. McCormack (D)
* Minority leader: Joseph W. Martin Jr. (R)
* Majority whip: John Sparkman (D)
* Minority whip: Leslie C. Arends (R)

## Members
### Senate

Senators are popularly 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 1 meant their term ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1946; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1948; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, facing re-election in 1950.

### House of Representatives

The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.

## Changes in membership

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

### House of Representatives
## Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders for members of the House and Senate committees can be found through the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of this article. The directory after the pages of terms of service lists committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and, after that, House/Senate committee assignments. 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.

### Joint committees

* Atomic Energy (Chairman: Sen. Brien McMahon)
* Arrange the Inauguration for President-elect (Chairman: Sen. Harry F. Byrd)
* Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
* Disposition of Executive Papers
* Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack
* Legislative Budget
* The Library (Chairman: Sen. Alben W. Barkley)
* Organization of Congress (Chairman: Vacant; Vice Chairman: Rep. Mike Monroney)
* Printing (Chairman: Sen. Carl Hayden; Vice Chairman: Rep. Pete Jarman)
* Reduction of Nonessential Federal Expenditures (Chairman: Sen. Harry F. Byrd; Vice Chairman: Rep. Robert L. Doughton)
* Selective Service Deferments
* Taxation (Chairman: Rep. Robert F. Doughton; Vice Chairman: Sen. Walter F. George)

## Caucuses

* Democratic (House)
* Democratic (Senate)

## 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: Augustus E. Giegengack

### Senate

* Chaplain: Frederick Brown Harris (Methodist)
* Parliamentarian: Charles Watkins
* Secretary: Edwin A. Halsey, until January 29, 1945
** Leslie Biffle, from February 8, 1945
* Librarian: Ruskin McArdle
* Secretary for the Majority: Leslie Biffle, until February 8, 1945
** Felton McLellan Johnston, from October 1945
* Secretary for the Minority: Carl A. Loeffler
* Sergeant at Arms: Wall Doxey

### House of Representatives

* Chaplain: James Shera Montgomery (Methodist)
* Clerk: South Trimble, until November 23, 1946
** Harry Newlin Megill, from November 23, 1946
* Doorkeeper: Ralph R. Roberts
* Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler
* Postmaster: Finis E. Scott
* Reading Clerks: George J. Maurer (D) and Alney E. Chaffee (R)
* Sergeant at Arms: Kenneth Romney